Landfill Design

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Brief Introduction to area.............................................................................................................1
Geography....................................................................................................................................1
Climate.........................................................................................................................................1
Economic Drivers........................................................................................................................1
......................................................................................................................................................2
Hydrogeological data...................................................................................................................2
Population....................................................................................................................................3
Objective..........................................................................................................................................4
Planning...........................................................................................................................................4
Design population........................................................................................................................4
Waste generation and composition..............................................................................................4
Waste Collection System.............................................................................................................5
Area required for Landfill............................................................................................................5
Siting................................................................................................................................................6
Required Permits for landfill construction and............................................................................7
Construction and Design Considerations.........................................................................................7
Construction of landfill................................................................................................................7
Liner.............................................................................................................................................7
Odor and wind erosion control.....................................................................................................7
Cover Material.............................................................................................................................8
Landfill Gas..................................................................................................................................8
Leachate control...........................................................................................................................9
Post closure maintenance.............................................................................................................9
Discussion......................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
References......................................................................................................................................11
 List of Figures

Figure 1 Population trends of Chapel Hill, NC...............................................................................3

Figure 2 Components of waste stream of Chapel Hill.....................................................................4
Figure 4 Site near Eubanks..............................................................................................................6
Figure 3 Site near Old Field Creeks................................................................................................6
Figure 5 Cross section of a typical Landfill.....................................................................................7
Figure 6 Diagram of a properly closed landfill.............................................................................10
Introduction
Brief Introduction to area
The area under study is chapel hill, which is a town in U.S. state of North in orange, Chatham
and Durham Counties. Founded on 1793, the town covers an area of 21.3 square miles and is
centered on Franklin Street. There are several historic buildings and district which are registered
on NRHP (national register of historic places). It is also 15 th largest city in the state having a
population of 57,233 according to 2010 census. Its current population is estimated to be 59,862.

Chapel Hill has 16 schools, out of which 9 are Elementary 4 are middle, 2 Senior High and the
last one is UNC Hospital school.

The chamber for a greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Bell leadership institute, Business Impact Inc.,
Institute for defense and Business are some of the local businesses. Many local restaurants such
as Makes Empanadas, Talullas Lantern and Squid’s Restaurant are serving locals with quality
food.

Geography
Chapel Hill is located in South-East of Orange County. On the North-Eastern side there is the
city of Durham and in the west, there is the town of Carrboro. But, most of the borders of Chapel
Hill are adjacent to unincorporated parts of counties of Durham and Orange instead of being
shared with another municipality. According to US census bureau, the town occupies 21.1 sq.
miles of land and 0.15 sq. miles of water.

Climate
The weather is hotter in the months of June, July and August having average temperatures of
85.7, 89, and 87.5 degrees Fahrenheit respectively. The record high temperature is observed to
be 106 degrees Fahrenheit in the month of August. Similarly, the coldest months are noted to be
December, January and February having average lows of 31.1-, 28.6- and 30.8-degrees
Fahrenheit respectively and record low of -8 degrees Fahrenheit in the month of January.

Economic Drivers
With and employment rate of 96.3%, Chapel Hill, NC has a median household income of
$62,208. 60.1% of the locals are associated with management, Business, Science and Arts, 2.4%
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with Natural resources, construction and Maintenance, 3.4% with production, transportation and
material moving, 18.2% with sales and office and 15.9% with services The University of North
Carolina and UNC Health care are also a critical part of town’s economy. 59.5% are employed in
labor forces.

Major industries of Chapel Hill are Agriculture (0.2%), Construction (2.2%), Manufacturing
(3.9%), wholesale trade (1.7%), retail trade (8.7%) , Transportation and warehousing (0.8%),
information (2.4%), finance and insurance and real estate and rental and leasing
(5.8%)professional, scientist and management and administrative and waste (12.8%), education
services and health care and social assistance (45.5%), Ars, entertainment and recreation and
accommodation and foodservices (10.2%), other services, except public administration (3.6%)
and public administration (2.1%).

Management, Business,Science and Arts

Natural Resources, Construction and Maintenance

Production, Transporation and Materials moving

Sales and Office

Services

Hydrogeological data
The water table can be easily reached at an approximate depth of 15-25 ft.

