Predictive Tools for Sustainable Solid Waste Management Using Bioreactor Landfills

该奖项授予位于罗利的北卡罗来纳州立大学，用于支持以下36个月的活动。该提案是为了响应创新伙伴关系项目征集（NSF 05-556）而提交的。合作伙伴北卡罗来纳州立大学罗利分校（NCSU）（牵头机构）、威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校（UW-M）、废物管理公司、联合废物工业公司、共和服务公司、Onyx废物系统公司、北卡罗来纳州邦科姆县、特拉华州固体废物管理局、加利福尼亚州约洛县、Camp Dresser & McKee、CH2Mhill、GeoSyntec顾问公司、SCS工程师、美国环境保护署、纽约州环境保护部、威斯康星州自然资源部、全国固体废物管理协会、北卡罗来纳州固体废物协会、环境研究与教育基金会。建议的主要目标如下：增加使用生物反应器堆填区来管理废物。与干墓填埋相比，生物反应器填埋是一种更全面的固体废物填埋方法，其中填埋场作为生物系统进行操作，以促进废物分解。干墓填埋场通过剥夺垃圾填埋场中固体废物分解所需的空气系统来抑制废物分解。生物反应器垃圾填埋场有几个优点，包括：(1)更快地沉降和再利用空间来增加水，从而增加收入；(2)增加了甲烷的体积，可以作为“绿色”能源回收。(3)原位渗滤液处理，(4)降低关闭后的维护和监测成本。目前，估计所有垃圾填埋场中有5-10%是作为生物反应器运行的。由于缺乏定量方法来预测垃圾填埋场的性能和经济性，这项技术的广泛采用受到了限制。本建议将发展定量的、实地验证的工程方法，以改善生物反应器填埋场的设计和操作。希望甲烷的回收也是最重要的因素之一。潜在的经济影响在美国，家庭、机构、企业和工业每年产生超过4.82亿吨固体废物，其中约65%被填埋。在可预见的未来，这种对堆填区的依赖预计将继续下去。因此，通过生物反应器填埋等技术改善垃圾填埋场的经济和环境特征，美国从中受益。此外，固体废物工业规模庞大，包括大型公开交易和私人持有的公司，以及公共固体废物主管部门。整个行业的年收入约为400亿美元，每年对美国经济的贡献约为960亿美元。在美国，超过36.7万人直接受雇于固体废物行业，由于乘数效应，该行业最终为经济贡献了近100万个就业岗位。因此，使固体废物管理更经济的研究对美国经济有好处。保守的假设表明，对生物反应器垃圾填埋场的研究，如本研究中提出的，每年可以将超过10亿美元转移到美国经济的其他部门。该项目的智力价值如下。通过降低成本和提高可预测性，研究可以直接促进生物反应器技术改进的三个重点领域是：(1)垃圾填埋场水文学，(2)固体分解，(3)沉降预测。在堆填水文学方面，将进行研究，以了解注入堆填区的渗滤液和其他液体的流动模式和停留时间。这项研究需要制定渗滤液注入的操作指南，并评估可能添加到生物反应器垃圾填埋场的液体废物流的行为。关于固体分解的工作将把关于个别废物成分生物降解的基本资料同住区和空气空间恢复联系起来，并提高国家温室气体清单的准确性。最后，将开发一个与湿度、固体分解和废物沉降相关的预测模型，以提高空域利用的可预测性。S终极度规。在所有领域，基础实验室规模的研究与工业合作伙伴在生物反应器垃圾填埋场进行的模型和现场规模的工作紧密结合。该活动的更广泛影响随之而来。所开发的技术将为美国的经济和环境福祉做出贡献。这一伙伴关系将为固体废物工业提供一批高技能的技术人员。将通过从代表性不足的群体中招收学生来解决多样性问题。NCSU和UW-Madison都参加了NSF？该项目将被用作从代表性不足的群体中招募本科生的渠道。K-12学校的学生将通过教师的演讲了解该项目，向年轻学生介绍就业机会以及环境工程和固体废物管理的重要性。

This award is to North Carolina State University at Raleigh to support the activity described below for 36 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF 05-556).PartnersNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh (NCSU) (lead institution), University of Wisconsin- Madison (UW-M), Waste Management, Inc., Allied Waste Industries, Inc., Republic Services Corporation, Onyx Waste Systems, Inc., Buncombe County, NC, Delaware Solid Waste Authority, Yolo County, CA, Camp Dresser & McKee, CH2Mhill, GeoSyntec Consultants, SCS Engineers, US Environmental Protection Agency, NY Department of Environmental Conservation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, National Solid Waste Management Association, Solid Waste Association of North Carolina, and Environmental Research and Education Foundation.The primary objective of the proposal follows: To increase the use of bioreactor landfills to manage waste. Bioreactor landfills in contrast to dry-tomb landfills are a more holistic approach to landfilling of solid waste in which the landfill is operated as a biological system to enhance waste decomposition. Dry tomb landfills inhibit waste decomposition by robbing the system of air needed for decomposition of the solid waste in the landfill. Bioreactor landfills have several advantages including (1) more rapid settlement and reuse of airspace for addition water and therefore revenue, (2) increased volumes of methane that can be recovered as a ?green? source of domestic energy, (3) in-situ leachate treatment, and (4) reduced post-closure maintenance and monitoring costs. Currently, it is estimated that 5-10% of all landfills are operated as bioreactors. More widespread adoption of the technology is limited by a lack of quantitative methods to predict landfill