Landfill Design

What is a landfill

• Dump – a hole where trash is dumped

• Landfill – a structured place where trash is deposited
 History of a Landfill
Before 1960’s
• Most waste was burned in open dumps.
• produced clouds of smoke
• produced a bad Odour
• created a breeding ground for flies and rats

Before and early 1960’s

• Waste burned in incinerators and combustion facilities (high temperatures burn waste more completely than
in open burns)
• prime sources of air pollution

1960’s and 1970’s

• Laws passed regulating air pollution

1970’s
• Dumps converted to full operating landfills.

1988-2001
• Number of landfills decline from 8,000 to 1,858 –
• because landfill size and recycling have increased and regulations are tighter.
 Challenges of a Landfill
• Groundwater contamination from liquids produced in landfill

• Methane production from anaerobic decomposition of trash

• Incomplete decomposition (newspapers in a landfill have been

found to be up to 100 years old!)

• As trash decomposes it compacts and settles causes landfills to

sink

• Most neighborhoods oppose having a landfill built in their vicinity

 Introduction
• Landfill is the term used to describe the physical facilities used
for the disposal of solid wastes and solid waste residuals in the
surface soils of the earth.
• Types of Landfills:
• Sanitary landfill refers to an engineered facility for the disposal
of MSW designed and operated to minimize public health and
environmental impacts.
• Landfills for individual waste constituents such as combustion
ash, asbestos, and other similar wastes are known as Monofills.
• Landfills for the disposal of hazardous wastes are called Secure
landfills.
 Sanitary Landfill
• The sanitary landfill is a technique used for the
final disposal of solid wastes that does not cause
threat to public health.
• This technique uses engineering principles to
dispose the waste in the smallest area possible,
daily covering it
with layers of soil,
and compacting it to
reduce its volume.
 Landfill Location
• In order to obtain a permit a landfill operator must first
carry out a detailed investigation and prove to the
satisfaction of the planning authority and the EA that
the site:
– is located in a geologically stable area
– is not located on a major aquifer;
– Is not located in a vulnerable area;
– is designed to reduce the risk of damage to the
environment and human health;
– will be monitored regularly for the duration of
operations and aftercare period.
 Definition of Terms
Cell
The term cell is used to describe the volume of material placed in a
landfill during one operating period, usually 1 day. A cell includes
the solid waste deposited and the daily cover material surrounding
it.

Daily cover
Daily cover usually consists of 6 to 12 in of native soil or alternative
materials such as compost, foundry sand, or auto shredder fluff
that are applied to the working faces of the landfill at the end of
each operating period.
 Definition of Terms
 Lift
A lift is a complete layer of cells over the active area of
the landfill. Typically, landfills comprise a series of lifts.

 Bench
A bench or terrace is typically used where the height of
the landfill will exceed 50 to 75 ft. Benches are used to
maintain the slope stability of the landfill, for the
placement of surface water drainage channels, and for
the location of landfill gas recovery piping.
Definition of Terms
 Definition of Terms
Landfill liners
Landfill liners are materials (both natural and man-made) that are
used to line the bottom area and below-grade sides of a
landfill .Liners usually consist of successive layers of compacted clay
and/or geosynthetic material designed to prevent migration of land-
fill leachate and landfill gas.
Final landfill cover
. The final landfill cover layer is applied over the entire landfill
surface after all landfilling operations are complete .Landfill covers
consist of successive layers of compacted clay and/or geosynthetic
material designed to prevent the migration of landfill gas and to limit
the entry of surface water into the landfill.
 Landfill Liners
• Landfill Liners are constructed on the base and sides
of a landfill site to prevent leachate from leaking into
the surrounding soils.
• Landfill Liners may be constructed from:
– Compacted Clay
– Bentonite Enhanced Sand
– Geomembrane
– Geotextile Protector
– Dense Asphaltic Concrete (DAC)
– Combination of the above
Landfill Liner
 Definition of Terms

Landfill closure
Landfill closure is the term used to describe the
steps that must be taken to close and secure a
landfill site once the filling operation has been
completed.
 Definition of Terms
Postclosure care
Postclosure care refers to the activities associated with the
long-term maintenance of the completed landfill (typically
30 to 50 years).

