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Landfill Bioreactor Technology for Waste Management

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Recycling of Solid Waste for Biofuels and Bio-chemicals

Abstract

The content of this chapter focuses on the anaerobic BioReactor Landfill (BRL), an alternative to the traditional “dry tomb” landfill, with the aim of a more rapid degradation of the organic fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) through leachate recirculation. This technology is mainly based on the moisture increase of waste through liquid injection into the landfill body, as waste degradation is strongly dependent on humidity. The main advantage of bioreactor landfills is the rapid stabilization of the organic fraction, which can be reached in 5–10 years compared to 30–50 years under traditional operation. Biogas production can be therefore increased to higher volumes in less time, improving the efficiency of energy recovery. The main factors regarding MSW biodegradation in BRLs will be presented. Focusing on the different and interconnected phenomena, which take place in such a complex and heterogeneous system, it will be possible to gain an overview of the whole process. A number of studies have shown the positive effects of leachate recirculation on MSW degradation, either at laboratory-scale or on-site. The state of art of both, lab- and full-scale experimentations, will be presented, with a focus on an Italian case study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DISAT, Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Martina Di Addario & Bernardo Ruggeri

Authors
  1. Martina Di Addario
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  2. Bernardo Ruggeri
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Correspondence to Bernardo Ruggeri .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

    Obulisamy Parthiba Karthikeyan

  2. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

    Kirsten Heimann

  3. SGS Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

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Di Addario, M., Ruggeri, B. (2016). Landfill Bioreactor Technology for Waste Management. In: Karthikeyan, O., Heimann, K., Muthu, S. (eds) Recycling of Solid Waste for Biofuels and Bio-chemicals. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0150-5_8

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