Spatial and temporal characteristics of elevated temperatures in municipal solid waste landfills
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2017
Abstract
Elevated temperatures in waste containment facilities can pose health, environmental, and safety risks because they generate toxic gases, pressures, leachate, and heat. In particular, MSW landfills undergo changes in behavior that typically follow a progression of indicators, e.g., elevated temperatures, changes in gas composition, elevated gas pressures, increased leachate migration, slope movement, and unusual and rapid surface settlement. This paper presents two MSW landfill case studies that show the spatial and time-lapse movements of these indicators and identify four zones that illustrate the transition of normal MSW decomposition to the region of elevated temperatures. The spatial zones are gas front, temperature front, and smoldering front. The gas wellhead temperature and the ratio of CH to CO are used to delineate the boundaries between normal MSW decomposition, gas front, and temperature front. The ratio of CH to CO and carbon monoxide concentrations along with settlement strain rates and subsurface temperatures are used to delineate the smoldering front. In addition, downhole temperatures can be used to estimate the rate of movement of elevated temperatures, which is important for isolating and containing the elevated temperature in a timely manner.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Waste management (New York, N.Y.)
First Page
286
Last Page
301
Recommended Citation
Jafari, N. H., & Stark, T. D. (2017). Spatial and temporal characteristics of elevated temperatures in municipal solid waste landfills. Waste management (New York, N.Y.), 59, 286-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.10.052