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The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of leachate recirculation and aeration on volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations in aerobic and anaerobic landfill leachate samples. In this study, two aerobic (A1, A2) and two anaerobic (AN1, AN2) reactors with (A1, AN1) and without (A2, AN2) leachate recirculation were used in order to determine the change of volatile fatty acids components in landfill leachate. VFA degradation rate was almost 100% in each reactor but the degradation rate show notable differences. In aerobic landfill reactors, total VFA concentrations decreased below 1000 mg L(-1) after 120 days of operation and only caproic and acetic acids were determined at this time. The stabilization of the VFA concentrations takes about 350 and 450 days for AN1 and AN2 reactors, respectively. VFA concentrations were higher than that of aerobic reactors because of the acidogenic phase occurred in anaerobic environment. According to the results of VFA components, the stabilization of the waste was achieved after 120 days of operation in aerobic landfills. At this time, anaerobic reactors were in the acidogenic phase which results with the high concentrations of VFA. The results also indicated that leachate recirculation does not affect the degradation rate in aerobic landfills as much as it does in anaerobic landfills.

One-dimensional (1D) advection-dispersion transport modeling was conducted as a conceptual approach for the estimation of the transport parameters of fourteen different phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-CP, 2-MP, 3-MP, 4-MP, 2-NP, 4-NP, 2,4-DNP, 2,4-DCP, 2,6-DCP, 2,4,5-TCP, 2,4,6-TCP, 2,3,4,6-TeCP, PCP) and three different inorganic contaminants (Cu, Zn, Fe) migrating downward through the several liner systems. Four identical pilot-scale landfill reactors (0.25 m3) with different composite liners (R1: 0.10+0.10 m of compacted clay liner (CCL), L(e) = 0.20 m, k(e) = 1 × 10(-8) m/s, R2: 0.002-m-thick damaged high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane overlying 0.10+0.10 m of CCL, L(e) = 0.20 m, k(e) = 1 × 10(-8) m/s, R3: 0.002-m-thick damaged HDPE geomembrane overlying a 0.02-m-thick bentonite layer encapsulated between 0.10+0.10 m CCL, L(e) = 0.22 m, k(e) = 1 × 10(-8) m/s, R4: 0.002-m-thick damaged HDPE geomembrane overlying a 0.02-m-thick zeolite layer encapsulated between 0.10+0.10 m CCL, L(e) = 0.22 m, k(e) = 4.24 × 10(-7) m/s) were simultaneously run for a period of about 540 days to investigate the nature of diffusive and advective transport of the selected organic and inorganic contaminants. The results of 1D transport model showed that the highest molecular diffusion coefficients, ranging from 4.77×10(-10) to 10.67 × 10(-10)m2/s, were estimated for phenol (R4), 2-MP (R1), 2,4-DNP (R2), 2,4-DCP (R1), 2,6-DCP (R2), 2,4,5-TCP (R2) and 2,3,4,6-TeCP (R1). For all reactors, dispersion coefficients of Cu, ranging from 3.47 × 10(-6) m(2)/s to 5.37 × 10(-2) m2/s, was determined to be higher than others obtained for Zn and Fe. Average molecular diffusion coefficients of phenolic compounds were estimated to be about 5.64 × 10(-10) m2/s, 5.37 × 10(-10) m2/s, 2.69 × 10(-10) m2/s and 3.29 × 10(-10) m2/s for R1, R2, R3 and R4 systems, respectively. The findings of this study clearly indicated that about 35-50% of transport of phenolic compounds to the groundwater is believed to be prevented with the use of zeolite and bentonite materials in landfill liner systems., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Four identical pilot-scale landfill reactors with different alternative composite liners were simultaneously operated for a period of about 540 days to investigate and to simulate the migration behaviors of phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-CP, 2-MP, 3-MP, 4-MP, 2-NP, 4-NP, 2,4-DNP, 2,4-DCP, 2,6-DCP, 2,4,5-TCP, 2,4,6-TCP, 2,3,4,6-TeCP, PCP) and heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd, Ni) from landfill leachate to the groundwater. Alternative landfill liners of four reactors consist of R1: Compacted clay liner (10 cm+10 cm, k=10(-8)m/sn), R2: Geomembrane (2 mm HDPE)+compacted clay liner (10 cm+10 cm, k=10⁻⁸ m/sn), R3: Geomembrane (2 mm HDPE)+compacted clay liner (10 cm, k=10⁻⁸ m/sn)+bentonite liner (2 cm)+compacted clay liner (10 cm, k=10⁻⁸ m/sn), and R4: Geomembrane (2 mm HDPE)+compacted clay liner (10 cm, k=10⁻⁸ m/sn)+zeolite liner (2 cm)+compacted clay liner (10 cm, k=10⁻⁸ m/sn). Wastes representing Istanbul municipal solid wastes were disposed in the reactors. To represent bioreactor landfills, reactors were operated by leachate recirculation. To monitor and control anaerobic degradation in the reactors, variations of conventional parameters (pH, alkalinity, chloride, conductivity, COD, TOC, TKN, ammonia and alcaly metals) were also investigated in landfill leachate samples. The results of this study showed that about 35-50% of migration of organic contaminants (phenolic compounds) and 55-100% of migration of inorganic contaminants (heavy metals) to the model groundwater could be effectively reduced with the use of bentonite and zeolite materials in landfill liner systems. Although leachate contaminants can reach to the groundwater in trace concentrations, findings of this study concluded that the release of these compounds from landfill leachate to the groundwater may potentially be of an important environmental concern based on the experimental findings., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The main goal of this study was to present a comparison of landfill performance with respect to solids decomposition. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) test was used to determine the initial and the remaining CH(4) potentials of solid wastes during 27 months of landfilling operation in two pilot scale landfill reactors. The initial methane potential of solid wastes filled to the reactors was around 0.347 L/CH(4)/g dry waste, which decreased with operational time of landfill reactors to values of 0.117 and 0.154 L/CH(4)/g dry waste for leachate recirculated (R1) and non-recirculated (R2) reactors, respectively. Results indicated that the average rate constant increased by 32% with leachate recirculation. Also, the performance of the system was modeled using the BMP data for the samples taken from reactors at varying operational times by MATLAB program. The first-order rate constants for R1 and R2 reactors were 0.01571 and 0.01195 1/d, respectively. The correlation between the model and the experimental parameters was more than 95%, showing the good fit of the model.

