Measurement of fluorotelomer alcohols based on solid phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and its application in solid waste study.

This work developed a method based on solid phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) for the measurement of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) in gas samples. The method quantification limit (MQL) is 6-7 ng/L for 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohols (6:2 FTOH) and 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohols (8:2 FTOH). In contrast to common methods such as thermal desorption combined with GC-MS, it needs neither pre-concentration equipment nor large sample volume.

Estimation of total landfill surface methane emissions using geospatial approach combined with measured surface ambient air methane concentrations.

The concentration of surface air methane (CH) measured in parts per million by volume (ppmv) near the soil/atmosphere interface should, in theory, have a positive correlation with surface methane emissions fluxes, measured in grams per square meter per day (gmd). Some researchers suggest that CH flux can be reasonably inferred from simple measurements of CH concentrations near the landfill surface. Ground-based and drone-based surface emissions monitoring (SEMs) were performed at several municipal solid waste landfills as tracer correlation method (TCM) testing was being used to measure total methane emissions from the same landfills.

Degradation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in landfill leachate by a thin-water-film nonthermal plasma reactor.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are present in landfill leachate, posing potential challenges to leachate disposal and treatment. This work represents the first study of a thin-water-film nonthermal plasma reactor for PFAS degradation in landfill leachate. Of the 30 PFAS measured in three raw leachates, 21 were above the detection limits.

Effect of incineration ash leachates on the hydraulic conductivity of bentonite-polymer composite geosynthetic clay liners.

A study was conducted to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity (k) of six bentonite-polymer composite (BPC) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) using five synthetic municipal solid waste incineration ash (IA) leachates with ionic strength (I) ranging from 174 to1978 mM. The BPC GCLs contained a dry blend of bentonite and proprietary polymers and had polymer loading ranging from 0.5 to 5.

Comparing estimates of fugitive landfill methane emissions using inverse plume modeling obtained with Surface Emission Monitoring (SEM), Drone Emission Monitoring (DEM), and Downwind Plume Emission Monitoring (DWPEM).

As part of the global effort to quantify and manage anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, there is considerable interest in quantifying methane emissions in municipal solid waste landfills. A variety of analytical and experimental methods are currently in use for this task. In this paper, an optimization-based estimation method is employed to assess fugitive landfill methane emissions.

Stable isotopic determination of methane oxidation: When smaller scales are better.

Stable isotope measurements are an effective tool for evaluating methane (CH) consumption in landfill soils. However, determining the extent of CH oxidation in soils using this approach can be inherently biased, depending on characteristics of the study site and the sampling strategy that is employed. In this study, we establish the unusual case that sampling at smaller scales captures a better representation of the degree of oxidation occurring in landfill cover soils.

Modeling methane oxidation in landfill cover soils as indicator of functional stability with respect to gas management.

A performance-based method for evaluating methane (CH) oxidation as the best available control technology (BACT) for passive management of landfill gas (LFG) was applied at a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill in central Washington, USA, to predict when conditions for functional stability with respect to LFG management would be expected. The permitted final cover design at the subject landfill is an all-soil evapotranspirative (ET) cover system. Using a model, a correlation between CH loading flux and oxidation was developed for the specific ET cover design.

Estimation of fugitive landfill methane emissions using surface emission monitoring and Genetic Algorithms optimization.

As municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills can generate significant amounts of methane, there is considerable interest in quantifying fugitive methane emissions at such facilities. A variety of methods exist for the estimation of methane emissions from landfills. These methods are either based on analytical emission models or on measurements.

Modeling the effects of vegetation on methane oxidation and emissions through soil landfill final covers across different climates.

Plant roots are reported to enhance the aeration of soil by creating secondary macropores which improve the diffusion of oxygen into soil as well as the supply of methane to bacteria. Therefore, methane oxidation can be improved considerably by the soil structuring processes of vegetation, along with the increase of organic biomass in the soil associated with plant roots. This study consisted of using a numerical model that combines flow of water and heat with gas transport and oxidation in soils, to simulate methane emission and oxidation through simulated vegetated and non-vegetated landfill covers under different climatic conditions.

Soil contamination by heavy metals in landfills: measurements from an unlined leachate storage basin.

Landfills are sources of groundwater and soil pollution due to the production of leachate and its migration through refuse. This study was conducted in order to determine the extent of soil pollution within and around the Jebel Chakir landfill, located in the Tunis City, Tunisia. The main objective was to characterize soil samples of an unlined storage basin in relation to heavy metal concentrations in the Jebel Chakir landfill to the southwest of Tunis, Northern Tunisia.

Liquid balance monitoring inside conventional, Retrofit, and bio-reactor landfill cells.

The Outer Loop landfill bioreactor (OLLB) in Louisville, KY, USA has been the site of a study to evaluate long-term bioreactor performance at a full-scale operational landfill. Three types of landfill units were studied including a conventional landfill (Control cell), a new landfill area that had an air addition and recirculation piping network installed as waste was being placed (As-Built cell), and a conventional landfill that was modified to allow for liquids recirculation (Retrofit cell). During the monitoring period, the Retrofit, Control, and As-Built cells received 48, 14, and 213LMg(-1) (liters of liquids per metric ton of waste), respectively.

The Outer Loop bioreactor: a case study of settlement monitoring and solids decomposition.

