Report on Leachate Management Solutions Offered in Recent Articles

Let's start this article about leachate management by going back to basics and defining what we mean by the term leachate, and the way I suggest that we do that is to refer to the recent post from ET Environmental which gives a clear definition for any one reading this page who is unsure:

When liquid passes through trash material, such as in a landfill, “leachate” is generated. Rainwater is the largest contributing factor of leachate, but natural decomposition and discarded chemicals also contribute Credits: Leachate: What is it? - ET Environmental

Leachate management is the planned operation of landfill sites in such a way as to avoid the production of leachate as far as practicable, and to drain, collect, treat as necessary, and dispose responsibly of the leachate which is not prevented.

So, now that leachate has been defined we look further around the web and find that there is a discussion of managing landfill leachate seepages (often called "breakouts" in the waste industry), below the final capping membrane at Waste360.com, as follows:

Leachate seeping out of landfill slopes is a common occurrence. Operators struggle to address leachate seeps and manage liquids reaching landfill boundaries. During dry spells, it takes less effort on the part of operators to control liquids on landfill surfaces, and seeps are therefore more manageable. But during periods with frequent storm events or in high-precipitation regions, landfill operators must work constantly on slopes to stop seeps or devise means to control liquids when they do ...Credits: The Use of Leachate Toe Drain Systems Can Deal with Seeps After ...

The authors must be referring to landfills in very wet climates, as such seeps should not normally occur when landfill cells are covered rapidly after filling to avoid the potential for vermin to breed, and for odor production, as required by sanitary landfill procedures (US), or the EU Landfill Directives and related regulations.

Rather than build temporary toe drain systems at substantial cost it is normally recognized to be better to plan the cellular construction of a landfill for smaller cells and to bring those cells up to completion at the surface of the landfill as quickly as possible. Capping and restoration of areas of the landfill prevents further rainfall ingress and that not only allows a permanent landfill gas extraction system to be installed as soon as possible for maximum landfill gas capture, but minimizes leachate production. That's the best form of leachate management there is, namely - make sure that the landfill produces as little as possible!

While browsing for leachate management solutions, we found our own website back in 2011/12, which contains some articles on the subject, namely:

The starting point in any discussion about UK/ EU leachate management techniques is to begin by stating the overriding rule upon which all landfills are operated, in compliance with the EU Landfill Directive. That is that as far ... Credits: Leachate Management Techniques | The Leachate Expert Website

However, perhaps the best page about leachate management is to be found on the leachate Wikipedia page.

What Is Leachate? And How Is It Collected From The Bottom Of A Landfill?

Rainfall enters the landfill cell, and what isn't absorbed into the waste moves down to the basal filter. It passes through the pipe network, and rests in the sump. Pumps remove it from the sump, and may have to lift it 30 to 80 metres upward out of the top of the landfill. Make no mistake about how difficult this is. Even with modern pump technology to help, it is no easy feat to achieve this in the demanding conditions deep inside a landfill.

Leachate collection systems must be planned. The number, location, and size of the sumps are vital to an efficient operation of the landfill.

When designing sumps, the amount of leachate and liquid expected is the foremost concern. Areas in which rainfall is higher than average typically have larger sumps. This is called leachate management.

Leachate Management

A further criterion for leachate management sump planning is accounting for the pump capacity. The relationship of pump capacity and sump size is inversed. If the pump capacity is low, the volume of the sump should be larger than average. It is critical for the volume of the sump to be able to store the expected leachate between pumping cycles.

This relationship helps maintain a healthy operation. Sump pumps can function with preset phase times. If the flow is not predictable, a predetermined leachate height level can automatically switch the system on. Other conditions for sump planning are maintenance and pump drawdown.

Leachate Collection

Collection pipes typically convey the leachate by gravity to one or more sumps, depending upon the size of the area drained. Leachate collected in the sump is removed by pumping to a vehicle, to a holding facility for subsequent vehicle pickup, or to an on-site treatment facility.

Sump dimensions are governed by the amount of leachate to be stored, pump capacity, and minimum pump drawdown. The volume of the sump must be sufficient of hold the maximum amount of leachate anticipated between pump cycles, plus an additional volume equal to the minimum pump drawdown volume.

Sump size should also consider dimensional requirements for conducting maintenance and inspection activities. Sump pumps may operate with preset cycling times or, if leachate flow is less predictable, the pump may be automatically switched on when the leachate reaches a predetermined level.

Leachate Pipes

The leachate pipes should allow all the leachate to be pumped away, where it can be treated and the resultant slurry reintroduced either to the same landfill or sent to another. However, they can easily become clogged either by precipitation caused by chemical reactions due to the composition of the material that's in the landfill, or from a build-up of micro-organisms in the pipes, or due to the fact that unless designed correctly by experts the pipe walls may be crushed under the many thousands of tonnes of rubbish piled on top of them.

Summary

In the narrow environmental context leachate is therefore any liquid material that drains from land or stockpiled material and contains significantly elevated concentrations of undesirable organic and inorganic material derived from the material that it has passed through.


To prevent it building up inside landfills and escaping from the landfill liner, it has to be lifted out through  leachate collection system deep inside every modern landfill, using very robustly made pumps. This is an often costly challenge for pump manufacturers and landfill engineers alike, but the land around landfills and frequently also the drinking water supplies of the local people, depend upon this being done effectively both now, and for very many years into the future.

Find out more at the Leachate Website - www.leachate.co.uk.

Leachate from Waste and What Dribbles From Many Garbage Collection RCVs

Leachate Keeps on Getting a Bad Press!

A leachate soakaway lagoon excavated on the top of a
landfill to avoid leachate escapes from the
landfill perimeter, in the summer after heavy winter rain.

Leachate isn't that hard to handle when the right level of expertise is applied, but it does cost a fair amount of money, and leachate managers need to take care to provide constant vigilant, and mindful attention to leachate flow rates, especially to ensure that the site operator adequately controls rising rates of leachate production due to periods of wet weather.

Leachate spilt during collection from premises during wet weather is a big factor in high rainfall countries and regions such as around Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and it really does need collection in tanks beneath the refuse collection vehicles. But, the collection service operator then also often has to treat the leachate once it is brought back to the waste depot, and that may be harder to achieve than collecting it in tank below the bodies of the refuse collection vehicles in the first place.

