Mostafa A. Warith

Bioreactor landfills: experimental and field results

Bioreactor landfills allow a more active landfill management that recognizes the biological, chemical and physical processes involved in a landfill environment. This paper presents the results of an experimental study carried out to determine the effect of solid waste size, leachate recirculation and nutrient balance on the rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) biodegradation. Higher rates of MSW biodegradation eventually cause a reduction of the contaminant life span of the landfill and decrease in the cost of long term monitoring. The study indicated that the smaller the size of the MSW the faster the biodegradation rate of the waste. In addition, the paper presents the results of leachate recirculation on solid waste biodegradation in a full-scale landfill site, which is located in Nepean, Ontario, Canada. The leachate was recirculated into the landfilled solid waste for 8 years through infiltration lagoons. Similar results to those obtained in the laboratory scale experiments were noted. The average pH of the leachate in the early stages of recirculation was on the acidic range of the pH scale, however, the pH value was in the range of 7-8 after 2 years of leachate recirculation. The concentration of chloride remained fairly constant at about 1000 mg/l during the leachate recirculation period. A decreasing trend of the organic load, measured as biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand, was observed. Recovery of landfill air space was also noted because of the enhanced subsidence and decomposition of the solid waste.

A Comparison of Acute Toxicity of Biodiesel, Biodiesel Blends, and Diesel on Aquatic Organisms

Abstract The increased demand of alternative energy sources has created interest in biodiesel and biodiesel blends; biodiesel is promoted as a diesel substitute that is safer, produces less harmful combustion emissions, and biodegrades more easily. Like diesel spills, biodiesel can have deleterious effects on the aquatic environments. The effect of neat biodiesel, biodiesel blends, and diesel on Oncorhynchus mykiss and Daphnia magna was evaluated using acute toxicity testing. Static nonrenewal bioassays of freshwater organisms containing B100, B50, B20, B5, and conventional diesel fuel were used to compare the acute effects of biodiesel to diesel. Mortality was the significant end point measured in this study; percent mortality and lethal concentration (LC50) at different exposure times were determined from the acute toxicity tests performed. Trials were considered valid if the controls exhibited >90% survival. Based on percentage of mortality and LC50 values, a toxicity ranking of fuels was developed.

An inexact multi-objective dynamic model and its application in China for the management of municipal solid waste

With the development of science and technology, solid waste management has become a serious environmental problem for most communities all over the world. This paper presents a multi-objective optimization model for the management of municipal solid waste (MSW) via an uncertainty approach. In this model, the system cost of solid waste management and the environmental impact are considered as the main objectives, and some necessary constraints based on the characteristics of China are included; additionally, Pollution loss theory is applied to evaluate the environmental impact. This model is applied to the City of Fo Shan, China. Compared with the primary project of Fo Shan, which is provided by the government, the results of the optimization procedure show that the overall system cost could be reduced by

Waste settlement in bioreactor landfill models

1-2.4/ton, i.e.,

Use of sanitary sewers as wastewater pre-treatment systems

3.7 million/yr. The model presented in this paper was proven to be an effective response to the multi-objective solid waste management problem, and provides a new technique to optimize MSW management and operation. Why is the optimization result better? By analyzing the modelling with respect to function, constraints, and results, we conclude that the profit would be augmented due to the amount of the waste that would be treated by recycling technology, which would increase rapidly during the planning time; thus, the total system cost could be reduced accordingly.

Toxicity assessment of sludge fluid associated with tar sand tailings

Prediction of landfill settlement is one of the important parameters that affects the design and maintenance of bioreactor landfills. Due to the large number of variables involved in the settlement mechanism, accurate prediction of landfill settlement is a real challenge. The operational protocol of a landfill, the presence of municipal sludge from treatment plants, the addition of soybean peroxidase (SBP) enzymes, and the fraction of organic matter in the municipal solid waste (MSW) have to be reflected in the parameters of any model used to predict the settlement of MSW. In this work, a biodegradation-induced settlement model incorporating two parameters (A and B) was developed. The settlement data of two researchers were used to estimate the parameter values with two different approaches; the first considered the overall experiment and results, and the second separated the aerobic phase, if present, from the anaerobic phase. The rate of initial settlement occurring under aerobic conditions has been greater than that under anaerobic conditions. Parameters increased with the increase in the concentration of enzymes and with the presence of sludge in both aerobic and anaerobic stages. Increasing organic content of MSW has resulted in the enhancement of the biodegradation rate and settlement. This has been reflected on the higher values of the parameters compared to their values in the absence of organic waste.