The Outer Loop landfill bioreactor (OLLB) located in Louisville, KY, USA has been in operation since 2000 and represents an opportunity to evaluate long-term bioreactor monitoring data at a full-scale operational landfill. Three types of landfill units were studied including a Control cell, a new landfill area that had a piping network installed as waste was being placed to support leachate recirculation (As-Built cell), and a conventional landfill that was modified to allow for liquid recirculation (Retrofit cell). The objective of this study is to summarize the results of settlement data and assess how these data relate to solids decomposition monitoring at the OLLB.

A new approach to characterize emission contributions from area sources during optical remote sensing technique testing.

Unlabelled: In the method termed "Other Test Method-10," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a method to quantify emissions from nonpoint sources by the use of vertical radial plume mapping (VRPM) technique.

Assessing the performance of a cold region evapotranspiration landfill cover using lysimetry and electrical resistivity tomography.

In order to test the efficacy ofa cold-region evapotranspiration (ET) landfill cover against a conventional compacted clay (CCL) landfill cover, two pilot scale covers were constructed in side-by-side basin lysimeters (20m x 10m x 2m) at a site in Anchorage, Alaska. The primary basis of comparison between the two lysimeters was the percolation of moisture from the bottom of each lysimeter. Between 30 April 2005 and 16 May 2006, 51.

Field performance of alternative landfill covers vegetated with cottonwood and eucalyptus trees.

A field study was conducted to assess the ability of landfill covers to control percolation into the waste. Performance of one conventional cover was compared to that of two evapotranspiration (ET) tree covers, using large (7 x 14 m) lined lysimeters at the Leon County Solid Waste management facility in Tallahassee, Florida. Additional unlined test sections were also constructed and monitored in order to compare soil water storage, soil temperature, and tree growth inside lysimeters and in unlined test sections.

Methane emissions from 20 landfills across the United States using vertical radial plume mapping.

Landfill fugitive methane emissions were quantified as a function of climate type and cover type at 20 landfills using US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Other Test Method (OTM)-10 vertical radial plume mapping (VRPM) with tunable diode lasers (TDLs). The VRPM data were initially collected as g CH4/sec emission rates and subsequently converted to g CH4/m2/ day rates using two recently published approaches.

Scaling methane oxidation: from laboratory incubation experiments to landfill cover field conditions.

Evaluating field-scale methane oxidation in landfill cover soils using numerical models is gaining interest in the solid waste industry as research has made it clear that methane oxidation in the field is a complex function of climatic conditions, soil type, cover design, and incoming flux of landfill gas from the waste mass. Numerical models can account for these parameters as they change with time and space under field conditions. In this study, we developed temperature, and water content correction factors for methane oxidation parameters.

Landfill methane oxidation across climate types in the U.S.

Methane oxidation in landfill covers was determined by stable isotope analyses over 37 seasonal sampling events at 20 landfills with intermediate covers over four years. Values were calculated two ways: by assuming no isotopic fractionation during gas transport, which produces a conservative or minimum estimate, and by assuming limited isotopic fractionation with gas transport producing a higher estimate. Thus bracketed, the best assessment of mean oxidation within the soil covers from chamber captured emitted CH(4) was 37.

Reporting central tendencies of chamber measured surface emission and oxidation.

Methane emissions, concentrations, and oxidation were measured on eleven MSW landfills in eleven states spanning from California to Pennsylvania during the three year study. The flux measurements were performed using a static chamber technique. Initial concentration samples were collected immediately after placement of the flux chamber.

Observations on the methane oxidation capacity of landfill soils.

The objective of this study was to determine the role of CH(4) loading to a landfill cover in the control of CH(4) oxidation rate (gCH(4)m(-2)d(-1)) and CH(4) oxidation efficiency (% CH(4) oxidation) in a field setting. Specifically, we wanted to assess how much CH(4) a cover soil could handle. To achieve this objective we conducted synoptic measurements of landfill CH(4) emission and CH(4) oxidation in a single season at two Southeastern USA landfills.

Uncertainties associated with the use of optical remote sensing technique to estimate surface emissions in landfill applications.

Landfills represent a source of distributed emissions source over an irregular and heterogeneous surface. In the method termed "Other Test Method-10" (OTM-10), the U.S.

Effectiveness of a Florida landfill biocover for reduction of CH4 and NMHC emissions.

Methane-oxidizing "biocovers" were constructed at the Leon County Landfill (Florida). The primary goal was to determine if a biocover placed above the existing thin (15 cm) intermediate clay cover would be capable of mitigating CH(4) and nonmethane hydrocarbon (NMHC) emissions to the atmosphere in this subtropical environment. A secondary goal was to maximize the use of locally recycled materials for biocover construction.

Effects of compost biocovers on gas flow and methane oxidation in a landfill cover.

Previous publications described the performance of biocovers constructed with a compost layer placed on select areas of a landfill surface characterized by high emissions from March 2004 to April 2005. The biocovers reduced CH(4) emissions 10-fold by hydration of underlying clay soils, thus reducing the overall amount of CH(4) entering them from below, and by oxidation of a greater portion of that CH(4). This paper examines in detail the field observations made on a control cell and a biocover cell from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005.

Effect of temperature and oxidation rate on carbon-isotope fractionation during methane oxidation by landfill cover materials.

The quantification of methane oxidation is one of the major uncertainties in estimating CH4 emissions from landfills. Stable isotope methods provide a useful field approach for the quantification of methane oxidation in landfill cover soils. The approach relies upon the difference between the isotopic composition of oxidized gas at the location of interest and anaerobic zone CH4 and knowledge of alpha(ox), a term that describes the isotopic fractionation of the methanotrophic bacteria in their discrimination against (13)CH4.