Leachate generation reduction: Assessment of final cover layouts using lysimeters

废物管理公司（WM）在加拿大经营着几个垃圾填埋场，渗滤液的产生在一些老场地非常重要，特别是在那些按照现已过时的魁北克垃圾填埋法规加盖的单元中。后者不需要最后的覆盖物来形成对水通过覆盖物渗透的阻抗，从而减少沥滤液的产生。渗滤液的收集和处理成本很高，其存在可能会干扰废物分解并堵塞沼气威尔斯筛。该项目的中心主题是减少渗滤液的产生。这通常通过适当的封面设计来实现。但是，与设计和材料无关，设计的有效性必须通过适当测量一段时间内的渗流来评估。在这个项目中，我们将测试蒸渗仪的可靠性，以评估在外地的渗透。这对于评估任何最终封面设计的有效性的工作具有可信度至关重要。就设计和材料而言，我们将评估作为覆盖系统一部分的污染土壤的行为及其对周围环境的影响。我们的目标是为废物的有益再利用开辟新的途径，这对废物管理和整个垃圾填埋行业都具有战略意义。除了在这一重要的土木工程领域培养高素质的人才外，与WM的合作伙伴关系还将带来重要的实用、经济和科学成果，包括：显著降低渗滤液处理成本，开发新的最终覆盖物战略，以及记录大型蒸渗仪和通过最终覆盖物的非饱和流。

Waste Management (WM) operates several landfills in Canada and leachate generation is quite important in some old sites, particularly in cells that were capped following the now-outdated Quebec's landfill regulation. The latter did not require final covers to create an impedance to seepage of water through the cover, thereby reducing leachate generation. Leachate is expensive to collect and treat, and its presence may disturb waste decomposition and clog biogas wells screens. The central theme of this project is leachate generation reduction. This is usually achieved by appropriate cover design. But, irrelevant of design and materials, effectiveness of the design has to be assessed by proper measurement of seepage over time. In this project, we will test the reliability of lysimeters to assess infiltration in the field. This is fundamental to give credibility to the exercise of assessing the effectiveness of any final cover design. As far as design and materials are concerned, we will evaluate the behaviour of contaminated soils as part of cover systems and their impact on the surrounding environment. The goal is to open new avenues for their beneficial reuse, which is strategic for WM and to the landfilling industry at large. In addition to the formation of highly qualified personnel in this important area of civil engineering, there are important practical, economical and scientific outcomes to expect from this partnership with WM, including: significant reduction in leachate treatment costs, development of new final cover strategies, and documentation of large-scale lysimeters and of unsaturated flow through final covers.**