Also, many landfill operators have been caught out when, after wet weather, landfill leachate flows can rise from previously created leachate just when least expected, and this can be several months after the rainfall that caused it to be produced has had time to percolate down, and out of the waste again, under gravity. in our second article the authority responsible seems to have set up good contingency haulage plans if case of high future wet weather leachate flows.

The extracts form the two articles which follow, have been selected to illustrate the points we make above.

ᔥLeachate leaves a stinking trail - New Straits Times:

FOUL SMELL: Residents in Kepong are complaining about the stench left behind by the garbage compactors servicing their areas

KUALA LUMPUR: THE problem of leachate leaking onto the streets as garbage compactors move around to collect rubbish is a common occurrence in many neighborhoods despite an instruction from a former Alam Flora   chief executive officer a decade ago to install buckets on the trucks to stop spillage.  It is raising the ire of residents.

Two locations checked by Streets had the same problem.

Taman Kepong resident Sue Ng said that every morning when the Alam Flora truck turns up behind Restoran Lima Bintang, it leaves a trail of leachate on the road.

"The stench is unbearable," she said. "At the same time, the restaurant workers have refused to wash down the leachate from their garbage, despite being asked to."

"The contractors should either given a stern warning or have their contracts cancelled," [resident, Jack Tan] said.

ᔥThe county signs contract for stinky liquid overflow - The News Herald

The harder the rain, the bigger the leachate load.

Heavy precipitation means more water runs through the county landfill, slipping and sliding through the refuse, eventually draining out as a clear, stinky liquid called leachate. And Bay County must haul the end product to a treatment facility at Panama City Beach.

Big rains mean the county needs a back-up hauler and now a New Jersey company will help out. The County Commission recently approved a contract with Dana Transport Inc., which has a Panama City office. It was the low-bidder, offering $23.50 per 1,000 gallons hauled. The second-place bidder offered $60 per 1,000 gallons.

“It’s really a contract to supplement our efforts,” said Glenn Ogborn, the county’s solid waste superintendent.

The amount of leachate hauled per year varies by rainfall. In fiscal year 2012, the county moved 5.8 million gallons from the Steelfield Road Landfill, but in 1999, it carried 14.7 million gallons, due to major storms, Ogborn said.

We hope that you found this article interesting, and that you will give us the benefits of your thoughts on this subject by adding your comments in the box provided for that (usually to be seen below the video.

Answers to Current Questions Being Asked About Leachate Treatment

We have compiled a list of the most common questions being asked at the moment about leachate treatment and leachate management for landfill sites. Top of the list of these are:

1. What Is Leachate?
2. What Is A Leachate Attenuation Zone?
3. How To Calculate Leachate Generation?
4. What Are Leachate?
5. What Causes Leachate?

These are all questions which are answered at our main web site at www.leachate.co.uk .

However, to assist our readers I will provide quick answers below:

1.What Is Leachate?

Leachate is the contaminated liquid which runs out of another material, in our case we are talking about landfill leachate, and the dirty water that accumulates in, or runs out of the bottom of, landfill sites.

2. What Is A Leachate Attenuation Zone?

A Leachate Attenuation Zone is a soil material which is only partially permeable through which leachate flows (usually by gravity) and as it flows through slowly it becomes less contaminated ("cleaner"). The reduction in contamination can take place by biological action or by physico-chemical action.

3. How To Calculate Leachate Generation?

This can be difficult and there are several sophisticated water balance modelling softwares which will attempt to do this for you. The problem with using them is in understanding how they work and whether you can trust them to give the right answer. I usually carry out a water balance using  a spreadsheet, on an annualized basis. Contact me if you need assistance with a water balance problem for a landfill at http://ipptsassociates.co.uk/contact/  .

4. What Are Leachate?

Although this comes up as a question a lot online, it is grammatically incorrect and makes no real sense. See answer 1. above.

5. What Causes Leachate?

In modern landfills which do not accept liquids for disposal, it is mostly the organic matter (food scraps, grass mowings etc) which are in a municipal waste landfill which decay to form leachate. During decay, the cells of the organic material rupture and the contents of the cells dissolves in rainfall trickling through the leachate producing a smelly, and quite often black liquid which over time (if left in the landfill) usually turns into an amber liquid which often smells of ammonia, but may just smell "earthy".

For more information about commonly asked leachate questions visit our website at the leachate expert  .

LETTER: Landfill leachate safeguards needed in any sewer deals - MPNnow.com (blog)

Here is an open letter from a resident who is appears to be declaring that leachate from a municipal waste landfill which the Waste Water Treatment Plant operator is presumably happy to accept, which must surely mean that there is sufficient treatment capacity at the Waste Water Treatment Plant to treat it, should not be sent there.

(The video below is for your general information and not associated with this article.)

This seems quite remarkable when around the worl the majority of landfill leachate is treated at sewage works, and for example the World Bank often prefers that it be treated finally at a Waste Water Treatment Plant, that this objection should be being made. Of course, the leachate might contain toxic substances, apart from the usual high strength organic contamination which is always present in landfill leachate. It also might well contain dissolved methane which might make it an explosion risk to discharge into the sewer, and need methane stripping before it is discharges, or, it might actually be more cost effectively provided with initial leachate treatment plant at the landfill site, by installation of a nitrification treatment plant, of which i have designed and supervisied construction of many.

However, just to say this is horrible suff this landfill leachate and must not go to the sewer  or the Waste Water Treatment Plant by tankers, is likely to place a high and unnecessary burden of cost on the community, for little environmental benefit, if any. You can read the opern letter below. Please also visit the original blog article:

Dear Officials (town and city of Geneva):

The residents of the Town and City of Geneva and the Town of Seneca are bearing most of the burden of the off-site environmental problems coming from the Ontario County landfill.  These residents are becoming more cynical about the ability and the willingness of some local officials to stand up and represent their constituents, as opposed to the interests of Casella Waste. Because of that, it seems like a good time to state an important concern about pending sewer negotiations.

