Two Scenarios for Landfills Design in Special Conditions Using the HELP Model: A Case Study in Babylon Governorate, Iraq

Ali Chabuk,Hussain Hussain,Sven Knutsson,Nadhir Al-Ansari,Roland Pusch,Mohammad Ezz-Aldeen,Jan Laue

doi:10.3390/su10010125

Abstract

The sound design of landfills is essential in order to protect human health and the environment (air, water, and soil). The study area, Babylon Governorate, is situated in the middle of Iraq, and is distinguished by a hot climate and shallow groundwater. The governorate did not have landfill sites that meet international criteria; in addition, the groundwater depth in Babylon Governorate is commonly shallow. Previously, the most important criteria for the study area and GIS software were used to select the best sites for locating landfills in the major cities of the governorate. In this study, the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP 3.95D) model was applied in order to ensure that there was no leakage of the leachate that results from the waste in the selected landfill sites. It is the most commonly utilized model for landfill design, and it is used to estimate water inflow through the soil layers. For the present study, to avoid groundwater pollution by leachate from a landfill site due to the shallow groundwater depth, compacted waste was placed on the surface using two height scenarios (2 m and 4 m). This design was developed using the soil properties of the selected sites coupled with the weather parameters in Babylon Governorate (precipitation, temperature, solar, and evapotranspiration) for a 12-year period covering 2005 to 2016. The results from both of the suggested landfill designs showed an absence of leachate from the bottom liner.

Highlights

In most countries, especially developing countries, landfill is a common method for the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Adopting a suitable design for landfill in a particular area that has special conditions is necessary in order to prevent the contamination of groundwater by the leachate produced from a landfill site
For any landfill site, an adequate design should be implemented to fulfill the environmental requirements and protect humans from the negative effects that result from landfills

Summary

Introduction

Especially developing countries, landfill is a common method for the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) [1,2,3,4,5,6]. To face the growing challenge for municipal solid waste management of protecting humans and the environment, there is a need to build a prudent system of waste management. It should include selecting the best sites for landfill based on suitable criteria in the study area, adopting appropriate technology methods for waste treatment on site, and properly designing the landfill to prevent contamination of groundwater by the leachate [3,8]. The governorate is divided administratively into five major cities. The population of the governorate was about 2,155,578 inhabitants in 2016, distributed throughout the five major cities according to [34]

Methods

Results

Conclusion