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Landfills
Dr. Tarek Abichou, FAMU-FSU
Dr. Danuta Leszczynska, FAMU-FSU
Dr. Jeffrey Chanton, FAMU-FSUOld landfills that have been closed or are in need of closing, but have no gas management plan, can be a significant source of odors and green house gases. Gas extraction tends to be expensive and out of the reach of most small communities managing their solid waste facilities. An attractive alternative is to incorporate a bio-reactive layer into the design of a landfill cover or in areas with significant release of gas into the atmosphere (typically referred to as hot spots). A coordinated field and laboratory campaign to design and test bio-covers for the elimination of methane emissions will be conducted. The bio-covers will serve smaller landfills where gas extraction is not feasible and larger landfills in the later period where gas extraction is no longer economical. These barriers will reduce emissions of NMOCs (non-methane organic compounds) and should also reduce odors.
Development of Management Tools for Control of Deposits in Landfill Leachate Drainage Systems.
The occurrence of clogging of landfill leachate systems is fairly widespread. This project will provide more detailed documentation of the genesis of clogging associated with co-disposal of MSW, combustion residues, and sludges. Management tools will be developed that can be applied to design and operate leachate collection systems. The project is specifically relevant to Florida landfill management practices.
Impact of Landfill Leachate on Iron Release from Northwest Florida Iron Rich Soils
In the state of Florida, high concentrations of iron are observed near landfills. In test lysimeters, it has been evidenced that microbial activities contribute to the elevated iron concentration in the percolation collected at the bottom of the lysimeters. The proposed research will provide evidence that microbial activities are responsible for iron release when leachate contacts with iron rich soils at concerned sites. This research will also provide information on microbial processes that might cause iron release from iron rich soils at other locations not associated with landfills.
The objective of this research is to investigate whether, and to what extent, microbial activities are responsible for iron release in the regions near landfills in Northwest Florida. For microbial mediated iron reaction processes, investigators want to testify whether it is an iron reducing process or sulphate reducing process (iron oxidation). In addition, they will quantify the iron reduction/oxidation rate to provide evidence of which mechanism is dominating and responsible for iron release in Northwest Florida.
Long-Term Treatament and Disposal of Landfill Leachate
Dr. Debra Reinhart, University of Central Florida
This research will investigate in-situ nitrification and denitrification processes in solid waste environments, allowing for a more informed approach to designing and operating bioreactor landfills by determination of optimal environmental conditions and expected efficiencies for in-situ nitrification and determination of optimal environmental conditions and expected efficiencies for in-situ denitrification. Further, this project will explore the treatment of refractory organics in mature landfill leachate (mainly humic materials and xenobiotic organic compounds) by means of combined external partial chemical oxidation followed by biological treatment within the landfill. From research data, an implementation strategy will be prepared for in-situ nitrification/denitrification and in-situ treatment of recalcitrant organics at field-scale, including an economic comparison with ex-situ treatment approaches.
Berrin Tansel, Ph.D., P.E. - FIU
Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires a post closure period of 30 years for non-hazardous wastes in landfills. According to solid waste facility regulations codified in 40 CFR §258.61(b), the length of the post-closure care period can be extended or shortened by the governing regulatory agency on a site-specific basis. However, the decision to extend or shorten the post-closure care period should be based on whether the landfill is a threat to human health or the environment. The question of appropriate PCC period for Florida’s landfills requires in-depth analysis of available performance data from closed landfills. The potential to reduce PCC duration and economic benefits are significant. The systematic methodology to be developed based on the performance analysis of case-study landfills during post closure will provide an objective and technically justifiable method for development of a decision making tool suitable for Florida landfills. The use of a technically justifiable decision making methodology would have significant economic benefits and allow more efficient management strategies for closed landfill sites.
The goal of this project is to develop a performance based methodology that can be used as a decision making tool to reduce the post closure care (PCC) period of Florida landfills. The specific objectives are to:1. Evaluate post closure performance data from closed Florida landfills;
2. Analyze potential threats to human health and the environment based on end use of closed landfills;
3. Conduct an economic analysis of PCC duration options suitable for Florida landfills; and
4. Develop a PCC guidance document suitable for Florida landfills.Dr. Timothy Townsend, University of Florida
The objective of this research is to operate a series of large-scale simulated landfills to evaluate the quality of leachate from several different waste streams and waste stream components. The simulated landfills (lysimeters) are designed and constructed so that natural landfill temperatures can be manitained in the columns. The researchers hope to evaluate the potential of several waste stream components, including electronics, lead-based paint, ash and Class III waste, that contribute to elevated pollutant concentrations in landfill leachate.
Urban Infilling Impacts on Florida Solid Waste Facilities
Dr. Debra Reinhart, University of Central Florida
As the nation becomes more urbanized, sites once considered remote are now located in areas increasingly ripe for development or re-development. In order to site solid waste facilities local governments have installed public works infrastructure such as roads and utilities, reducing the costs for owners of adjacent parcels. Consequently, we see lands adjacent to solid waste facilities being considered for developments such as residential communities and commercial and industrial projects. Thus, the potential for nuisance complaints against the existing solid waste facility operations has become an increasing reality in many areas of the nation. There have been some instances in recent years where public and private owners/operators of solid waste facilities have been forced to close their facilities pre-maturely, resulting in a loss of valuable solid waste capacity and increased cost for solid waste disposal. This research is also supported by Palm Beach County, Pinellas County, and SCS Engineers.
There are limited solid waste siting literature and data which address development or re-development issues related to solid waste facilities and adjacent land parcels. Development and re-development of properties adjacent to solid waste facilities will become a significant program for solid waste managers in the years ahead. Therefore the objective of this proposal is to develop methodology to gather scientific and quantifiable support for set backs and buffer zones as a function of landfill and transfer station operations. Appropriate recommendations for these setbacks will be made from case studies.