Any final agreement must contain safeguards against Casella ever being able to transport leachate from the landfill through any jointly owned/operated sewer line to the Geneva Waste Water Treatment Plant, which discharges into Seneca Lake. Although this battle was fought months ago, that was not a final victory for Seneca Lake and those who drink its water, since leachate is still being trucked to the waste water treatment plant. The appetite of some local officials for leachat dollars apparently is never satisfied. City Council’s courageous decision against a direct pipeline from the dump to the treatment plant must be confirmed for the future in any city-town agreement about sewers.

In keeping with this decision and the concerns of residents, it is essential that any sewer agreements between the Town of Geneva and the Town of Seneca, and between the City of Geneva and the Town of Geneva include specific language preventing Casella or any future operator of the landfill from transporting leachate through city and town sewer lines.

SAM C. BONNEY
Geneva

View the original article here

The Top 5 Tips On Leachate Treatment by Short Rotation Willow Coppicing

Many people face different challenges daily. Lots of people are called on to to deal with the challenge of leachate treatment by short rotation willow coppicing. Some apparently breeze through it, succeeding easily. Some do not ever succeed, although they try quite hard. Exactly why is this? Why is it that way? Exactly what are the key components that pre-determine probable success or failure? Which are the keys to finding yourself in that group that are going to enjoy success?

The true secret to success is in the planning, in identifying all important tasks beforehand. When you have an approach, once you know how, it is not difficult! And so, are you really serious about leachate treatment by short rotation willow coppicing? Why then you will want to get yourself "a track to run on", and know very well what it takes, up-front. In a nutshell, you'll want to acquire understanding of precisely what is involved and why it is important.

Let us discuss the 5 most essential things to know/steps to consider adopting to be able to succeed at leachate treatment by short rotation willow coppicing:

1. Short rotation willow coppicing which is often called SRC is a sustainable and low cost method for leachate treatment, but it will only ever be suitable for a very limited number of landfills. So why might this be important? The reader of this article should not run-off and assume it will be suitable or even approved by the regulatory authorities for his landfill site. So if I follow this route what is going to happen? A small proportion of landfill site owners will find that they can obtain cheap leachate treatment and disposal, while at the same time obtaining good green credentials for operating a sustainable energy efficient leachate treatment method.

2. The SRC method is based upon the irrigation of leachate into the willow crop only during periods when there is a soil-moisture deficit and this is mostly only during the summer months. That'll be apt to be important since the Environment Agency will expect that the irrigation only takes place when there will be a benefit to the crop from the nutrients in the leachate and those nutrients and all other contaminants must not run-off to pollute water courses nearby. And also, because if there is no benefit to a crop then the process is one of waste processing and not one of growing a valuable crop which will have willing buyers keen to use the chipped wood for a valuable purpose, such as heating homes and schools.

3. A successful application for a SRC method to treat leachate will have to tackle the problem of salinity build-up from leachate (which naturally has a higher than normal salt content) irrigated during the dry months. This is because if salt builds up in any soil the point will eventually be reached when it becomes too saline to support the willows. Controlled salinity flushing in wet weather in each autumn/ winter is essential for this method and it must be achieved without raising the salinity of nearby watercourses significantly at all. Those proposing SRC for leachate treatment must always have a "flushing method" or work-around for this problem, in their project. This could certainly also be a wise idea because the EA will normally expect this to be a problem considered and solved (at least in theory) before any submission for modification of the Environmental Permit can be passed.

4. The growing and harvesting of the short rotation coppicing can be sub-contracted to a local farmer. Alright, so what is really important about this? Most landfill operators don't posses the right equipment, or the trained staff, to undertake the farming work involved in cropping and chipping the SRC. Will there be some other reason? Some of the plant such as the willow coppice harvester equipment that most UK SRC use, is highly specialist and only used once every 3 years when the coppice shoots and foliage reach an optimum size/yield, and thus is equipment best hired rather than bought.

5. Leachate still, even from the most modern and highly controlled landfill sites, contains some additional trace quantities of metals, and like the salinity these must not be allowed to build up in the site. This means that they must be regulalrly monitored in most cases. And why might this become a good plan? As monitoring will normally show no measurable build-up for modern MSWs. What other reasons do you have back this up? The healthy appearance of the growing plants.

If you happen to really want to succeed at leachate treatment by short rotation willow coppicing, simply observe the above 5 steps. Then succeed and enjoy all of the benefits, enjoyment and fruits that go with your success. Disregarding them will set you up for sub par results. A lot worse results than might possibly otherwise be yours.

Discover some ways to understand leachate treatment by short rotation willow coppicing at our willow leachate treatment web site at leachate.co.uk/main/leachate-treatment/willow-coppicing-for-leachate-treatment.

Guatali Leachate Raises Sewage Works Discharge Issues - Plus Funny Leachate Drinking Video!

Guam Waterworks Authority will need to be careful about accepting leachate at their sewage works. Leachate  being a very high strength liquid could nock out a smallish treatment works. Here, quoted below, is the article to which I refer:

A company that hopes to build a landfill in Santa Rita has proposed to truck leachate to the Hag't'a wastewater treatment plant, but hasn't sought the approval of the Guam Waterworks Authority.

WE HOPE YOU LIKE OUR (UNRELATED) LEACHATE VIDEO BELOW. WE FOUND IT AMUSING!

Wagdy Guirguis, president of Guam Resource Recovery Partners, said Tuesday that trucking leachate is just a backup plan that will never actually be used, but his company's assessment of its proposed Guatali landfill says otherwise.

And there have been no discussions about Waterworks accepting thousands of gallons of leachate, which is basically garbage juice, from the Guatali landfill, said agency spokeswoman Heidi Ballendorf.

If a truck full of leachate shows up tomorrow unannounced, it would be turned away, she said. Unless an agreement is negotiated to preserve water quality, the Waterworks will reject the waste, she said.

That could be a problem for Guam Resource Recovery Partners, which is seeking a permit for its Guatali landfill proposal from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency.

Guam EPA has asked the public to comment on the controversial proposal. Comments are due by Dec. 13.