USE OF SHREDDED TIRE CHIPS AND TIRE CRUMBS AS PACKING MEDIA IN TRICKLING FILTER SYSTEMS FOR LANDFILL LEACHATE TREATMENT

Abstract As wastewater travels through a sewer system it undergoes changes in composition. These changes in composition may be caused by chemical, physical and/or biological processes. At present engineers do not take into consideration the impacts of these processes on the wastewater quality when designing wastewater treatment systems. However, the impact of these processes on the chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrogen and phosphorus content of the wastewater can be significant. In the case of the biological processes, microorganisms present in the wastewater as it travels through the sewer system are similar to those found in an activated sludge process. Given that the micro-organism population and the hydraulic retention time often resemble that of an activated sludge process, it would seem only reasonable to look further into the possibility of using sewers as wastewater treatment systems. Furthermore, the plug flow regime of a sanitary sewer is inherently beneficial in terms of wastewater treatment as it is not subject to short-circuiting. The first part of this paper provides a technical review of the processes which take place in a sewer system and the resulting degradation of some of the more significant substances found in wastewater. The contribution of both the suspended biomass and the attached biomass to the degradation of substrate is also examined. The second part of this paper examines the use of the Toxchem computer model to predict the processes which are taking place in the sewer under a variety of conditions. The goal being to determine the magnitude of the degradation of substrate and dissolved oxygen depletion in a sewer system. In obtaining a better understanding of the processes that are taking place in sewer systems, engineers will be able to more accurately predict the degradation of substrates in sanitary sewer systems. This will result in a reduction in the size of wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs).

Effect of microwave temperature, intensity and moisture content on solubilisation of organic fraction of municipal solid waste

Abstract This study was conducted in an effort to assess the toxicity of fluid emanating from potential sludges produced as a result of the “hot water extraction process”; employed in extracting oil from tar sand deposits in Alberta. A further attempt was made to identify specific components and/or properties which might be responsible for any toxicity observed in the emanating sludge fluid. Fluids emanating from 14 different potential sludges resulting from various proposed treatment processes were considered. All emanating fluids were observed to be highly toxic to the green algae, Selenastrum capricornutum, with an average lethal concentration (LC‐50) of 25.8% (by volume).

Degradation of Municipal Solid Waste in Aerobic Bioreactor Landfills

Abstract Scrap tire stockpiles are breeding grounds for pests, mosquitoes and west Nile viruses and, thereby, become a potential health risk. This experimental study was carried out in six stages to determine the suitability of shredded tire materials in a trickling filter system to treat landfill leachate. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH3‐N removals were obtained in the range of 81 to 96%, 76 to 90% and 15 to 68%, respectively. The removal of organics appears to be largely related to total dissolved solids reduction in leachate. A sudden increase, from time to time, in organic content of effluent could be attributed to biomass sloughing and clogging in the trickling filters. However, tire crumbs exhibited more consistent organics removal throughout the experimental program. Due to the high surface area of shredded tire chips and crumbs, a layer of biomass, 1–2 mm thick, was attached to them and was sloughed off at an interval of 21 days. Apart from that, as shredded tires are comparatively cheaper than any other usable packing material, tire chips and tire crumbs appeared to be quite promising as packing media in trickling filters for landfill leachate treatment.

Modelling of contaminant transport within a marshland environment

High temperature and pressure microwave (MW) pre-treatment of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) enhanced solubilisation prior to Anaerobic Digestion (AD). Three temperatures (175°C, 145°C and 115°C), three MW intensities based on temperature ramp times (20, 40 and 60 minutes) and two Supplemental Water Additions (SWA) of 20% and 30% were evaluated. MW irradiation resulted in higher concentrations of soluble Chemical Oxygen Demand (sCOD), proteins and sugars in the supernatant phase. The highest level of solubilisation was achieved at 175°C and SWA of 30% and resulted in 1.61, 1.62 and 1.58 times higher sCOD concentrations versus controls for MW intensity ramp times of 20, 40, and 60 minutes, respectively. Additionally, for the same conditions, the free liquid volume released from the OFMSW into the supernatant were observed to be 1.39, 1.34 and 1.37 times greater than the control, respectively. Concomitantly, potentially bio-available sCOD available for AD increased more than two fold compared to control.