AREA A/B ENGINEERING REPORT - Waste Management

the post closure period required for LFG control;
• More rapid reduction in leachate constituent concentrations compared to nonwaste
treatment operations; and
• Reduced long-term impacts from potential emissions of leachate or LFG, reduced
need to rely on high levels of infiltration control and landfill management,
reduction in associated scope, duration, and costs of necessary post-closure care,
and enhanced opportunities for beneficial reuse of the landfill property.
Bioreactor Technology
Comes of Age
Quote from the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) Technical
Regulatory Guidance document on Bioreactor Landfills (February 2006):
“The team believes that available research indicates that municipal solid waste
degraded in a bioreactor landfill may reduce the long term threat potential relative to a
dry tomb landfill resulting from breakdown of organics and the possible sequestration
of inorganics. The team believes that bioreactors can expedite beneficial reuse of
landfill capacity, resources, and expedited reuse of the property…“
Geosyntec Consultants
Several studies have been conducted to assess the effect of waste moisture content on the
stabilization and degradation of municipal solid waste. 25 These studies include laboratory
experiments, mathematical modeling, and large-scale field tests. Bioreactors have higher initial
design and capital costs for leachate management and installation of landfill infrastructure.
Bioreactors typically require additional monitoring and maintenance during their operating life.
In the long term, however, they are capable of significantly reducing the timeframe for which
regulatory maintenance and monitoring are required to provide protection of human health and
the environment. Many state agencies are increasingly allowing and even encouraging landfill
management practices that maximize moisture availability with the goal of enhancing waste
degradation. In many locations, bioreactor technology currently represents the best available
technology (BAT) for meeting this goal and reducing the period during which the landfill property
must be under active management.
25 The published body of knowledge related to bioreactors is considerable, and includes the following seminal
references: Reinhart & Townsend (1998); Sullivan & Stege (2000); Haskell & Cochrane (2001); Reinhart, et al
(2002); SWANA (2003); and ITRC (2006a).
MD10186.doc 93 29 March 2009