Guam Resource Recovery Partners has proposed to build its landfill on an 87-acre parcel of Chamorro Land Trust property in the Guatali area of Santa Rita. The 22-acre landfill cells would be bracketed by wetlands and north of a river basin.

If the landfill permit is approved, Guam Resource Recovery Partners plans to collect garbage on the property for three to five years, at which point it hopes to install an incinerator, which will burn the waste to produce energy. An incinerator of this type is currently illegal in Guam, so the plan hinges on a revision of law and additional permits.

However, in the years before the incinerator is built, Guam Resource Recovery Partners plans to stockpile waste in its two landfill cells, and a landfill facility like that will inevitably produce leachate.

The Guatali landfill is expected to produce an average of 36,000 gallons of leachate daily, according to an impact assessment filed with the permit application. The total will increase in the rainy season, when more storm water seeps through the landfill.

According to the proposal, some of the leachate will be absorbed through a process called "recirculation," which filters the trashy liquid back through the landfill, where it is re-absorbed.

Any leftover leachate will be trucked to the Hag't'a wastewater treatment plant, the impact assessment states. The document doesn't estimate how much liquid would be sent to the treatment plant.

If Guatali goes as planned, no leachate will make the trip to Hag't'a, Guirguis said. Despite the statements in the impact assessment, Guirguis said Guam Resource Recovery Partners expects that all of the Guatali leachate will be absorbed or evaporated when it recirculates through the landfill.

The company hasn't negotiated an agreement with GWA because it doesn't expect it will need one, Guirguis said. Recirculation should dispose of all the landfill's leachate through absorption and evaporation, even during the rainy season, Guirguis said.

The landfill impact assessment says the exact opposite.

"It is expected that leachate generation will exceed losses due to absorption and evaporation during the rainy season," the Guam Resource Recovery Partners document states. "At such times, leachate will be trucked off site for disposal at the Agana wastewater treatment plant."

Regardless of whether it's a backup plan or not, if Guam Resource Recovery Partners wants to dispose of a single drop of leachate in Hag't'a, it will have to broker a deal with GWA, Ballendorf said.

For example, Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc., the federal receiver in charge of solid waste operations in Guam, including the government landfill in Inarajan, only was allowed to send leachate to the Inarajan wastewater treatment plant after negotiating a similar agreement.

Now the receiver is able to pump its leachate to GWA's southern facility, but the company had to spend millions to "do it right," Ballendorf said.

"They promised to fund a five-year study of leachate to make sure it doesn't hurt the wastewater plant," Ballendorf wrote in an email. "If the leachate becomes a problem, they have agreed to put in a pre-treatment facility to fix that. Money is put aside in escrow for that."

David Manning, a local representative for Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc., wrote in an email that the receiver funded some capacity upgrades to ensure the Inarajan plant wouldn't be overwhelmed by the increase in waste.

Guirguis insisted the Layon landfill's leachate pipe wasn't in operation yet, but Manning and GWA confirmed it was. Guirguis also said the Layon landfill was using the re-circulation method, but Manning said this was never considered by the receiver.

"While I am not an expert in this area, ... I do know that one of the primary reasons we did not consider the re-circulation method is that it apparently has significant potential for problems in wet climates," Manning said.

View the original article here

Landfill leachate pilot awarded - Environmental Expert (press release)

Dynatec was awarded a contract in late 2011 to provide a turnkey pilot system for landfill leachate treatment for the City of Calgary. Here is their news release.

(Above video is by another MBR company but we thought it would be of interest. Dynatec do not appear to have produced a video of their product for YouTube.)

Dynatec was the only company to respond to the tender that has experience in producing pilot systems of this type and proven experience with landfill leachate treatment systems.  CH2M Hill is the city's engineer. The contract value is around $1M.  The system is expected to start up later this year.

Landfill leachate is a difficult wastewater to treat.

The leachate to be treated in this project includes high BOD and COD, heavy metals, and high ammonia. We face the challenge to evaluate treatment processes to either discharge to a POTW or directly to surface or ground water. The system will have to operate under extreme conditions with temperatures reaching -400. The system is designed for flexibility to evaluate different treatment processes.

Dynatec will use chemical pretreatment followed by our Hi-Rate MBR with aerobic and anoxic (MLE process) and a two-pass RO system. The pilot system will be containerized for mobility because the city wants to be able to test the process at other facilities.

Why Dynatec?  Dynatec has extensive experience in difficult wastewater treatment applications such as this one. Projects like the hazardous landfill in Bellevue, MI have given us the experience required to succesfully execute this type of project.

View the original article here

Leachate Odor Causes Tempers to Flare at Clean Harbors Meeting

Leachate odor can be extremely unpleasant. It can actually get into your clothes and even days later be smelled in them. That's why we have every sympathy for the complainants in this case. Here is a quote from the article recently published:

BRIGDEN — A public meeting on Nov. 15 that was meant to reassure neighbors of Clean Harbors's hazardous waste site was reduced at times to a shouting match. About a dozen of the 50 in attendance stormed out of the Brigden Fair exhibition hall in frustration.


