Mait Kriipsalu

FATE OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS DURING COMPOSTING OF OILY SLUDGE

ABSTRACT In order to assess the effectiveness of aerobic degradation with emphasis on the 16 U.S. EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), oily sludge generated by a dissolved air flotation flocculation unit of a wastewater treatment plant in a petroleum refinery was amended with remediated oil‐contaminated soil and non‐mature garden waste compost 40:40:20 (wet weight) respectively. About 21 t of the mixture with a top‐layer formed by 30 cm of remediated soil was treated in a 28 m3 air‐forced reactor. The PAH concentration was monitored for 370 days. In the top‐layer, a reduction of 88 % of the total extractable PAH was measured at day 62 and a final reduction of 93 % at day 370 days. In the mixture, a reduction of 72 % in total PAH was measured at day 62, followed by fluctuation in concentration with a final measured reduction of 53 % at day 370. The analysis of individual PAH in the mixture suggested that volatilization and biodegradation are the main mechanisms responsible for the reduction of 2 ring PAH and 3–4 ring PAH, respectively. Fluctuation of 5–6 ring PAH concentrations with increase observed at the end of the period might result from a combination of the following: (i) sequestration of large PAH in the organic matrix (reducing bioavailability, biodegradability and eventually, extractability) and desorption as composting progresses; (ii) heterogeneous distribution of the stable large PAH in the mixture, thus affecting sampling. It was concluded that one‐time composting in static‐aerated biopiles with organic amendments as the sole strategy to treat oily sludge is very effective in reducing the content of 2–4 ring PAH, but it is not effective in reducing the content of 5–6 ring PAHs, even after a relatively long time span (370 d). The concentrations measured in the remediated soil that formed the top layer after 62 days of composting suggests that further relevant reduction of residual PAH (89% of total PAH and 69% of 5–6 ring PAH) can be obtained if the contaminated masses are exposed to a second thermophilic phase. This could be achieved by adding new easily biodegradable organic amendments to the contaminated masses after some months of composting, remixing and composting again for a minimum additional period of 2 months.

Monitoring of biopile composting of oily sludge

This paper describes a bioreactor set-up used to simulate degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in a static biopile. The large-scale test was performed in a 28 m3 custom-designed reactor. Oily sludge (40% by weight, having 7% dry matter [DM], and hydrocarbons C10—C40 160,000 mg kg—1 DM) was mixed with organic-rich amendments — mature oil-compost (40%) and garden waste compost (20%). Within the reactor, the temperature and soil gases were monitored continuously during 370 days via 24 measurement points. Also, moisture content was continuously recorded and airflow through compost mix occasionally measured. Three-dimensional ordinary kriging spatial models were created to describe the dynamic variations of temperature, air distribution, and hydrocarbon concentration. There were large temperature differences in horizontal and vertical sections during initial months of composting only. Water content of the mixture was uneven by layers, referring on relocation of moisture due to aeration and condensation. The air distribution through the whole reactor varied largely despite of continuous aeration, while the concentration of O2 was never reduced less than 1—2% on average. The results showed that composting of sludge using force-aerated static biopile technology was justified during the first 3—4 months, after which the masses could be re-mixed and heaped for further maturation in low-tech compost windrows. After 370 days of treatment, the content of hydrocarbons (C 10—C40) in the compost mixture was reduced by 68.7%.

Field-portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry as rapid measurement tool for landfill mining operations: comparison of field data vs. laboratory analysis

Landfill mining applied in reclamation at the territories of old dump sites and landfills is a known approach tended to global economic and environmental benefits as recovery of metals and energy is an important challenge. The aim of this study was to analyse the concentration of several metallic elements (Ca, Cu, Cr, Fe, K, Mn, Pb, Zn) in the fine fraction of waste derived in the landfill and to compare the results of measurements obtained by field-portable equipment with the data gained by advanced analytical tools. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used for the quantitative detection of metallic elements at the laboratory; whereas field-portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (FPXRF) was applied for rapid sample characterisation in the field (on-site). Wet digestion of samples (fine fraction of waste at landfill) was done prior analytical procedures at the laboratory conditions, but FPXRF analysis was performed using raw solid samples of waste fine fraction derived in the Kudjape Landfill in Estonia. Although the use of AAS and ICP-MS for the measurements of metals achieves more precise results, it was concluded that precision and accuracy of the measurements obtained by FPXRF is acceptable for fast approximate evaluation of quantities of metallic elements in fine fraction samples excavated from the waste at landfills. Precision and accuracy of the results provided by express method is acceptable for quick analysis or screening of the concentration of major and trace metallic elements in field projects; however, data correction can be applied by calculating moisture and organic matter content dependent on sample matrix as well as special attention must be paid on sample selection and homogenisation and number of analysed samples.

