Abstract
Addition of liquids into landfilled waste can result in an increase in pore water pressure, and this in turn may increase concerns with respect to geotechnical stability of the landfilled waste mass. While the impact of vertical well leachate recirculation on landfill pore water pressures has been mathematically modeled, measurements of these systems in operating landfills have not been reported. Pressure readings from vibrating wire piezometers placed in the waste surrounding a liquids addition well at a full-scale operating landfill in Florida were recorded over a 2-year period. Prior to the addition of liquids, measured pore pressures were found to increase with landfill depth, an indication of gas pressure increase and decreasing waste permeability with depth. When liquid addition commenced, piezometers located closer to either the leachate injection well or the landfill surface responded more rapidly to leachate addition relative to those far from the well and those at deeper locations. After liquid addition stopped, measured pore pressures did not immediately drop, but slowly decreased with time. Despite the large pressures present at the bottom of the liquid addition well, much smaller pressures were measured in the surrounding waste. The spatial variation of the pressures recorded in this study suggests that waste permeability is anisotropic and decreases with depth.
Highlights
Addition of liquids is a common practice at landfills as a method to accelerate waste stabilization, and at times, to manage leachate [1]
This paper reports experiences of leachate addition in a buried vertical well surrounded by multiple piezometers over a 2-year period
This paper presents the impact of leachate recirculation into a buried vertical well on the pore pressure in the surrounding waste at a full-scale municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill
Summary
Addition of liquids is a common practice at landfills as a method to accelerate waste stabilization, and at times, to manage leachate [1]. A variety of methods, including surface application through irrigation or ponds and pressurized injection in buried horizontal trenches or vertical wells, are used to add liquids to the compacted waste [2,3]. The impact of liquid addition into vertical wells on pore pressures in the waste has been simulated with mathematical models [7,8]. The objective of the research in this paper was to examine the temporal and spatial impact of leachate recirculation into buried vertical wells on pore water pressure in the surrounding waste in a full-scale municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill. This paper reports experiences of leachate addition in a buried vertical well surrounded by multiple piezometers (pressure transducers) over a 2-year period. Data on spatial distribution of pore water pressure in the surrounding waste in response to cumulative volume of leachate added, and associated leachate injection pressure and operation period, are presented
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