(The above video is not connected to the article other than the fact that it attests to the odor potential of leachate.)
"We've listened to your dog and pony show. Now it's time to listen to us," yelled an angry Butch Houle.
He and many other neighbours of the Telfer Road facility have been disturbed by a stench intermittently coming from Clean Harbors since August.
The odour, which the company says comes from too much on site eachate, has driven neighbours from their homes, made them nauseous, stung their eyes and sent at least one man to hospital.
"When the ministry (of environment) ordered two truckloads removed from the site every day, why wasn't that achieved?" Norm O'Neill demanded. "It's all a smoke and mirrors game."
"We are not being heard. Our concerns are not being addressed," said Joe Dickenson, a Lambton County beef farmer.
"I think a lot of this issue is airborne, not necessarily leachate; but all you do is focus on leachate because it might be the easiest thing to address."
Many people called for the plant to shut down.
"I'd like you to clean up your mess and go home," one man shouted.
For most of the two-hour meeting, Clean Harbors's management sat quietly at the back of the room.
General manager Chris Brown spoke briefly, apologizing for the stench and promising the company is working to correct it.
"The company is committed to fixing this issue," he said. "We deeply regret this summer's odours."
Rod Brooks, a representative from Ortech Environmental, spoke about air sampling on 10 occasions during odour events.
The air is tested for 38 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)and none surpass regulatory standards, he said.
Greg Ferrar, senior environmental engineer with Conestoga Rovers & Associates, said his company is hired to devise a leachate abatement plan and focused on reducing the amount of leachate generated as well as reducing the amount already on-site through incineration.
But most of the meeting was conducted by a hired facilitator, Bryan Boyle, who allowed few to speak. Instead, he tried to engage the angry group by having them write down their thoughts about Clean Harbors and what they believe the solution to the stench might be.
Many in the crowd didn't want to write anything down.
"Forget this Romper Room nonsense," said Jim Stenton of Petrolia Line. "We want answers because we're stunk out of our homes.
"You're wasting our time," he hollered."
One resident walked up to the front of the hall and stuck a note on the wall that read: "As usual, all talk, no action."
"I want people from Clean Harbors to hear the emotion that I hear and I want them to come up and tell us what they are going to do," said St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold.
It was only after several got up and left in anger, that the company's senior vice-president of regulatory affairs spoke.
Phil Retallick said exhaustive studies confirm the odour is coming from leachate, not the plant's incinerator or a new Thermal Desorption Unit.
"It's sulfites in the leachate and it doesn't contain carcinogens or other toxic compounds," Retallick said.
"There are no compounds of any risk associated with the vapours, but it is a nuisance and we will deal with that. Our experts say it will take four to six months depending on the rainfall this winter."
Retallick said Clean Harbors has no choice but to reduce its on-site leachate by May because of a directive from the Ministry of Environment.
There will be further public meetings about odour abatement, he said.

View the original article here

Lagoon Treatment of Leachate Added by Bi-County Solid Waste Management

Bi-County Solid Waste Management expects to save up to $20,000 each month with the help of its latest step toward self-sufficiency.

The Montgomery County landfill's executive director, Pete Reed, said the majority of leachate, or contaminated water, on the site will eventually be treated in the lagoon that began holding water after the May 2010 flood that shut down Clarksville's wastewater treatment plant.

"They had to put a permit on us and start charging us $9,000 to 10,000 a month, but if we had a parameter that goes above, then we had ... surcharges that could be an additional $15,000 in that month," said Reed, who added that the landfill went above that parameter 2-3 times a year.

As those costs started to build, along with the high costs of hauling the leachate off the site, Reed said the decision was made to create a $750,000 system featuring the lagoon that holds 1.3 million gallons and will be able to decontaminate the water over a 30-day period.

Three separate pools hold the water that is pumped in from various locations throughout the site. The two pools with a white foam layer on top are anoxic zones, meaning aerators pump in oxygen, while the middle pool is anaerobic, with a pump that puts in a different mixture of chemicals.

Beginning in May of this year, Reed said micro-organisms that are trained to eat ammonia and other chemicals were added to help treat the water by releasing the nitrates and taking out any odor. Although Reed said the pools have reached the optimal amount of the "bugs" that come from Paris, Tenn., it will still be a few months before the system is fully operational.

Reed said the lagoon has already ensured the landfill won't go beyond its monthly parameters at the wastewater treatment plant, and eventually the treated water will overflow into a clarifier that will filter out the sludge and transport the clean water to a 7 million gallon holding pond adjacent to the lagoon. That water will be used for irrigation on the grass at the site, as well as the nearby woods and, if it's clean enough, into local streams.

Depending on the season, Reed said the system could put out about a million gallons each month. Before it can be used for irrigation or anything else, several samples of the water will have to be approved by the state.

Even with the new system, some leachate will still go to the wastewater treatment plant, but the cost of the permit and the manpower required will be reduced significantly. Reed said he doesn't expect the loss of income from the landfill to have much effect on the plant's bottom line, since it's expanding and gets plenty of money from industrial sources.

"We hope that by this time next year, we'll be pretty much self-contained," Reed said. "Nothing will have to go out, other than (recyclables)."

View the original article here

Sunny Farms to continue handling leachate - Tiffin Advertiser Tribune

FOSTORIA - Council took a step in helping the environment by having a first reading on a resolution dealing with landfill leachate.

Council heard Sunny Farms landfill creates "leachate", a liquid which flows through or drains from a landfill, but needed a place to continue having it treated instead of releasing it to the environment.

It was noted the city has been able to accept the landfill leachate for treatment in return for having the landfill accept the city's treated sewage sludge.

The resolution is to authorize safety-service Director James Schreck to accomplish a formal agreement to continue with the treatment process.

Mayor John Davoli noted the importance of removing items which could hold water and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. He said the risk of having mosquitoes hatch in catch basins has been countered with a chemical that slowly releases to keep mosquito larvae from hatching. The city also is spraying for mosquitoes at night.

Police Chief John McGuire announced the receipt of a $3,900 grant from Ohio Department of Youth Services for holding youth offenders at the city jail. He said the youths must be monitored and kept away from adult prisoners.

In other news, council:

Approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to submit an application to Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement and Local Improvement Programs for funding to replace a water line on Spruce Street.

Approved an ordinance to supplement permanent appropriations to replace police equipment damaged due to sewer back up.

Heard a second reading on an ordinance amendment which is to deal with parking and storage of commercial residential refuse vehicles.

Heard a request for executive session to occur at the next council meeting for discussion of personnel.

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Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis for Landfill Leachate Treatment - Environmental Expert

Lanchester Landfill serves Eastern Lancaster County and Western Chester County in PA for disposal of household and construction waste. The facility produces around 10,000 gals per day of  leachate.

The Problem

The facility ran a single basin sequential batch reactor (SBR) and a filter press to dewater the solids for many years, but found that they first, could not sustain a good biomass, and second, in winter could not nitrify the ammonia. The facility therefore could not reliably sustain the average monthly discharge requirements:

Evaluation

The purpose of the new system is was meet the discharge requirements consistently. Ultrafiltration and Reverse Osmosis technology was selected since this offers the best performance possible in the smallest footprint with a low capital cost.
The Solution

The existing SBR basin was converted to an equalization basin, and Dynatec provided and installed a prefilter to remove larger solids, an ultrafiltration system to remove fine colloidal solids and oils, a reverse osmosis system to remove TDS, and ammonia and the other dissolved components of concern.

