Reclamation of solid waste landfills: methods and technologies

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The problem of waste today is one of the most important not only in Russia, but throughout the world. In developed countries, separate waste collection is carried out, which facilitates the process of its further processing or disposal. However, most of the waste to this day is taken to landfills, many of which do not meet sanitary and hygienic standards. There are even those that are created spontaneously, without observing the rules and regulations. They have the most dangerous impact on the environment.

Why reclamation is needed

The best solution to the problem of waste is the construction of waste processing plants. There are such enterprises in Russia, but they are very few. New factories are currently being built in different parts of the country. But what to do with the old landfills, where garbage has been dumped for several decades? Residential buildings have already crept close to many of them, because cities are growing and expanding. The solution to the problem isrecultivation of landfills, which allows minimizing their negative impact on nearby areas.

Dumps in Russia

Many landfills in Russia were formed "spontaneously" in abandoned quarries and pits, and no environmental protection measures were taken there at all. According to the documentation, there are about 11 thousand landfills in the country, but these are only those that are officially considered as such. Many large waste disposal sites are located near large cities. One of the brightest examples is the waste landfill "Salaryevo" in Moscow, not far from which a large housing complex is being built. The developer claims that the residential complex area will have a good environment due to the landfill reclamation. This process includes a number of measures for the ecological and economic restoration of contaminated sites. After that, the landfill will not have a negative impact on nearby areas.

Landfill reclamation methods

Biological reclamation involves a set of measures to strengthen the body of the landfill and plant various plants on it. However, this method is not effective without the technical stage of landfill reclamation, the main task of which is to prevent the formation of leachate, which appears when moisture enters the landfill body. A screen is created above the waste, protecting it from atmospheric precipitation and avoiding the appearance of an unpleasant odor. The landfill becomes completely isolated from the environmentenvironment. Along the perimeter of the landfill, it is necessary to lay a drainage system into which the remaining leachate will fall.

Methods of reclamation

If the landfill is small, then there are two ways to reclaim it:

• contents are recovered and transported to another location for disposal;
• contents are removed in place.

If a large landfill needs to be reclaimed, there is only one option - fixing the pollutants in situ. The slopes of the landfill are reliably reinforced with reinforced concrete structures, protective screens are created to protect the body of the landfill from moisture ingress, and a degassing system is organized. The technical stage is followed by the biological stage, as a result of which plants, shrubs and trees are planted on the site of the former landfill. One of the popular options for the subsequent use of the territory is the creation of a forest park. In addition, sports facilities are being created on such sites, for example, ski slopes or parks for extreme sports.

Reclamation of solid waste landfills minimizes harm to the environment and the he alth of people living near the landfill.

Stages of reclamation

In general, the following stages can be distinguished:

• design;
• creating an estimate for the reclamation of a landfill for MSW (municipal solid waste);
• flattening and strengthening the slopes of the landfill body;
• creating groundwater leachate protection;
• construction of protectivescreen;
• creation of a drainage system for the accumulation of leachate;
• organization of a degassing system;
• creation of reclamation cover of the landfill body;
• preparing the soil;
• sowing seeds, landscaping.

Degassing

Every landfill closes sooner or later. Most often this happens when there is no more room for waste. It is quite natural that these lands cannot be left in such a state, therefore they are subject to reclamation. Due to the fermentation of organic waste, landfill gas is formed in the body of the landfill. In addition, there is a large amount of steam. The gas and steam together form a mixture that is harmful to the environment and can also cause odors. The release of landfill gas leads to fires and explosions inside the body of the landfill. To avoid all this, gas exhaust systems are being built. Through them, the gas enters the storage chambers, where it is cleaned of harmful impurities, after which it is burned or used as fuel. Thus, the degassing of the landfill body is carried out.

Waste recycling plants

There are about 240 waste recycling plants in Russia, but this number is clearly not enough for such a huge country. Such plants are complexes of technical devices that make it possible to unload existing landfills and benefit from this by processing waste into new products. The problem of the need for waste processing enterprises is very acute in our country, sohow the number of landfills is growing every day.

How does a recycling plant work

Modern waste recycling plant:

• garbage sorting;
• recycling of each type of secondary raw materials, production of resources for the manufacture of new products;
• destruction of waste that is unsuitable for recycling.

A wide variety of products are made from recycled waste: toilet paper, building materials, household items (buckets, basins, containers) and much more.

For a country with a lot of waste, recycling plants are the only optimal solution.

Conclusion

The reclamation of abandoned landfills is a completely normal trend that allows improving the ecological situation and obtaining raw materials for heating people living nearby. All over the world, this process is treated with loy alty, but for Russia this phenomenon is quite new. Many believe that living near landfills, even those that have undergone recultivation, is very dangerous. Residents of areas located near landfills complain of terrible smells, headaches, and malaise. Perhaps these are just prejudices, because modern methods of reclamation allow minimizing the impact of landfills on the environment and public he alth.

The problem of garbage is currently very relevant for our country, so it is important to work with residents, to explainwhy you can not throw away batteries, mercury thermometers with other waste. But the main hope is placed on waste processing plants in Russia, which should appear in the coming years. The work will use Japanese technology, which will make them very effective. Hopefully, this will help solve the problem of environmental pollution.