Paradigms on landfill mining: From dump site scavenging to ecosystem services revitalization

Abstract For the next century to come, one of the biggest challenges is to provide the mankind with relevant and sufficient resources. Recovery of secondary resources plays a significant role. Industrial processes developed to regain minerals for commodity production in a circular economy become ever more important in the European Union and worldwide. Landfill mining (LFM) constitutes an important technological toolset of processes that regain resources and redistribute them with an accompanying reduction of hazardous influence of environmental contamination and other threats for human health hidden in former dump sites and landfills. This review paper is devoted to LFM problems, historical development and driving paradigms of LFM from ‘classical hunting for valuables’ to ‘perspective in ecosystem revitalization’. The main goal is to provide a description of historical experience and link it to more advanced concept of a circular economy. The challenge is to adapt the existing knowledge to make decisions in accordance with both, economic feasibility and ecosystems revitalization aspects.

Characterisation of excavated fine fraction and waste composition from a Swedish landfill

The present research studies the characterisation and the physico-chemical properties of an excavated fine fraction (<10 mm) from a Swedish landfill, the Högbytorp. The results showed that the fine fraction represents 38% by mass of the total excavated wastes and it contains mainly soil-type materials and minerals. Higher concentrations of zinc, copper, barium and chromium were found with concentrations higher than the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for contaminated soil. The found moisture and organic contents of the fine fraction were 23.5% and 16.6%, respectively. The analysed calorific value (1.7 MJ kg−1), the potential of CH4 (4.74 m3 t−1 dry matter) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) (5.6%) were low and offer low potential of energy. Sieving the fine fraction further showed that 80% was smaller than 2 mm. The fine represents a major fraction at any landfill (40%–70%), therefore, characterising the properties of this fraction is essential to find the potential of reusing/recycling or safely redisposing.

Hunting for valuables from landfills and assessing their market opportunities : A case study with Kudjape landfill in Estonia

Landfill mining is an alternative technology that merges the ideas of material recycling and sustainable waste management. This paper reports a case study to estimate the value of landfilled materials and their respective market opportunities, based on a full-scale landfill mining project in Estonia. During the project, a dump site (Kudjape, Estonia) was excavated with the main objectives of extracting soil-like final cover material with the function of methane degradation. In total, about 57,777 m3 of waste was processed, particularly the uppermost 10-year layer of waste. Manual sorting was performed in four test pits to determine the detailed composition of wastes. 11,610 kg of waste was screened on site, resulting in fine (<40 mm) and coarse (>40 mm) fractions with the share of 54% and 46%, respectively. Some portion of the fine fraction was sieved further to obtain a very fine grained fraction of <10 mm and analyzed for its potential for metals recovery. The average chemical composition of the <10 mm soil-like fraction suggests that it offers opportunities for metal (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) extraction and recovery. The findings from this study highlight the importance of implementing best available site-specific technologies for on-site separation up to 10 mm grain size, and the importance of developing and implementing innovative extraction methods for materials recovery from soil-like fractions.

Former dump sites and the landfill mining perspectives in baltic countries and Sweden : The status

Landfills are considered as places where the life cycle of products ends thus meaning that resources and materials, which before were valuables, become useless and are disposed forever in places aw ...

Remediation of an oily leachate pond in Estonia

Until recent years, waste oil and oil-contaminated waters commonly ended up in landfills. At some dump sites, ponds of oily liquids and leachate were formed. To remediate such ponds, an interdisciplinary approach is now required, keeping costs at an affordable level, particularly in countries with changing economies. From 1974 to 1993, liquid oily wastes taken to the Laguja landfill, in Estonia, were disposed of in a pond with a surface area of 9800 m2. It was estimated that the pond contained 4500-6000 m3 of oily water and 3500 m3 of oil-containing bottom sediments. This study aimed at developing an environmentally sound and cost-effective method for remediation of the oily liquids, leachate and contaminated underlying sediment material, to meet the existing legal demands. It was concluded that treatment of contaminated water is well established and the procedures carried out to meet the regulatory demands achieved satisfactory results. However, regarding treatment of sediments it was concluded that legal and technological aspects, as well as monitoring procedures are not fully established and are usually underestimated. Laboratory investigations can provide valuable information in decision-making, and contribute to effective full-scale remediation planning.

Leachate Treatment in Newly Built Peat Filters: A Pilot-Scale Study

The purpose of this short-term pilot-scale (1 m) experiment was to focus on the efficiency of leachate treatment during the initial period of a newly built peat filter. The initial start-up period of a filter is dynamic and differs for different types of peat and leachate. Reduction of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and nutrient concentrations from leachate of different age and composition was targeted in experimental filters of three types of peat. Well-mineralised fen peat with undisturbed structure showed a significantly better reduction when treating methanogenic leachate with respect to the concentrations of COD, total nitrogen (N tot ), and ammonium-nitrogen (NH 4 -N), which were reduced by up to 36, 62, and 99%, respectively, compared to the poorly mineralised milled Sphagnum peat (with no reduction of COD, 52% reduction of N tot , and 67% of NH 4 -N). Good results in the reduction of BOD and total phosphorus (P tot ) (50%) in well-mineralised Sphagnum peat were achieved when treating acidogenic leachate. Generally, even if a considerable amount of pollutants was removed in newly built peat filters (milligrams per metre per day) during the first days in operation, the target values were still above the Estonian limit for wastewater discharge into the environment. The best results were achieved for removal of P tot , which was reduced below the target values.