Numerical simulation of landfill gas pressure distribution in landfills

Landfill gas emissions are recognized as one of the three major concerns in municipal solid waste landfills. There are many factors that affect the generation of landfill gas when the landfill is capped. In this article, a model has been developed based on the theory of porous media flow. The model could predict the pressure distribution of landfill gas in landfill, coupling the effect of landfill settlement. According to the simulation analysis of landfill, it was found that: (a) the landfill gas pressure would reach a peak after 1.5 years, then begin to decline, and the rate of decay would slow down after 10 years; (b) the influence radius of the gas wells is limited; (c) the peak value of landfill gas pressure is larger, it appears later and the rate of decay is slower when the landfill settlement is considered in the model; (d) the calculation of excess gas pressure in landfill under different negative pressures of the extraction well is compared between this model and another model, and the results show that the relative pressure distribution form and range are almost the same.