Spatial and temporal characteristics of elevated temperatures in municipal solid waste landfills

•The spatial and temporal variation of ETLEs were investigated.•Spatial parameters include ratio of CH4 to CO2, waste temperature, and strain rate.•Landfill zones consist of gas, temperature, and smoldering fronts. Elevated temperatures in waste containment facilities can pose health, environmental,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Waste management (Elmsford) 2017-01, Vol.59, p.286-301
Main Authors: Jafari, Navid H., Stark, Timothy D., Thalhamer, Todd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioreactors
Carbon dioxide
Carbon Dioxide - chemistry
Decomposition
Fire
Gas composition
Gases - analysis
High temperature
Indicators
Landfill
Landfills
Leachates
Municipal solid waste
Oxygen - chemistry
Rapid oxidation
Refuse Disposal - methods
Smoldering
Smoldering combustion
Solid Waste
Temperature
Waste Disposal Facilities
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Summary:•The spatial and temporal variation of ETLEs were investigated.•Spatial parameters include ratio of CH4 to CO2, waste temperature, and strain rate.•Landfill zones consist of gas, temperature, and smoldering fronts. Elevated temperatures in waste containment facilities can pose health, environmental, and safety risks because they generate toxic gases, pressures, leachate, and heat. In particular, MSW landfills undergo changes in behavior that typically follow a progression of indicators, e.g., elevated temperatures, changes in gas composition, elevated gas pressures, increased leachate migration, slope movement, and unusual and rapid surface settlement. This paper presents two MSW landfill case studies that show the spatial and time-lapse movements of these indicators and identify four zones that illustrate the transition of normal MSW decomposition to the region of elevated temperatures. The spatial zones are gas front, temperature front, and smoldering front. The gas wellhead temperature and the ratio of CH4 to CO2 are used to delineate the boundaries between normal MSW decomposition, gas front, and temperature front. The ratio of CH4 to CO2 and carbon monoxide concentrations along with settlement strain rates and subsurface temperatures are used to delineate the smoldering front. In addition, downhole temperatures can be used to estimate the rate of movement of elevated temperatures, which is important for isolating and containing the elevated temperature in a timely manner.
ISSN:0956-053X
1879-2456
DOI:10.1016/j.wasman.2016.10.052