Several tanks already in place were utilized as process and buffer tanks between the various treatment stages.

Final ph control and chlorination was also provided.

The Process

The leachate is equalized in an equalization basin. A filter removes large solids before it enters the UF process.The leachate is processed with ultrafiltration to remove particles and oils.The UF permeate is processed with Reverse Osmosis to remove dissolved materials.

Operation

The system has operated successfully for over five years, allowing the plant to meet its discharge permit on all parameters. The influent and effluent data are provided below.

Conclusion

Dynatec Systems has built on its water treatment experience that began in the 1970's using membranes with rugged industrial reliability to produce UF and RO systems wrapped in a compact package. This made Dynatec the right choice for this project. The successful implementation of this system allows this landfill to continue to discharge to the local POTW and for use for dust control on the facility’s roads.

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Impact of landfill caps on leachate emissions: an Austrian case study - Recycling News (press release)

Brussels -- Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, which consist of everyday consumer items, are potential long-term sources of emissions that could threaten the environment and human health if they are not managed carefully after closure. New research has presented a methodology to estimate future emission levels for closed MSW landfills and the impact of different aftercare strategies.

Kommunalunternehmen des Landkreises Bad KissingenGlobally, landfilling is the main method for disposing of solid waste. Highly industrialised countries, such as the US, the UK and Finland, extensively depend on landfilling their waste without any pre-treatment. As MSW landfills are possibly long-term sources of emissions, these sites need to be managed beyond closure. According to the EU Landfill Directive, which took effect in 1999, landfill operators have to continue managing sites after closure as long as the authority considers the landfill not likely to present a hazard to the environment any more.
Cap removed after 20 years

The researchers used an Austrian MSW landfill in Breitenau as a case study to evaluate emission levels from the site and to demonstrate the long-term environmental effects of installing a final cover to prevent emissions. This site was closed in 1989 and was capped with layers of gravel (0.2 metres) and sandy silt (0.9 metres). The temporary cap was removed after 20 years (in 2009) and a composite lining system was installed as the final cover. The study focused on one landfill compartment, which contained around 35,000 tons of MSW.

Leachate emissions decrease very slowly and may have environmental impacts for centuries to come. The approach to evaluate potential future emissions was based on a comprehensive assessment of the state of the landfill and included analysis of monitoring data, investigations of landfilled waste, and an evaluation of containment systems and site-specific factors, such as climate. Future emission levels were modelled and site-specific predictions of leachate emissions were presented.

Increased leachate after flushing

The results suggest that leachate concentrations increased considerably at the site when there was a change in the water flow pattern of the waste during final cover construction. Specifically, the concentrations of leachate pollutants chloride and ammonia-nitrogen increased from 200 to 800 milligrams per litre (mg/l) and 140 to about 500 mg/l, respectively. It is found that a period of intensive flushing after the change of the water flow pattern and before the final cover installation would have reduced the amount of leachable substances within the landfill and substance concentrations in the leachate would decrease to 11 mg/l of chloride and 79 mg/l of ammonia-nitrogen within 50 years.

Different aftercare strategies

A decline in water infiltration due to the installation of an impermeable top cover may lead to high substance concentrations in the leachate for centuries (above 400 mg of chloride per litre and 200 mg ammonia-nitrogen per litre), but with low associated annual emission loads (below 12 kg of chloride and 9 kg of ammonia-nitrogen per year). However, a gradual decrease in the cover?s performance may be expected without cover maintenance and would be associated with higher emission loads of a maximum of 50 kg of chloride and 30 kg of ammonia?nitrogen.

The methodology can be applied to other closed landfill sites to illustrate the effect of different aftercare strategies on the landfill pollution hazard. The researchers caution that emission models should be treated as tools to demonstrate the effect of different landfill conditions and not as deterministic forecasts of the future.

Original source: David Laner, D., Fellner, J. & Brunner, P.H. (2011) Future landfill emissions and the effect of final cover installation ? A case study. Waste Management. 31 (7):1522-1531

Quelle: EU commission

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Long-Term Leachate Emissions From Municipal Solid Waste Landfills Are Unknown

The Swiss have invariably been highly environmentally aware, and for a long time have looked after their environment in an exemplary fashion. The 'Guidelines to waste product control in Switzerland ' ( EKA, 1986 ) were set in 1986, well before many states. One mandatory objective of this as a code of sound practise has been that all waste product management procedures need to provide materials which either are reusable or can be dumped in a rubbish heap without any negative or damaging environmental impact for long-term periods. This type of landfilling would be called 'final storage ' and the wastes in the final storage must naturally by inference have 'final storage quality'. Emissions from a last storage quality dump must be a close fit with the quality in the natural environment without any extra treatment. Another imperative objective of the Swiss waste product control policy is that each generation handles its waste to a standing of last storage quality. So that the reactions in a dump to take it to last storage quality have to be quick enough to all be finished inside thirty years, and ideally less.

As an effect of this policy, has each borough's solid waste landfills been proved to be able to get to the last storage quality within about 30 years after disposal? The final storage concept focuses predominantly on the solid waste itself stabilizing so that the new generation won't have to depend instead on the synthesised or natural barriers round the rubbish heap body, and the answer's a powerful no! The dump body has to reach an 'inert ' state so that the emissions from the rubbish heap have compatibility with the environment for long-term periods regardless of the retardation and attenuation capacities of surrounding materials. But this inactive state depends on geochemical properties of the dump site materials. The concern is that compounds in the inactive dump body may become 'mobile ' when the physical and chemical conditions in the rubbish heap change, and this will continue to be damaging even centuries after the dump was filled and revived.

A correct lining and a correct geological environment are basic absolute must-haves for last storages. They're compulsory for containment, for monitoring and, last although not least, for environmental security reasons.

Ditched in a dump, community solid waste ( MSW ) will at last come into contact water, which enters the rubbish heap continuously thru rain, even after capping as the seal can't ever be perfect over a period of time. As a result of this contact, many chemical and microbiological reactions occur. Natural compounds can be modified to other natural chemicals or inorganic compounds. Inorganic compounds can experience many chemical reactions and can be changed to other inorganic compounds.

