The application of LDAT to the HPM2 challenge

Abstract

The challenge laid down to landfill modellers at the 4th
Intercontinental Landfill Research Seminar in June 2006
was to see to what extent modellers could predict
experimental results from a closely monitored anaerobic
degradation laboratory experiment when given only the
initial conditions. This paper presents results from the
University of Southampton landfill degradation and
transport (LDAT) model. The LDAT model uses chemical
pathways for degradation of carbohydrates, fats and
protein. When waste solids are described using the
descriptors food, green waste, paper and textiles, LDAT
converts these into carbohydrates, fats and protein. LDAT
also accommodates pathways that proceed at different
rates. The stoichiometric equations on which the LDAT
degradation chemistry is currently based are used
independently of LDAT to predict the gas yield that might
be expected from the data that have been derived for the
carbohydrate, protein and fat components. The more
difficult question of estimating the timescale over which
the gas emerges is also addressed. The paper gives details
of the bacteria population growth rates, half-saturation
constants, yield coefficients and initial bacteria masses
used to obtain the reaction rates for the degradation
pathways. LDAT tracks the depth of the sample which
reduces with time in response to the degradation of the
solids. These results are given and compared with the
settlement implied by the gas yield calculations.

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