The effect of waste degradation on landfill gas production in field-scale of bioreactor landfill

A field-scale test of a bioreactor landfill was conducted at the Sudokwon landfill, Korea, to evaluate the impact of waste degradation on landfill gas (LFG) production. Landfilled waste samples were collected from two leachate recirculation zones (3C, 4C) and one reference zone (3D) without leachate recirculation. Analyses conducted included proximate analysis, chemical composition, and assessment based on Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratio and Cellulose/Lignin (Ce/L) ratio. Moisture content in the recirculation zones of 3C and 4C reached approximately 38.29% and 39.74% respectively after leachate recirculation, whereas the reference zone of 3D without leachate recirculation displayed a lower moisture content ranging between 26 and 29%. Over a 12-month monitoring period, LFG production showed a continuous increase in the recirculation zone, while the reference zone was almost unchanged. And the first order reaction could be applied to waste degradation with respect to C/N ratio and Ce/L ratio. The reaction rate constant for Ce/L ratio was much higher than that of C/N ratio because cellulose could be decomposable rapidly. A linear relationship between LFG production and waste degradation in the bioreactor landfill was established by estimating the effect of C/N ratio and Ce/L ratio to LFG production.