Effect of saline water and sludge addition on biodegradation of municipal solid waste in bioreactor landfills.

Bioreactor landfills require sufficient moisture to optimize the biodegradation processes and methane generation. In arid regions, this is problematic given the lack of fresh water supplies. Saline water can be used but may inhibit the biodegradation of the municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills.

Waste settlement in bioreactor landfill models.

Prediction of landfill settlement is one of the important parameters that affects the design and maintenance of bioreactor landfills. Due to the large number of variables involved in the settlement mechanism, accurate prediction of landfill settlement is a real challenge. The operational protocol of a landfill, the presence of municipal sludge from treatment plants, the addition of soybean peroxidase (SBP) enzymes, and the fraction of organic matter in the municipal solid waste (MSW) have to be reflected in the parameters of any model used to predict the settlement of MSW.

A comparison of acute toxicity of biodiesel, biodiesel blends, and diesel on aquatic organisms.

The increased demand of alternative energy sources has created interest in biodiesel and biodiesel blends; biodiesel is promoted as a diesel substitute that is safer, produces less harmful combustion emissions, and biodegrades more easily. Like diesel spills, biodiesel can have deleterious effects on the aquatic environments. The effect of neat biodiesel, biodiesel blends, and diesel on Oncorhynchus mykiss and Daphnia magna was evaluated using acute toxicity testing.