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3
Population
Following table illustrates population trends of Chapel Hill up to 2018

Figure 1 Population trends of Chapel Hill, NC

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Objective
To design a landfill for 50 years.

Planning
Design population
The population after 50 years can be calculated by using the following formula

Future population = (present population) *e (graph rate) *Time

Using the average growth rate of 2% the population after 50 years is estimated to be 163,100.

Waste generation and composition

The composition of waste generated in Chapel Hill as per study conducted in 2010 is given in the
chart given below.

Figure 2 Components of waste stream of Chapel Hill

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It can be seen that the amount of organic and wood waste is significant in the waste streams.

The amount of waste generated is calculated by multiplying per capita waste generation with
total population.

Waste Generated = Per capita waste generation * total population

By using average per capita waste generation of 4 lbs./capita/day and design population of
163,100 people, Total waste generated per day is 652,400 lbs./day.

Waste Collection System

The collection Fleet contains 9 trucks having 2 employees per semi-automatic truck and 1 per
automatic. 3 trips per day over 5 working days are proposed.

Area required for Landfill

The area required for the landfill can be calculated by dividing the volume of landfill by the
proposed height of the landfill.

The volume of the landfill is calculated as:

Volume of landfill = (Waste generated per year/density of waste) +(.25*volume of annual waste)
+ (volume of waste generated by public buildings and industries)

Using estimated waste generation rate and average density of waste as 300kg/m 3(505.97lb/yd3)
and volume of waste by industries as 8,800 kg/m 3 the volume of landfill in m 3 is calculated to be
458,909.6m3

Area of landfill = 458,909.6/3 m2

Here, 3 is the design height of the landfill,

Area of the landfill = 152969.89 m2 or 15.29 hectacres.

Adding 20% buffer zone,

Required landfill area = 18.35 Hectacres.

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Siting
Two locations were selected one on the North-West of the town on the NC highway 86 near Old

field Creeks and other near northeast of the town near the intersection of Eubanks road Rogers
Road and both locations were tested on parameters.

Figure 4 Site near Eubanks Figure 3 Site near Old Field Creeks
Following parameters were tested on both sites:

 Fatal Flaw analysis, both sites were located in a region without any seismic fault or an
airport
 Objectionability by locals, Site on the highway had the potential to be objectionable as it
could cause odor problems to tourist attraction points.
 Schools, there were no schools near both sites.
 Travel distance, site on the Eubanks Road was a few minutes closer than site on highway
making it more desirable.
 Site area, both sites had sufficient area
 Wetlands, both sites didn’t include any wetlands.
 Endangered species, both sites were not a habitat to any endangered species.
 Population, both sites were not located in a densely populated area.
 Ground water recharge point, site on the highway is a ground water recharge area.
 Soil conditions, both sites had sustainable soil conditions.

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In the light of above parameters, the site on the Eubanks road was concluded to be more feasible
and the site on the old field creeks was opted out.

Required Permits for landfill construction and operation in Chapel Hill, NC

The regulations for landfills imposed by orange county for public health and safety are applied
for landfills in Chapel Hill. These regulation makes it compulsory to acquire permits for landfill
operation. These include a Solid waste Facilities Permit; Waste Discharge Requirements; Permit
to construct and operate gas management systems; and a Stormwater Discharge Permit. Landfills
also operate under MOUs with cities that host a landfill. Certain projects also fall under the
jurisdictions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S and Army Corps of Engineers.

Construction and Design Considerations

Construction of landfill
Construction of a sanitary landfill with cell size of 1-3 m having an average lift of 3m and a
slope of 1:3 or 1:2 for structural stability is proposed.

Liner
A geosynthetic composite material
(mixed with clay) is proposed for
use as Liner due to greater tensile
strength and high impact resistance.
The liner is to be bound through
thermal seaming as it is more
economical than chemical seaming.

Odor and wind erosion control

A misting system is proposed to
control the odor of the landfill while
Figure 5 Cross section of a typical Landfill
fences are to be applied to prevent
wind erosion.

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Cover Material
A cover material is used to provide insolation between the dumped waste and the surrounding. It
for the purpose of public health and safety. By covering the waste with soil or any suitable
material the odor and gas emissions are minimized while the area is not in use.

