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Mechanisms of clogging in granular drainage systems permeated with low organic strength leachate

Mechanisms of clogging in granular drainage systems permeated with low organic strength leachate
Mechanisms of clogging in granular drainage systems permeated with low organic strength leachate
Leachate drains in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are susceptible to biological and (or) chemical clogging. This paper describes clogging of drainage aggregates permeated with leachates representative of those from landfills containing wastes with a low organic content — such as low-level radioactive waste repositories — which may occur as a result of microbiological activity causing formation of bacterial biofilms (microbiological clogging) and precipitation of low-solubility inorganic salts (chemical clogging). The balance between these depends on the leachate composition. Biological deposits appeared to reach a pseudo steady state, proportional to the nutrient loading, for the range of conditions investigated and as such can be considered to be self-limiting and the clog material reasonably permeable. Harder inorganic deposits of calcium carbonate occurred if the Ca2+ concentration in the leachate exceeded the local solubility limit under the prevailing conditions, i.e., partial pressures of CO2 between 3.7 and 6 kPa and pH of 6.7–6.8. CaCO3 clog was observed to bind the granular aggregates together and be effectively impermeable, and was, unlike a pure microbial clog, observed not to be self-limiting. Hard CaCO3 clog could be reduced by not co-disposing wastes that are high in calcium with wastes having a high organic content, and generally keeping the Ca2+ concentration in the leachate low.
biological and chemical clogging, landfill drainage systems, low organic strength leachate, anaerobic biofilms, laboratory studies
0008-3674
632-649
Nikolova-Kuscu, R.
dabcf734-40a1-4537-82a4-e8836a0faa05
Powrie, W.
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Smallman, D.J.
b619a7d9-6214-407f-9e95-67b0c4bc7278
Nikolova-Kuscu, R.
dabcf734-40a1-4537-82a4-e8836a0faa05
Powrie, W.
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Smallman, D.J.
b619a7d9-6214-407f-9e95-67b0c4bc7278

Nikolova-Kuscu, R., Powrie, W. and Smallman, D.J. (2013) Mechanisms of clogging in granular drainage systems permeated with low organic strength leachate. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 50 (6), 632-649. (doi:10.1139/cgj-2012-0146).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Leachate drains in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are susceptible to biological and (or) chemical clogging. This paper describes clogging of drainage aggregates permeated with leachates representative of those from landfills containing wastes with a low organic content — such as low-level radioactive waste repositories — which may occur as a result of microbiological activity causing formation of bacterial biofilms (microbiological clogging) and precipitation of low-solubility inorganic salts (chemical clogging). The balance between these depends on the leachate composition. Biological deposits appeared to reach a pseudo steady state, proportional to the nutrient loading, for the range of conditions investigated and as such can be considered to be self-limiting and the clog material reasonably permeable. Harder inorganic deposits of calcium carbonate occurred if the Ca2+ concentration in the leachate exceeded the local solubility limit under the prevailing conditions, i.e., partial pressures of CO2 between 3.7 and 6 kPa and pH of 6.7–6.8. CaCO3 clog was observed to bind the granular aggregates together and be effectively impermeable, and was, unlike a pure microbial clog, observed not to be self-limiting. Hard CaCO3 clog could be reduced by not co-disposing wastes that are high in calcium with wastes having a high organic content, and generally keeping the Ca2+ concentration in the leachate low.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 8 April 2013
Published date: June 2013
Keywords: biological and chemical clogging, landfill drainage systems, low organic strength leachate, anaerobic biofilms, laboratory studies
Organisations: Infrastructure Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 359537
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/359537
ISSN: 0008-3674
PURE UUID: 537c6d4f-d1a8-4cbe-a582-e5b3053763c3
ORCID for W. Powrie: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2271-0826

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Date deposited: 06 Nov 2013 13:09
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:48

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Contributors

Author: R. Nikolova-Kuscu
Author: W. Powrie ORCID iD
Author: D.J. Smallman

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