Control/promotion of the refuse methanogenic fermentation

Wastewater disposal to landfill-sites: a synergistic solution for centralized management of olive mill wastewater and enhanced production of landfill gas

The present paper focuses on a largely unexplored field of landfill-site valorization in combination with the construction and operation of a centralized olive mill wastewater (OMW) treatment facility. The latter consists of a wastewater storage lagoon, a compact anaerobic digester operated all year round and a landfill-based final disposal system. Key elements for process design, such as wastewater pre-treatment, application method and rate, and the potential effects on leachate quantity and quality, are discussed based on a comprehensive literature review. Furthermore, a case-study for eight (8) olive mill enterprises generating 8700 m(3) of wastewater per year, was conceptually designed in order to calculate the capital and operational costs of the facility (transportation, storage, treatment, final disposal). The proposed facility was found to be economically self-sufficient, as long as the transportation costs of the OMW were maintained at ≤4.0 €/m(3). Despite that EU Landfill Directive prohibits wastewater disposal to landfills, controlled application, based on appropriately designed pre-treatment system and specific loading rates, may provide improved landfill stabilization and a sustainable (environmentally and economically) solution for effluents generated by numerous small- and medium-size olive mill enterprises dispersed in the Mediterranean region.

Performance of bioreactor landfill with waste mined from a dumpsite

Emissions from landfills via leachate and gas are influenced by state and stability of the organic matter in the solid waste and the environmental conditions within the landfill. This paper describes a modified, ecologically sound waste treatment technique, where municipal solid waste is anaerobically treated in a lysimeter-scale landfill bioreactor with leachate recirculation to enhance organic degradation. The results demonstrate a substantial decrease in organic matter (BOD 99%, COD 88% and TOC 81%) and a clear decrease in nutrient concentrations especially ammonia (85%) over a period of 1 year with leachate recirculation.

Statistical modeling of methane production from landfill samples

Multiple-regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the simultaneous effects of 10 environmental factors on the rate of methane production (MR) from 38 municipal solid-waste (MSW) samples collected from the Fresh Kills landfill, which is the world's largest landfill. The analyses showed that volatile solids (VS), moisture content (MO), sulfate (SO(inf4)(sup2-)), and the cellulose-to-lignin ratio (CLR) were significantly associated with MR from refuse. The remaining six factors did not show any significant effect on MR in the presence of the four significant factors. With the consideration of all possible linear, square, and cross-product terms of the four significant variables, a second-order statistical model was developed. This model incorporated linear terms of MO, VS, SO(inf4)(sup2-), and CLR, a square term of VS (VS(sup2)), and two cross-product terms, MO x CLR and VS x CLR. This model explained 95.85% of the total variability in MR as indicated by the coefficient of determination (R(sup2) value) and predicted 87% of the observed MR. Furthermore, the t statistics and their P values of least-squares parameter estimates and the coefficients of partial determination (R values) indicated that MO contributed the most (R = 0.7832, t = 7.60, and P = 0.0001), followed by VS, SO(inf4)(sup2-), VS(sup2), MO x CLR, and VS x CLR in that order, and that CLR contributed the least (R = 0.4050, t = -3.30, and P = 0.0045) to MR. The SO(inf4)(sup2-), VS(sup2), MO x CLR, and CLR showed an inhibitory effect on MR. The final fitted model captured the trends in the data by explaining vast majority of variation in MR and successfully predicted most of the observed MR. However, more analyses with data from other landfills around the world are needed to develop a generalized model to accurately predict MSW methanogenesis.

Quantification of methanogenic groups in anaerobic biological reactors by oligonucleotide probe hybridization

The microbial community structure of anaerobic biological reactors was evaluated by using oligonucleotide probes complementary to conserved tracts of the 16S rRNAs of phylogenetically defined groups of methanogens. Phylogenetically defined groups of methanogens were quantified and visualized, respectively, by hybridization of 32P- and fluorescent-dye-labeled probes to the 16S rRNAs from samples taken from laboratory acetate-fed chemostats, laboratory municipal solid waste digestors, and full-scale sewage sludge digestors. Methanosarcina species, members of the order Methanobacteriales, and Methanosaeta species were the most abundant methanogens present in the chemostats, the solid-waste digestors, and the sewage sludge digestors, respectively.