For the landfill under study a plastic cover is opted for daily cover instead of regular soil cover as
the soil cover causes capacity issues in the landfill and it doesn’t require compaction like the soil
cover thus reducing cost.

Landfill Gas
Collection pipes are fitted on top of the waste cells to collect explosive methane. The amount of
methane generated in the landfill can be calculated by using the landGEM method defined by the
U.S. EPA. LandGEM is a first order decay model through which we can calculate mass of
generated methane through the following equation:

QCH4 = ∑ni=1k * Lo * Mi * (e-k * ti)

Where,

QCH4 = methane emission rate

Mi = Mass in a given section

K = methane generation constant = 0.04 per year

Lo = methane generation potential= 46.07 m3CH4.mg-1

Ti = age of the ith increment or section

For a single section, using mass as 1440 kg,

QCH4 = 2549600 m3 CH4 per year

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Leachate control
The base of the landfill is to be fitted with a leachate collection pipe which collects the leachate
which then will be further treated. For collection purposes, estimation of annual leachate
generation rate is necessary. Thus, the method defined by the Australian government in Emission
estimation technique manual for municipal waste is used.

According to the manual the leachate volume is calculated by multiplying the landfill area and
annual rainfall:

V = 0.15 * A * P

Here,

A = Area of landfill in squared meter = 152969.89

P = Annual Rainfall in meters = 1.17

V = Volume of leachate in cubic meter = 1.17 * 152969.89 * 0.15 = 26846.22

Post closure maintenance

To avoid the bathtub, effect the final cover is opted in such a way that its permeability would be
no greater than 0.00005 cm / sec. for this reason at least 18 inches of earthen material which
would be covered by 6 inches of erosion layer which is capable of plantation. After the
application of final cover, the site is to be monitored for 30 years to ensure that no waste is
escaping out of the landfill and polluting the environment.

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 Figure 6 Diagram of a properly closed landfill

Discussion
Provision of landfill in a growing city such as Chapel Hill where most people are involved in
businesses is extremely beneficial as it saves transfer and tipping charges of large amount of
waste. Furthermore, with such growth rate more and more counties are shifting towards county
only landfills. This scenario favors the construction of a landfill as nearby cities will also need to
dump their waste somewhere, thus doubling the role of the landfill into income stream.
Construction of a landfill also opens up gates for further options such as landfill gas recovery,
MRF and waste to energy programs, to name a few. The leachate and landfill gas generated in
the landfill can further be treated and used for energy generation. The methane produced can also
fulfill the domestic energy needs. These programs can prove to be direct source of revenue for
the city.

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Conclusion
After careful analysis, the site present on the Eubanks Road, being more feasible and sustainable,
was selected for the construction of landfill. Different design criteria such as design period and
design population were calculated and estimated and were used during the designing of the
landfill. Material for daily and finer cover as well as liner material and binding methodology was
proposed on economic and sustainability basis. Leachate generation and Landfill gas emissions
were carefully calculated and necessary procedure for their collection was also proposed in this
report Method of closure and post closure maintenance were also analyzed and defined in this
Report.

References

o (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.orangecountync.gov/1146/Waste-Sort-Data

o Engineer, G. (2015, Nov 15). Monitoring of landfill gases. Retrieved from GeoEngineers:
https://www.geoengineer.org/education/web-class-projects/cee-549-geoenvironmental-
engineering-fall-2015/assignments/monitoring-landfill-gas-systems

o EPA. (2018). Muncipal Solid waste landfills. Retrieved from epa.gov:

https://www.epa.gov/landfills/municipal-solid-waste-landfills

o Inc., W. M. (2019). Waste Managment Orange County. Retrieved from

https://www.wm.com/location/california/orange-county/areas/index.jsp

o landfills, O. c. (2014). Anatomy of landfill. Retrieved from oclandfills.com:

http://www.oclandfills.com/landfill/anatomy

o Radova, K. (2011). Engineering, ecology and materials in processing industry. Zvornik: Bosnia
and Herzegovina.

o Website, O. C. (2019). Orange County, NC. Retrieved from https://www.orangecountync.gov/

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