Spatial and Temporal Temperature Distributions in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

Abstract

Long-term spatial and temporal variations in temperatures have been investigated in covers, wastes, and liners at four municipal solid waste landfills located in different climatic regions: Alaska, British Columbia, Michigan, and New Mexico. Temperatures were measured in wastes with a broad range of ages from newly placed to old �up to 40 years�. The characteristic shape of waste temperature versus depth relationships consisted of a convex temperature profile with maximum temperatures observed at central loca tions within the middle third fraction of the depth of the waste mass. Lower temperatures were observed above and below this central zone, with seasonal fluctuations occurring near the surface and steady and elevated values �above mean annual earth temperature� near the base of the landfills. Heat gain and long-term temperatures were directly affected by placement temperatures. Sustained concave tem perature profiles were observed for winter waste placement. The highest heat gain and resulting high temperatures were observed in Michigan followed by British Columbia, New Mexico, and Alaska. The high heat gain in Michigan was attributed to coupled precipitation/moisture content and waste density. The time-averaged waste temperature ranges were 0. 9-33.0, 14.4-49.2, 14.8-55.6, and 20.5-33.6°C in Alaska, British Columbia, Michigan, and New Mexico, respectively. Temperature increases occurred rapidly �over multiple years� in British Columbia and then dissipated for tens of years. Longer periods of temperature increase were observed at the other sites. Temperatures, temperature increases, and heat gain were higher during anaerobic decomposition of wastes than aerobic decomposition. A parametric study indicated that use of insulating materials over covers decreased temperature variations compared to uninsulated conditions for prevention of frost penetration or desiccation and for optimum methane oxidation. Overall, thermal regime of landfills is controlled by climatic and operational conditions.

Effects of Temperature on the Long-Term Behaviour of Waste Degradation, Emissions and Post-Closure Management Based on Landfill Simulators

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Resolution of electrical imaging of fluid movement in landfills

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State-of-the-art report: GCL shear strength and its measurement – ten-year update

“…hydration of combustion ash, aluminum production waste, metallic wastes, and lime), and possible smoldering combustion (Martin et al 2013). Field measurements indicate that, depending on waste type, waste density, climate, and operational conditions, landfill temperatures can typically reach as high as 608C (Rowe 2005;Hanson et al 2010;Bouazza et al 2011). Stark et al (2012) and Jafari et al (2014) reported significantly higher temperatures (e.g.…”