performance and economics. This proposal will develop quantitative, field-validated engineering methods to improve the design and operation of bioreactor landfills. Hopefully, also the reclamation of the methane which is one of the most important factors. Potential Economic ImpactOver 482 million tons of solid wastes are generated in the US annually from households, institutions, businesses, and industry, with approximately 65% being disposed of in landfills. This reliance on landfills is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Thus, the US benefits by improving the economics and environmental signature of landfills via technologies such as the bioreactor landfill. In addition, the solid waste industry is massive, consisting of large publicly traded and privately held corporations, as well as of public solid waste authorities. Industry-wide revenue is approximately $40 billon annually, and the annual contribution to the US economy is approximately $96 billon. More than 367,000 people are directly employed in the solid waste industry in the US, and ultimately the industry contributes nearly 1 million jobs to the economy due to multiplier effects. Thus, research that makes solid waste management more economical is good for the US economy. Conservative assumptions indicate that research on bioreactor landfills, such as that proposed in this study, could transfer more than $1 billion annually into other sectors of the US economy.The intellectual merit of the project follows. Three thrust areas have been identified where research can directly contribute to improvements in bioreactor technology by reducing cost and increasing predictability: (1) landfill hydrology, (2) solids decomposition, and (3) settlement prediction. In landfill hydrology, research will be conducted to understand flow patterns and residence times for leachate and other liquids injected into landfills. This research is needed to develop operational guidelines for leachate injection and to evaluate the behavior of liquid waste streams that may be added to bioreactor landfills. Work on solids decomposition will relate fundamental information on the biodegradation of individual waste components to settlement and airspace recovery, as well as improve the accuracy of national greenhouse gas inventories. Finally, a predictive model will be developed that relates moisture, solids decomposition, and waste settlement that will improve the predictability of airspace utilization, the industry?s ultimate metric. In all areas, fundamental laboratory-scale studies are tightly coupled to models and field-scale work at bioreactor landfills operated by industrial partners.The broader impacts of the activity follow. The technology developed will contribute to both the economic and environmental wellbeing of the US. The partnership will provide a pipeline of highly skilled technical personnel to the solid waste industry. Diversity will be addressed by recruiting students from under-represented groups. Both NCSU and UW-Madison participate in NSF?s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program, which will be used as a source to recruit undergraduate students from under-represented groups. Students at K-12 schools will be informed of the project via presentations by faculty to inform young students about career opportunities and the importance of environmental engineering and solid waste management.