6.4.7.

RECENT INNOVATIONS IN LANDFILL

TECHNOLOGY
Until past few decades, the main objective of landfill technology has been to prevent saturation of the waste to minimize the
likelihood of leachate and landfill gas leaking to the surrounding environment. However, the recent past has witnessed
significant innovations in the landfill technologies. Some of the advancements to improve the existing technologies are
discussed in the following subsections.

6.4.7.1. Enhanced Landfill Mining

Enhanced landfill mining (ELFM) is defined as the safe conditioning, excavation, and integrated valorization of landfilled waste
streams as both materials and energy using innovative transformation technologies and respecting the most stringent social
and ecological criteria (10). In particular, ELFM regards landfills as temporary storage facilities instead of a permanent
solution from which the landfilled waste will eventually be valorized by means of recycling and incineration. ELFM facilitates
valorization of waste streams as both waste-to-material (WtM) and waste-to-energy (WtE). This will result in improved
recycling, increased reuse rates, and optimized energy valorization (11). ELFM also incorporates the goal to sequester a
significant fraction of the CO2 arising during the energy valorization process; thereby reclaiming the landfill zone can have
new societally beneficial usages. ELFM technology looks promising, but is still in its early stage of development; energy
utilization and nature restoration along with strategic policy decisions are required.

6.4.7.2. Semi-Aerobic Landfill

In the semi-aerobic landfill (Fig. 6.4.2), a leachate-collecting pipe is set up on the floor of the landfill to remove leachate from
the landfill. Natural air is brought in from the open pit of the leachate-collecting pipe to the landfill layer, which promotes
aerobic decomposition of waste. In the aerobic environment, the activity of microorganisms increases, accelerating the
stabilization process. The air present in an aerobic environment transforms carbon in organic matter to carbon dioxide. Thus,
the semi-aerobic landfill enables early stabilization of waste, prevents the generation of methane, the potential GHGs, which
make it effective technology in the prevention of global warming. Also aerobic condition would transform sulfur to sulfur ion
rather than hydrogen sulfide, thereby reducing the generation of foul odor (12).

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 Figure 6.4.2 The schematic diagram of a semi-aerobic landfill.

6.4.7.3. Bioreactor Landfill

The bioreactor landfill is defined as a landfill operated to transform and more quickly stabilize the readily and moderately
decomposable organic constituents of the waste by proposed control to enhance microbiological processes. The bioreactor
landfill requires significant liquid addition to reach and maintain optimal conditions, which is achieved by the leachate
recirculation technique. The concept is seen as a way to maximize landfill gas (LFG) capture, which is used as a renewable
energy source for environmental recovery projects, increased landfill capacity, improved opportunities for leachate treatment
and storage, reduction of post-closure activities, and abatement of GHGs (13). Thus a bioreactor landfill (Fig. 6.4.3) changes
the goal of landfilling from the storage of waste to the treatment of waste, making the landfill a natural bioreactor.

Figure 6.4.3 The schematic diagram of a bioreactor landfill.

6.4.7.4. The Semi-Mechanized Trench Method

In this method, a trench is dug that can last at least 1 month before it is filled with deposited wastes. The wastes compact
naturally due to biochemical decomposition and overburden weight within few months, after which the trenches are refilled
and covered. Only the top surface of the wastes is exposed with the remainder being covered by the sides and bottom of the

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trench; thus, the exposed surface area is minimal. The surplus material from trench excavation can be valorized for use as
engineering fill on-site or off-site (14). This particular technology is applicable in small cities that cannot afford to operate a
sanitary landfill, where heavy equipment is used to spread and compact the waste in daily cells, and then to excavate,
transport, and apply daily cover.

6.4.7.5. Landfill Gas to Energy

Landfill gas can be adjudged as one of the most viable sources of renewable energy. Using landfill gas as a source of
renewable energy helps to meet the energy needs and improve environmental and health concerns. This source is used for
electricity generation apart from its use as fuel through combustion. Electricity generation can be achieved by either micro
turbine technology or fuel cell technology. This technology is helpful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions thereby, resolving
the issue of air pollution and global warming linked to the emission of landfill gas (15).

6.4.7.6. Bioengineered Methane Mitigation System

The global warming potential of methane is 25 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. The bioengineered methane
mitigation system aims in treatments of landfill gas to reduce the methane associated environmental hazards. These systems
are reported to have a high CH 4 uptake capacity since they provide optimum environmental conditions for the methane-
oxidizing bacterial community to proliferate in situ and convert methane to carbon dioxide. These systems use stabilized solid
waste from landfills, compost, dewatered sludge, yard waste or forest/agricultural soils, sediments as packing materials that
naturally harbor methane oxidizing bacteria and are readily available. Therefore, these biogenic materials can be used for
development of a gradient packed bed biofilter to mitigate the methane emission from landfills (16).

6.4.7.7. Landfill as Heat Source of Heat Pump

The decomposition of waste materials inside the landfill in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions results in generation of heat
due to exothermic reactions. During this process, the energy is released as heat to the surrounding waste and environment.
On the other hand, the heat pump systems are considered as an environmentally friendly technology nowadays. The ground
source heat pumps use the ground as a heat source and are able to provide better energy performance as compared to
systems using air as the heat source. Therefore, the heat generated inside the controlled landfills can make the volume of
waste a viable alternative in this context, to be used as a heat source for the production of heat. Thus, this approach can
contribute fundamentally to reduce energy consumption. The resulting greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites can also
be minimized (17).

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