Solid Wastes Technology and Management II

Learning Outcomes: 

1. Knowledge based

• Understanding of the principles of science and technology, which are used for siting, design, construction, operation and aftercare of municipal solid waste landfills.
• Familiarization with the European and Hellenic legislation dealing with sanitary landfilling.
• Understanding of the role of sanitary landfilling in the integrated municipal solid waste management.
• Understanding of the particular units/sections of a sanitary landfill and their coordinated operation.
• Understanding of the basic design calculations, dealing with production and management of biogas and leachate.
• Use of models, such as HELP and the monthly water balance and the advection-dispersion-adsorption equation in sanitary landfill problems.
• Understanding of the concept of bioreactor landfill.

General Skills: 

After the successful completion of the course, the students will be in a position to do a preliminary design of a sanitary landfill in a specific area, which includes:

• Ability to site a sanitary landfill.
• Ability to do a basic sizing of a sanitary landfill.
• Ability to design the disposal phases in a sanitary landfill.
• Ability to design a leachate collection network.
• Ability to design a biogas collection network.
• Ability to design restoration and monitoring works after sanitary landfill closure.

Course Content:: 
LECTURES (taught by Professor E.A. Voudrias)
1. Land disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) and residual waste – historical retrospection – general description of sanitary landfills (SLs) – European and Hellenic legislation
2. Functional relationships between SL capacity and active base area – examples – bottom lining with clay materials
3. Design and construction of clay liners – examples – geosynthetic materials
4. Composite liners – double liners – examples
5. Calculation of leachate leakage and contaminant breakthrough in clay and composite liners – examples
6. Biogas production in a SL – biogas production phases – calculation of total biogas production – examples
7. Temporal distribution of biogas production – LandGem model – transport of biogas trace components – examples
8. Biogas management – passive systems – active systems – design of a biogas collection system – biogas combustion and production of energy – calculation of condensate production – examples
9. Leachate production – composition and characteristics – water balance in a sanitary landfill – HELP model and Tchobanoglous et al. model – leachate movement – transport of leachate constituents – advection-dispersion-adsorption equation – examples
10. Leachate management – drainage zone design – leachate collection in a sloping liner – Collection pipes analysis – examples
11. Overview of leachate treatment methods – sanitary landfill covers – preliminary and final cover – examples
12. Sanitary landfill geotechnical stability – settling – closure of sanitary landfill – aftercare
13. Bioreactor landfill – leachate recirculation methods – design – examples
LABORATORY EXERCISES (taught by Professor D. Komilis, with laboratory support by I. Papaspyros)
1. Basic sizing of a sanitary landfill
2. Detailed design of a sanitary landfill in a specific area – soil balance and design of disposal phases
3. Design of leachate collection and treatment system
4. Design of biogas collection system – design of restoration and monitoring after sanitary landfill closure

Suggested Bibliography:

1. Voudrias, E.A. (2015). “Technology of Municipal Solid Waste Sanitary Landfills”, edition of Democritus University of Thrace.
2. Komilis, D. (2020). “Solid waste management and engineering”, ISBN 978-960-418-622-8, Tziola Publications, Thessaloniki, Greece.