Turgut T. Onay

In situ nitrogen management in controlled bioreactor landfills

Abstract The characteristics of leachate from landfills vary according to site-specific conditions. Leachates from “old” landfills are often rich in ammonia nitrogen due to the hydrolysis and fermentation of the nitrogenous fractions of biodegradable substrates, with decreases in concentration mainly attributable to leachate washout. At landfills where leachate containment, collection and recirculation is practiced to accelerate decomposition of readily biodegradable organic constituents, leachate ammonia nitrogen concentrations may accumulate to higher levels than during conventional single pass leaching, thereby creating an ultimate leachate discharge challenge. Landfill leachate treatment options include complex and often costly sequences of external physical–chemical and biological processes for removal of high-strength organics and inorganics, including nitrogen. Therefore, this paper focuses on investigations with bioreactor landfill simulations to demonstrate the potential for in situ nitrogen removal in dedicated nitrification/denitrification zones. Using leachate recirculation, associated system modifications provided separate aerobic and anoxic zones for ammonia nitrogen transformations to nitrate and nitrogen gas, respectively. Results from the three simulated optional stages of methanogenesis, nitrification and denitrification indicated that nitrogen conversion and removal was dependent on the operational stage. Both separate and combined reactor operation with internal leachate recycle provided 95% nitrogen conversion. In contrast, combined reactor operation with single pass leaching provided a conversion efficiency per cycle ranging between 30–52% for nitrification and 16–25% for denitrification, thereby indicating the efficacy of using the landfill itself for attenuation of leachate ammonia nitrogen concentrations to levels acceptable for ultimate discharge.

Impact of various leachate recirculation regimes on municipal solid waste degradation

Landfilled municipal solid waste can be treated by introducing leachate into the waste matrix. Increasing attention is being given to landfill leachate recirculation as a means for in situ leachate treatment and landfill stabilization. Landfills with leachate recirculation may be operated as municipal solid waste bioreactor treatment system rather than as a conventional waste dumping sites. In order to study the impact of various leachate recirculation regimes on municipal solid waste degradation, two landfill-simulating reactors, one with leachate recycle and one without, were constructed and placed at a constant room temperature (34 degrees C). Both reactors were filled with a municipal solid waste mixture representing the typical solid waste composition determined for the city of Istanbul. For the purpose of this experiment, leachate recirculation volume and frequency were changed periodically. This research showed that increased frequency of leachate recirculation accelerates the stabilization rate of waste matrix. About 2l of recirculated leachate and four times per week recirculation strategy were found to provide the highest degree of waste stabilization. Additionally, this research confirmed that leachate recirculation is a very feasible way for in situ leachate treatment.

Exposure assessment and risk characterization from trace elements following soil ingestion by children exposed to playgrounds, parks and picnic areas.

Soil ingestion is an important pathway for exposure to metals for children. The objectives of this study were to: (1) Assess urban soil contamination by selected metals (As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in 24 sites (127 soil samples) in Istanbul, Turkey, (2) Investigate relationships between soil contamination and site properties (type of site, equipment type, soil properties), (3) Characterize the risk for critically contaminated sites by taking oral metal bioaccessibility and two soil ingestion scenarios into account. Average metal concentrations were similar in the 17 playgrounds, 4 parks and 3 picnic areas sampled. Five out of 24 sites (all equipped with treated wood structures) had systematically higher contamination than background for As, Cu, Cr or Zn, and measured concentrations generally exceeded Turkish regulatory values. High Cu concentrations in these sites were attributed to the leaching from wood treated with Cu-containing preservatives other than chromated copper arsenate (CCA). Risk characterization for these sites showed that hazard index was below one in both involuntary soil ingestion and soil pica behaviour scenarios for all metals. However, probabilistic carcinogenic risk for As uptake exceeded 1x10(-6) in both scenarios. A sensitivity analysis showed that soil ingestion rate was the most important parameter affecting risk estimation. Risk from As uptake for children from soils of parks, playgrounds and picnic areas may be serious, especially if soil pica behaviour is present.

In situ heavy metal attenuation in landfills under methanogenic conditions.

The purpose of this research was to determine the fate and behavior of heavy metals co-disposed with municipal waste under methanogenic conditions. Two landfill simulating reactors, one with leachate recirculation and the other without, were operated in a constant room temperature at 32 degrees C. These reactors were filled with shredded and compacted municipal solid waste having a typical solid waste composition of Istanbul region. After the onset of the methanogenic conditions, the selected heavy metals including iron, copper, nickel, cadmium and zinc were added according to the amounts suggested for co-disposal under the directives of the Turkish Hazardous Waste Control Regulations. The results of the experiments indicated that about 90% of all heavy metals were precipitated from the reactors within the first 10 days due to the establishment of highly reducing environment and the formation of sulfide from sulfate reduction which provided heavy metal precipitation. No inhibition to the biological stabilization was observed.

Production of Methane and Hydrogen from Biomass through Conventional and High-Rate Anaerobic Digestion Processes

Anaerobic digestion processes have often been applied for biological stabilization of solid and liquid wastes. These processes generate energy in the form of biogas. Recently, high-rate methane and hydrogen fermentation from renewable biomass has drawn much attention due to current environmental problems, particularly related to global warming. Therefore, laboratory-scale research on this topic has significantly accelerated. The primary aim of this review paper is to summarize the most recent research activities covering production of methane and hydrogen via both conventional single and high-rate two-phase anaerobic digestion processes of natural sources of biomass.