The products of these reactions and parts of non-reacted MSW can, and at last will, be transported by leachate and by gas into the encompassing area. In addition, many physical processes, like adsorption, dissolution, rain, etc, can occur simultaneously. a MSW rubbish heap can be accepted as a 'partly continued chemical and microbiological fixed bed reactor'. Now that isn't a great thing to have in communication with groundwater which should regularly later be used as drinking water. It is also regarded as therapy facility where the target it is to get it to self-treat to a rubbish heap body of last storage quality. Major research and monitoring of landfills is a new development, controlled landfills having existed for 20 years or so already.

The present controlled landfills so are still in the exhaustive reactor phase in which radical microbiological decompositions occur.

The behavior of landfills in this period can be considered roughly properly using current models. But no experience exists regarding the long term behavior ( over even 30 years ) of MSW landfills. Thanks to the highly difficult nature of the systems, a specific prediction of long-term behavior of MSW landfills is almost impossible. So it's no exaggeration to claim that long-term leachate emissions from city solid waste landfills are unknown, and yet all across the globe each day, new and larger landfills are being built and stuffed with waste. It's all a big experiment and science hasn't determined the result. Even the Swiss, who are possibly some the most responsible guardians of the environment in the world have fallen far short of their 1986 ideals.

How can we be so complacent? Shouldn't we all be worried?

Article is based upon the paper "Long-Term Leachate Emissions from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills, Hasan Belevi and Peter Baccini, Switzerland, presented at the International Symposia on Sanitary Landfills held in Sardinia (Italy)"

Many people find this fact to be of great concern. Is all of landfilling just a huge experiment which might cause huge problems in the future? Part 2 of this article is available were we further discuss landfill final storage quality. Go there now to read more!

Flocculation and Precipitation For the Treatment of Landfill Leachate

Flocculation and precipitation has often been proposed as a low cost and simple to implement process for municipal solid waste landfill leachate treatment. It is also a natural first thought for anyone new to leachate treatment that the combination of these two processes might be a very effective treatment combination, as they can be for certain other types of contaminated water.

The purpose of flocculation is to form flocs of particles that settle quickly. Generally , flocculation follows coagulation to get rid of colloidal (floc) particles quickly through rapid settlement.

These particles have dimensions in the region of one nm-1 m, and are distinguished by a abnormally large surface area. As an effect, they are very susceptible to surface forces. During coagulation, colloidal particles are destabilized to improve their ability to merge into bigger particles and then this speeds up their removal by gravity. Destabilization is helped by way of chemical reagents ( coagulants ) which are chosen to be minimize repulsive forces thru neutralization of electric charges present in colloidal particles ; this occurs by way of bonding or adsorption mechanisms.

All these points it is necessary to consider concern hydrophobic colloidal particles, for which stabilization derives from negative electrical charges. The more common coagulants are Aluminium Al), and Iron (Fe ( III )) salts, which are identified by multivalent ions with opposite charges.

These salts have an acid behaviour and, therefore, change the physico-chemical traits ( pH, alkalinity ) of wastewater. Their potency relies on the alkalinity of wastewater. Polymeric organic compounds ( polyelectrolytes ) are also often used as coagulants due to their capacity for charge neutralization ( cationic polyelectrolytes ) and to extend bridging between particles. The merger of destabilized colloidal particles is augmented by controlled stirring, and is further helped by addition of categorical chemicals ( 'flocculating agents' ). Among these, turned-on silica or clay ( inorganic flocculants ) and polyacetate ( organic flocculants ) are principally made use of.

Likewise , Al and Fe salts also behave as flocculants, since their low solubility permits rainfall with floe merger and concomitant capture of colloidal particles by electrostatic action or adsorption. Coagulation / flocculation is in a position to reduce colloidal suspension which is partly in charge of turbidity and color.

Also, organic substances, principally those with the larger range dimensions ( about one nm ), are concerned in the flocculation process, because they are adsorbed in the flocs and successively removed thru gravity settling.

Commonly, the term 'precipitation' is used to describe the phase that straight away follows flocculation, and, also, to the formation of insoluble compounds got by adding reagents which shift the chemical equilibrium towards the insoluble form of the compound or the elements which need to be removed.

Precipitation is principally applied to metals removal ( particularly heavy metals ), with metal hydroxide or metal sulphide formation, or phosphorus removal by formation of insoluble compounds with cationic metals, including Al or Fe coagulants. Many experimental studies utilizing coagulation / flocculation for the removal of organic substances from raw leachate have been conducted, essentially in the 1970s.

Salts of Aluminium and Iron together with lime were principally made use of as precipitation agents. Results were adverse, as COD removal potency lower than 40% was noted. The reason behind these low efficiencies can be ascribed to the incapacity of the method to get rid of substances aside from molecules of large dimensions and high molecular weight.

It was concluded that, higher treatment potency is possible but just for 'old leachate' ( with low BOD / COD ratios ) or for biologically pre-treated leachate. In fact it is most often needed for 'young leachate' (acetogenic leachate) which is distinguished by high levels of volatile trans-acids, i.e. small dimensions and only a little in the way of precipitable molecules, so that the removal involves only a minor fragment of the total of organic compounds in raw leachate.

Researchers also cite many other drawbacks like the rise of salt content and the low potency of ammoniacal compound removal. This last is almost always the final concern which rules out the use of this process in the minds of most leachate treatment experts.

OK. So we have told you the disdvantages. What are the alternatives? To find out how leachate treatment can be achieved without the problems cited here visit the leachate web site for all you need to know about garbage juice. If you still need a suitable reagent for this method go to the flocculant supply web site.

Plant to accept more leachate - Waste Management World

BUCHANAN - The wastewater treatment plant in Buchanan will accept up to three times the amount of leachate that it now takes in from the Southeast Berrien County Landfill.

It's a move that will save the landfill $250,000 per year and generate about $50,000 annually for the city, Buchanan City Manager William Marx said.

Leachate is water after it drains through the landfilled trash and collects at the bottom of the dump. It contains a variety of chemicals and other matter from contact with the refuse.

