Use of Impervious Covers and Carbon Adsorption for the Control of Leachate Production in Municipal Landfills.

Abstract

The most popular method for the disposal of solid wastes in the United States is by landfill. A proper landfill, termed sanitary landfill, is one which is located, designed, and operated to minimize or eliminate environmental impact. One potential environmental impact is contamination of ground- and/or surface water. The potential for contamination exists because within a land disposal site various physical, chemical, and biological processes occur which produce compounds that can be dissolved or suspended in water. Water thus contaminated is termed leachate. There are two and possibly three stages of leachate production in a land disposal site. The first leachate production arises from the compression and compaction of the solid wastes. The second leachate production is due to water produced during decomposition. The third and by far the most significant stage of leachate production is due to water infiltration. A comprehensive literature review was performed to determine if water-impervious (but gas-permeable) covers could be employed to prevent water intrusion and thus stage 3 leachate production in sanitary landfills. The costs and advantages/disadvantages of covering a landfill to prevent water intrusion versus lining a landfill to collect and treat stage 3 leachate were compared. Basically the prevention of stage 3 leachate production appeared the most practical engineering approach. Next the changing composition of municipal refuse was investigated to determine if stage 1 and stage 2 leachate production would continue to be a problem. The literature search indicated a trend toward an increased moisture content of municipal solid wastes and thus a continuation of production of stage 1 and stage 2 leachate.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1979
Accession Number
ADA108302

Entities

People

  • Richard Charles Carmichael

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • California
  • Civil Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Environment
  • Environmental Protection
  • Governments
  • Groundwater
  • Health Services
  • Hygiene
  • Literature Surveys
  • Medical Personnel
  • New York
  • Sanitary Engineering
  • Waste Disposal Facilities
  • Waste Management
  • Waste Products

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science
  • Materials science

Readers

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Rocket Propulsion.