Remediation
Remediation refers to those actions necessary to stop and
clean up unplanned contaminant releases to the
environment.
Definition of Terms
 Landfill Operations
• Waste is placed in layers approximately 3 m
thick and compacted.
• At the end of each working day approximately
0.3 m of clay or sand material is placed on top
of the waste to:
– minimise the infiltration of rainwater
– isolate the waste from birds and vermin
– reduce odours
 Landfill Operations
• To prevent wastage and the formation of layers
of weakness within the waste mass the daily
cover is scraped off and re-used each day.
• Leachate that collects at the base of the waste
mass is collected and re-circulated into the
waste. This:
– increases the rate of decomposition of the waste
and therefore, rate of settlement;
– decreases disposal costs.
 Land fill Caps
• Landfill caps placed above the waste after
completion of infilling prevent the
infiltration of rainwater, minimising the
production of leachate.
• Landfill Caps are usually constructed from:
– Recompacted clay
– Geomembrane
 Landfill Caps
• Caps may range from one layer system of vegetated
soil to a complex multilayer system of soils and
geosynthetics. Multilayer cap includes:
1. Surface or erosional layer
2. Protection layer
3. Drainage layer
4. Barrier layer
5. Gas collection Layer
6. Foundation Layer
 Landfill cap
Construction of Geo membrane cap Landfill cap
WHAT PROBLEMS DO LANDFILL SITES POSE?

• Groundwater Contamination
• Production of Landfill Gas
• Landfill fires
• Offensive odours
• Litter
• Pests (Vermin, seagulls, flies)
• Increased traffic for duration of infilling
• Long term settlement after completion
GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION
• Groundwater contamination can occur if
leachate leaks into the soils and rock
surrounding a landfill site, eventually
making its way to the water table and
contaminating the groundwater.
• Leachate is formed when water percolates
through solid waste.
• Leachate can be highly toxic.
 Leachate

• The degradation of wastes produces a black,

foul-smelling liquid known as leachate.
LEACHATE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
• Leachate management systems are installed to:
– prevent the accumulation of leachate in the base of
the landfill
– collect, re-circulate and dispose of leachate during
operations and after closure
• They comprise of:
– leachate drainage blanket at base of landfill
– pipes along base and sidewalls of landfill
– wells to monitor and extract the leachate
 Characteristic Of Leachates
 Rainwater passing through the layers of refuse
increases leachate.
 It disturbs the human and plants life.
 Save it from water table.
 Use clay soil, to make impervious layer.
 Make channel, divert path to reduce leachate
volume.
 Composition of Leachate
Components of Leachate:

• Nitrate phosphorus
• chloride
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Sulfate
• iron
 Reactions Occurring in Landfill

 Important chemical Reactions that occur

within the landfill include dissolution and
suspension of landfill materials and biological
conversion products in the liquid
 physical changes in landfills is the settlement
caused by consolidation and decomposition of
land filled material.
 Generation of Landfill Gases

Generation of Landfill Gases

 The generation of the principal landfill gases (CO2and CH4), the
variation in their rate of generation with time, and the sources of
trace gases in landfills are considered in the following discussion.
Volume of Gas Produced
 An Anaerobic Transformation Of Organic Matter Of The Solid Waste
Placed In The landfill can Be Described By The General Formula.