One of the most important problems with designing and maintaining a landfill is managing leachate that generated when water passes through the waste. In this study, leachate samples taken from aerobic and anaerobic landfill reactors operated with and without leachate recirculation are investigated in terms of biodegradable and non-biodegradable fractions of COD. The operation time is 600 days for anaerobic reactors and 250 days for aerobic reactors. Results of this study show that while the values of soluble inert COD to total COD in the leachate of aerobic landfill with leachate recirculation and aerobic dry reactors are determined around 40%, this rate was found around 30% in the leachate of anaerobic landfill with leachate recirculation and traditional landfill reactors. The reason for this difference is that the aerobic reactors generated much more microbial products. Because of this condition, it can be concluded that total inert COD/total COD ratios of the aerobic reactors were 60%, whereas those of anaerobic reactors were 50%. This study is important for modeling, design, and operation of landfill leachate treatment systems and determination of discharge limits.

Leachate and solid waste samples from aerobic and anaerobic simulated landfill reactors operated with and without leachate recirculation were characterized in terms of metals such as Fe, Ca, K, Na, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn. Metal concentrations of aerobic landfill reactor leachate samples are always below the regulation limits. The higher concentrations in anaerobic landfill leachate samples decreased to regulation limits after the landfill becomes methanogenic. The effect of leachate recirculation is determined in anaerobic landfills more clearly than aerobic landfills. Metal precipitation resulted in a decrease in leachate metal content and an increase in solid waste metal content as expected. Result of the study show that the metal content of landfill leachate samples is not a major concern for both aerobic and anaerobic landfills.

In this study, the effect of leachate recirculation on aerobic and anaerobic degradation of municipal solid wastes is determined by four laboratory-scale landfill reactors. The options studied and compared with the traditional anaerobic landfill are: leachate recirculation, landfill aeration, and aeration with leachate recirculation. Leachate quality is regularly monitored by the means of pH, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, conductivity, oxidation-reduction potential, chloride, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen, in addition to generated leachate quantity. Aerobic leachate recirculated landfill appears to be the most effective option in the removal of organic matter and ammonia. The main difference between aerobic recirculated and non-recirculated landfill options is determined at leachate quantity. Recirculation is more effective on anaerobic degradation of solid waste than aerobic degradation. Further studies are going on to determine the optimum operational conditions for aeration and leachate recirculation rates, also with the operational costs of aeration and recirculation.