Aerobic Bioreactors

Injecting air and moisture into a landfill converts it to an aerobic bioreactor and hastens municipal solid waste degradation and land reutilization. Safe and successful implementation of this innovative process requires controlling temperature by appropriate control of injected and evolved gases and liquids. With more than 10 years of in-situ pneumatic experience, Hydro Geo Chem, is eminently qualified to provide these services. Now working on the conceptual design of a full-scale aerobic bioreactor landfill, we have prepared a 3-dimensional aerobic-biodegradation, flow, and transport model of a southwestern U.S. landfill and simulated the effects of air and water injection on the landfill's production of gas and heat. We are now starting our field program and will be calibrating this model against measurements of gas flow, moisture, and temperature. Moisture content monitoring to determine liquid movement and utilization in the landfill is critical to preventing leachate formation.

Hydro Geo Chem, Inc., 51 W. Wetmore Road, Tucson, AZ 85705. Tel: 520-293-1500; Fax: 520-293-1550.