 Organic matter + H2O + nutrients → new cells + resistant organic

matter + CO2 + CH4 + NH3 + H2S + heat
 Composition Of Landfill Gasses

Components
Methane 45-60%
Carbon dioxide 40-60%
Nitrogen 2-5%
Oxygen 0.1-1%
Ammonia 0.1-1%
Sulfides, disulfides, mercaptans, etc 0-1%
Hydrogen 0-2%
Carbon monoxide 0.2%
Trace constituents 0.01-6%
 Gases

Management Of Gases:
Gases tend to accumulate in empty spaces
within the landfill.
They Can be controlled by constructing a
vertical system of gravel vents placed at
different points.
 Landfill gas management system
• Landfill gas management systems are installed
to prevent the build up of gases within the landfill
and to prevent migration of landfill gas through
the underlying strata.
• There are 2 ways landfill gas can be managed:
– passive
– active
 Landfill gas management system
• Passive management systems comprise
of wells with perforated tops to allow the
gas to vent into the atmosphere.
• Active management systems involve the
active extraction of the gas.
• The extracted gas can be used to
generate electricity.
 Monitoring

 Environmental monitoring
Environmental monitoring involves the activities associated with collection and
analysis of water and air samples used to monitor the movement of landfill
gases and leachate at the landfill site.

• Monitoring is carried out before, during, and after the placement of

waste.
• Numerous monitoring wells are constructed around a landfill site
(both upstream and downstream) to check for contamination.
• Chemical testing is carried out regularly on:
– Groundwater
– Leachate
– Landfill Gas
 Production Of Landfill Gas
• Landfill gas is produced during the natural
breakdown of biodegradable waste.
• The composition of landfill gas changes
over time.
• The gas from a typical landfill site consists
mostly of methane and carbon dioxide.
 Landfill Fires
• As waste decomposes it generates heat
and underground fires may start.

• These are difficult to extinguish, may last

for long periods, and may spread
throughout the landfill.
 Sanitary Land filling methods

 The construction of sanitary landfill is mainly based on

the topography of the land, availability of the covering
material and the depth of the water table. There are
three different ways to construct a sanitary landfill.

1. Area method

2. Excavated cell/Trench method

3. Combination of both methods

 Area method

Suitable conditions
 The area method is used in flat areas and when the
terrain is unsuitable for the excavation of cells or
trenches e.g. in case of hard rock
 Groundwater near the surface
 Loose waste that can be spread over large area and
easily compacted
 waste can be deposited directly on top of the original
soil
 This method can be used for filling natural depressions.
 Area method

Design
• Site preparation includes the installation of a liner and leachate
management system.
• The side embankment is made
• Then incoming waste is spread and compacted and covered daily
with a layer of 0.10 m to 0.20 m of soil (some times yard waste).
• Process continuous through out the life of the landfill, usually 20
years
• At the end when the landfill completely filled. It is covered with a
final cover of 0.10 to 0.15 m. Cover material may be compacted
clay and Geosynthetic blankets.
 Excavated cell/Trench method
Suitable Location
• In Flat regions, soft formations
• where the water table is not near the surface.
• Rocky soil is not adequate since excavation will
be very difficult.
• The cell/trench method of land filling is ideally
suited to areas where an adequate depth of
cover material is available at the site.
 Excavated cell/Trench method
Design
 Site preparation includes the installation of a liner
and leachate collection system.
 Excavated cells are typically square, up to 1000 ft
width and length, with side slopes of 30 degree.
 Trenches vary from 200 to 1000 ft length, 3 to 10
ft depth, and 15 to 50 ft width.
 Solid waste is placed in cells and cover with soil
cover (0.1 to 0.2 m)
 Combination of both methods

• Since these two methods of constructing

sanitary landfill are similar, they may be
combined to better use the land and cover
material and to increase operation
performance. 
 Example Calculations

Problem
• The landfill is 500 m by 250 m in average plan and 15 m high. Daily
filling rates are 15 m by 10 m by 2m and the daily cover is 0.3 m.
1. How much material do we need for daily cover(soil)?
2. How much longer could the landfill be used?

Solution:
Total volume of landfill = V1 = 500×250 ×15 = 1.88 ×10 ^6 m3
Each daily layer of waste has volume = V2= 15×10 ×2 = 300 m3
1. Daily cover has volume = V3= 15×10 ×0.3 = 45 m3
2. The life of the landfill with daily cover = T
T = V1/(V2+ V3)= 5449 days = 21 years and 5 days