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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. EPA Technology Innovation and Field Services Division

Bioreactor Landfills

Guidance

Adobe PDF LogoBioreactor Landfill Operation: A Guide for Development, Implementation, and Monitoring
T.G. Townsend, D. Kumar, and J.H. Ko.
Hinkley Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, 46 pp, 2008

Adobe PDF LogoCharacterization, Design, Construction, and Monitoring of Bioreactor Landfills
Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, Alternative Landfill Technologies Team, 2005.

First-Order Kinetic Gas Generation Model Parameters for Wet Landfills
D.R. Reinhart, A.A. Faour, H. You, et al.
EPA 600-R-05-072, NTIS: PB2006-100879, 72 pp, 2005

The objective of this report is to investigate landfill gas collection from wet cells and estimate first-order gas-generation model parameters. The report contains the results of a review of the literature regarding landfill gas generation and modeling, followed by case studies of gas collection from wet landfills and determination of parameters through statistical comparison of predicted and actual gas collection.

Landfill Bioreactor Design and Operation
Reinhart, Debra R. and Timothy G. Townsend.
Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. ISBN: 1566702593, 189 pp, 1998.

This manual describes the advantages of bioreactor technology-accelerated waste stabilization rates, enhanced gas production, facilitated leachate management, volume reduction, and minimized long-term liability. It brings together information that will help creators of future bioreactor systems benefit from the lessons gained from previous work. Case studies describe design and operation issues and address the potential of landfill mining as a method to recover treated waste materials and to reuse bioreactor cells. Drawings, tables, and references aid the reader in making difficult decisions about waste management. This first-of-its-kind book provides regulators, designers, landfill owners, and operators with information that supports the utility of landfill bioreactors and provides design and operating criteria essential for the successful application of this technology. It pulls together laboratory, pilot, and full-scale experiences into one concise guide to designing and running municipal landfills as bioreactors. The authors covers the history and background of landfill technology, research studies of actual bioreactor landfills, expected leachate and gas yields, specific design criteria, operation guidelines, and reuse of landfill sites to avoid having to establish new sites.

Monitoring Approaches for Landfill Bioreactors
Tolaymat, Thabet, Fran Kremer, David Carson, and Wendy Davis-Hoover.
Report No: EPA 600-R-04-301, 23 pp, Dec 2004

To provide a basis for consistent data collection for future decision-making in support of RD&D requirements, this report outlines an approach for bioreactor landfill monitoring. The document suggests technical guidance only, and is not intended to be used for regulatory purposes.

Adobe PDF LogoSeminar Publication: Landfill Bioreactor Design and Operation, March 23-24, 1995, Wilmington, Delaware
U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory.
Report No: EPA 600-R-95-146; NTIS: PB96-156567, 240 pp, 1995

These proceedings are from a conference on the subject of municipal waste landfill (MSWLF) bioreactors. Biologically active landfill operation represents a fundamentally different operational technique for MSWLFs because it uses the distribution of moisture in the form of landfill leachate to accelerate naturally occuring decomposition process to rapidly stabilize the waste mass. The technique also has the benefits of enhanced control of landfill gas, optimization of landfill volume, and, most importantly, the reduction of long-term environmental risk. The seminar was held to determine the level of knowledge about this operational technique.

Solid Waste Disposal Facility Criteria. 40 CFR Parts 257 and 258
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Solid Waste Manager's Guide to the Bioreactor Landfill: 2009 Update
O'Brien, J., Solid Waste Association of North America, Paper and slides, 2010

The following resources—a slide presentation and a journal article—describe developments in bioreactor landfill technology since 2003 and their effect on recommended management practices. SlidesAdobe PDF Logo; MSW Management, May 2010

State of the Practice for Bioreactor Landfills: Workshop on Bioreactor Landfills (Arlington, Virginia September 6-7, 2000)
Science Applications International Corporation, Reston, VA.
Report No: EPA 625-R-01-012, 124 pp, Jan 2002

The purpose of the EPA Workshop on Landfill Bioreactors was to provide a forum to EPA, state and local governments, solid waste industry, and academic research representatives to exchange information and ideas on bioreactor landfills. The workshop addressed the state of the practice of bioreactor landfill design, operation, and maintenance; case studies of bioreactor landfill use; long-term monitoring needs; technical concerns; economic viability; and additional research needs.

Adobe PDF LogoState-of-the-Practices and Implementation Recommendations for Non-Hazardous Waste Management Using Bioreactor Landfills
T. Chassagnac, et al.
French Federation of Waste Management Services and French Environment and Energy Management Agency, 47 pp, 2007