"This is quite a savings for the landfill. We have the ability to take this," said Buchanan Mayor Carla Cole, who's also a member of the Southeast Berrien County Landfill Authority board.

Under an agreement drafted in 1984, Marx said the city's wastewater treatment plant has taken up to 25,000 gallons of leachate per day from the landfill.

Additional leachate from the landfill has been shipped by tanker to a treatment plant in Elkhart at a much higher cost because of transportation costs.

Marx said he recently had lunch with landfill general manager Sonny Fuller and listened to his desire to reduce the expense of shipping leachate.

Marx said he began checking with operators at the wastewater plant and learned as much as 100,000 gallons of leachate per day can easily be safely treated at the plant.

The Buchanan City Commissioners unanimously voted in favor of an agreement this week that allows the landfill to transport additional leachate to the plant through an existing pipeline.

Marx said the move has been approved by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

He said the landfill will have to perform some upgrades to its lift station to increase the flows.

Commissioner Dave Hagey applauded what he said he felt was a sample of the creative solutions ordinary citizens don't realize are occurring in local government.

"These are the kind of things percolating below the surface that people don't understand," Hagey said.

Cole said transporting leachate by tanker costs the landfill $115 per hour.

"This is where our biggest savings is going to be," the mayor said.

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Portable wastewater treatment plant to treat landfill leachate in Mexico - Water World

TORONTO, ON, Canada, Apr. 26, 2011 -- Under an MOU with Hasar's Grupo Ecologico, Blue Gold Canada plans to install a wastewater treatment plant at a landfill in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Blue Gold/Dove Biotech wastewater treatment plant will have the capacity to treat 50,000 liters of water per hour and will use a proprietary organic/natural solution called CWP-121 to remove the contamination from the leachate pools. The treated effluent will then be used for agricultural applications.

The project is scheduled to be installed later this year.

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City commits millions to leachate management - Open File

The city is moving ahead with plans to build a leachate treatment facility at the municipally owned Trail Road landfill—more than seven years after city council first floated the idea.

Over the next three years, $9 million has been set aside to study and build the on-site facility, which will need to be operational by 2015, city spokesperson Jocelyne Turner confirmed in an email.

Landfill leachate is water, generally rain or snow, that seeps through garbage and extracts potentially harmful contaminants. It can pose serious environmental risks if it ends up in the groundwater—precisely the concern that Barrhaven residents brought to council in 2004, when the city was planning to build a pipeline under their homes that would shuttle leachate into the sewer system.

Later that year, council directed the city to study on-site leachate management as well. But the plans were shelved after a new stormwater plan at the Trail Road site, combined with a shift in the city’s overall waste management strategy, led to a significant decline in the amount of leachate being produced, said Turner.

No leachate escaped the site in 2010, she said. But current landfill usage rates mean that by 2015, the landfill cap—the impermeable barrier that separates the contaminated waste from the surface—will need to be removed to expand the site. And with the cap gone, snow and rain will collect and need to be treated, she said.

Most of the overall cost—$8 million—has been earmarked for the construction of the treatment facility in 2014. An additional $800,000 in 2012 will go towards “pretreatment” of the leachate, while the final $200,000 will be spent this year on consulting fees “to select the most effective leachate treatment” at the site, said Turner.

Although the city has not revealed what options are currently being considered, one possible idea might be to incorporate some sort of membrane bioreactor system into the facility, says Roberto Narbaitz, an engineering professor at the University of Ottawa.

Such a system would use bacteria to break down the leachate, which would then be filtered through a thin ceramic membrane, leaving hazardous solids behind, says Narbaitz. The relatively expensive technology would give citizens “bang for your buck” at the start of the process, he says. But once the contaminants are no longer biologically reducible, “it’s not so fantastic," he added.

The “most logical” step would be to treat on-site and revive the cost-effective pipeline idea, although many municipalities are now hesitant to go that route, Narbaitz said.

“There’s fear that there may be some toxic contaminants coming from that landfill ... The possibility is there, but there’s a lot of dilution taking place.”

In her email, Turner said the city can use tanker trucks to haul leachate from the Trail Road landfill to the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre, the city's wastewater treatment facility, if necessary. No one from the city was available for an in-person interview.

There are citizens living in the vicinity of the Trail Road landfill whose wells are still contaminated by leachate that, in the past, had seeped into the groundwater, says Ottawa riverkeeper Meredith Brown.

Historically, the city has responded to concerns about leachate only because they’re mandated to do so by the Ministry of the Environment, says Brown, whose organization advocates on behalf of the Ottawa River.

“They’re dealing with it because the province makes them deal with it, essentially,” said Brown. “They have no choice. They’re not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.”

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Review on landfill leachate treatments.: An article from: American Journal of Applied Sciences

This digital document is an article from American Journal of Applied Sciences, published by Science Publications on April 1, 2009. The length of the article is 9811 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Key words: Landfill leachate, review, biological treatment, physical/chemical treatment, membrane filtration

Citation Details
Title: Review on landfill leachate treatments.
Author: Abdulhussain A. Abbas
Publication: American Journal of Applied Sciences (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2009
Publisher: Science Publications
Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Page: 672(13)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning

Price: $9.95

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Ground-water hydrology and the effects of vertical leakage and leachate migration on ground-water quality near the Shelby County landfill, Memphis, Tennessee (Water-resources investigations report)

Disposing of solids waste to landfill is regarded as one of the most economical means of handling waste though landfills pose pollution threat to both ground and surface water resources. However, landfill liners and good landfill management practices may reduce the impact of water contamination by landfills.

The above video is not associated with the article text. However, we thought our readers might also be interested in this video.

Chemical analysis of groundwater beneath and near two landfills from New Zealand and Lesotho (in Southern Africa) showed that there are higher concentrations of chemicals such as Chlorides, TDS and COD than average. The water was also found to contain higher amounts of heavy metals.

High concentrations of chemical constituents, such as those found in leachate contaminated water may cause various health complications in humans if consumed.

To minimize possible hazards due to landfill leachate, future landfills must be lined at the base and sides by a combination of clay, geosynthetic clay and high-density polyethylene liners.

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