Bioreactor landfill
Landfills are the primary method of waste disposal in many parts of the world, including United States and Canada. Bioreactor landfills are expected to reduce the amount of and costs associated with management of leachate, to increase the rate of production of methane (natural gas) for commercial purposes and reduce the amount of land required for land-fills. Bioreactor landfills are monitored and manipulate oxygen and moisture levels to increase the rate of decomposition by microbial activity.
Landfills are the oldest known method of waste disposal. Waste is buried in large dug out pits (unless naturally occurring locations are available) and covered. Bacteria and archaea decompose the waste over several decades producing several by-products of importance, including methane gas (natural gas), leachate, and volatile organic compounds (such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), N2O2, etc.).
Methane gas, a strong greenhouse gas, can build up inside the landfill leading to an explosion unless released from the cell. Leachate are fluid metabolic products from decomposition and contain various types of toxins and dissolved metallic ions. If leachate escapes into the ground water it can cause health problems in both animals and plants. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are associated with causing smog and acid rain. With the increasing amount of waste produced, appropriate places to safely store it have become difficult to find.
There are three types of bioreactor: aerobic, and a hybrid (using both aerobic and anaerobic method). All three mechanisms involve the reintroduction of collected leachate supplemented with water to maintain moisture levels in the landfill. The micro-organisms responsible for decomposition are thus stimulated to decompose at an increased rate with an attempt to minimise harmful emissions.
In aerobic bioreactors air is pumped into the landfill using either vertical or horizontal system of pipes. The aerobic environment decomposition is accelerated and amount of VOCs, toxicity of leachate and methane are minimised. In anaerobic bioreactors with leachate being circulated the landfill produces methane at a rate much faster and earlier than traditional landfills. The high concentration and quantity of methane allows it to be used more efficiently for commercial purposes while reducing the time that the landfill needs to be monitored for methane production. Hybrid bioreactors subject the upper portions of the landfill through aerobic-anaerobic cycles to increase decomposition rate while methane is produced by the lower portions of the landfill. Bioreactor landfills produce lower quantities of VOCs than traditional landfills, except H2S. Bioreactor landfills produce higher quantities of H2S. The exact biochemical pathway responsible for this increase is not well studied
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