Influence of Leachate Recirculation on Landfill Degradation and Biogas Production

Abstract

Population growth combined with the rising standard of living of people around the world is the reason for the ever-increasing production of waste which management is costing states a lot of money for its disposal. Among available waste treatment techniques, landfill is one of the most promoted waste management techniques with the emergence of the bioreactor concept. However, the control of biodegradation parameters in order to accelerate waste stabilization is an important issue. For environmental and economic reasons, the technique of leachate recirculation by injection into the waste is increasingly used to improve the degradation of landfilled waste. The injection of leachate is possible using vertical boreholes, horizontal pipes, infiltration ponds or a combination of these. Indeed, moisture is the main factor in waste degradation and biogas production. The migration of leachate to the bottom of the landfill creates low moisture in the upper areas of the landfill reducing the growth of microbial populations. This results in low or no biogas production. The main objective of the present work is to develop a numerical model of leachate recirculation by injection into the waste to rewet the waste and restart biological activity. The analysis of the results shows that the diffusion of the wet front increases with time and depth. The lateral widening of the wet front is slow in relation to the progression of the wet front towards the bottom of the waste cell. This indicates the predominance of gravity effects over diffusion phenomena. The results reveal that the distributed re-injection is the best mode of leachate recirculation because the moisture distribution on the whole waste mass is totally satisfactory and the biogas generation is more important. Leachate recirculation campaigns should be done periodically to rewet the waste, boost microbial activity and hope for a quicker stabilization of the landfill.