Design Charts for Selecting Minimum Setback Distance from Side Slope to Horizontal Trench System in Bioreactor Landfills

Abstract The primary objective of bioreactor landfill is to achieve adequate and rapid distribution of moisture in landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW) to accelerate the anaerobic biodegradation of the organic fraction within MSW. A horizontal trench system (HT) is commonly adopted for leachate distribution in MSW under pressurized conditions. However, this approach should be implemented carefully due to the potential instability of landfill slopes that comes from the generation and distribution of excessive pore fluid pressures. In this study, HT design charts are presented that determine the optimal location of horizontal trench systems from the side slope (i.e., minimum lateral setback distance) under continuous leachate addition with maximum applied injection pressures, for which the landfill slopes remain stable [factor of safety (FOS) where FOS ≥ 1.5]. Use of any higher injection pressure and/or shorter lateral setback distance of HT than the one presented in the design charts would result in an unacceptable design of the bioreactor side slope (FOS < 1.5). The design chart was developed based on a parametric study that used a numerical two-phase flow model that involved different slope configurations and landfill waste depths. MSW heterogeneity and anisotropy, as well as unsaturated hydraulic properties, were taken into consideration in these simulations. Transient changes in pore water and gas pressures due to leachate recirculation were accounted for dually in the slope stability computations. The importance of these design charts is illustrated using a practical example. Site-specific conditions and the expertise and prior experience of a designer or operator must also be adequately considered and utilized with the design charts presented here for the safe design of a horizontal trench system in a bioreactor landfill.