Biodegradation of bioplastics in natural environments

The extensive production of conventional plastics and their use in different commercial applications poses a significant threat to both the fossil fuels sources and the environment. Alternatives called bioplastics evolved during development of renewable resources. Utilizing renewable resources like agricultural wastes (instead of petroleum sources) and their biodegradability in different environments enabled these polymers to be more easily acceptable than the conventional plastics. The biodegradability of bioplastics is highly affected by their physical and chemical structure. On the other hand, the environment in which they are located, plays a crucial role in their biodegradation. This review highlights the recent findings attributed to the biodegradation of bioplastics in various environments, environmental conditions, degree of biodegradation, including the identified bioplastic-degrading microorganisms from different microbial communities.

Co-disposal alternatives of various municipal wastewater treatment-plant sludges with refuse

Abstract In this study, the effect of various wastewater treatment-plant sludges on anaerobic solid waste degradation in simulated landfill reactors was investigated. The wastewater treatment-plant sludges were directly co-disposed with solid waste in the laboratory to determine an alternative method for sludge digestion and disposal. Three types of sludges, including primary settling sludge, secondary settling sludge (waste-activated sludge) and a mixture of primary and waste-activated sludge, were supplied from a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Istanbul. Four laboratory-scale digesters were designed, constructed and placed in a temperature-controlled water bath, and loaded with sludge and solid waste at a ratio of 1:7. All indicator parameters for both sludge receival and control reactors followed a similar trend. However, the stabilization of solid waste in the reactor receiving the mixture of primary settling and waste-activated sludges was faster, as indicated by the total gas production and COD removal data.

Leaching potential of nano-scale titanium dioxide in fresh municipal solid waste.

With the rapid development in nanotechnology in recent years, the number of commercially available products containing engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) has increased significantly. It is expected that large fractions of these ENMs will end up in landfills for final disposal. Despite the wide use of ENMs, little data is available on their fate within landfills. This study examined the leaching behavior of nanoscale titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2), one of the mostly used ENMs, in fresh municipal solid wastes (MSWs). Batch reactors containing municipal waste samples were spiked with a range of nano-TiO2 concentrations at different pH and ionic strength conditions. The Ti concentrations in leachate decreased rapidly and reached steady state after about 12-24 h. Results suggest that, for the environmental conditions considered, approximately 3-19% of the added nano-TiO2 remained in leachate. Batch tests conducted with individual synthetically-prepared solid waste components also showed low leaching potential (5.2% for organic waste, 3.3% for glass, 1.7% for both textile and paper and 0.6% for metal), indicating that all components of MSW contributed to the retention of the nano-TiO2 mass within the solid matrix.

Determination of biogas generation potential as a renewable energy source from supermarket wastes

Fruit, vegetable, flower waste (FVFW), dairy products waste (DPW), meat waste (MW) and sugar waste (SW) obtained from a supermarket chain were anaerobically digested, in order to recover methane as a source of renewable energy. Batch mesophilic anaerobic reactors were run at total solids (TS) ratios of 5%, 8% and 10%. The highest methane yield of 0.44 L CH4/g VS(added) was obtained from anaerobic digestion of wastes (FVFW+DPW+MW+SW) at 10% TS, with 66.4% of methane (CH4) composition in biogas. Anaerobic digestion of mixed wastes at 5% and 8% TS provided slightly lower methane yields of 0.41 and 0.40 L CH4/g VS(added), respectively. When the wastes were digested alone without co-substrate addition, the highest methane yield of 0.40 L CH4/g VS(added) was obtained from FVFW at 5% TS. Generally, although the volatile solids (VS) conversion percentages seemed low during the experiments, higher methane yields could be obtained from anaerobic digestion of supermarket wastes. A suitable carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, proper adjustment of the buffering capacity and the addition of essential trace nutrients (such as Ni) could improve VS conversion and biogas production yields significantly.

Impact of deforestation on soil carbon stock and its spatial distribution in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey

Land use management is one of the most critical factors influencing soil carbon storage and the global carbon cycle. This study evaluates the impact of land use change on the soil carbon stock in the Karasu region of Turkey which in the last two decades has undergone substantial deforestation to expand hazelnut plantations. Analysis of seasonal soil data indicated that the carbon content decreased rapidly with depth for both land uses. Statistical analyses indicated that the difference between the surface carbon stock (defined over 0-5 cm depth) in agricultural and forested areas is statistically significant (Agricultural = 1.74 kg/m(2), Forested = 2.09 kg/m(2), p = 0.014). On the other hand, the average carbon stocks estimated over the 0-1 m depth were 12.36 and 12.12 kg/m(2) in forested and agricultural soils, respectively. The carbon stock (defined over 1 m depth) in the two land uses were not significantly different which is attributed in part to the negative correlation between carbon stock and bulk density (-0.353, p < 0.01). The soil carbon stock over the entire study area was mapped using a conditional kriging approach which jointly uses the collected soil carbon data and satellite-based land use images. Based on the kriging map, the spatially soil carbon stock (0-1 m dept) ranged about 2 kg/m(2) in highly developed areas to more than 23 kg/m(2) in intensively cultivated areas as well as the averaged soil carbon stock (0-1 m depth) was estimated as 10.4 kg/m(2).