Characterization of Florida, U.S. landfills with elevated temperatures

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Waste Management Science
• Geotechnical Engineering

Background:

• Elevated temperatures (ETs) in landfills pose detection and correction challenges for operators.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the causes and prevalence of landfills operating under elevated temperature conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify Florida landfills impacted by elevated temperatures (ETs).
• To understand factors contributing to landfills becoming elevated temperature landfills (ETLFs).

Main Methods:

• Collected historical landfill gas wellhead data, waste deposition reports, and site geometry for 27 landfill cells.
• Analyzed landfill gas temperatures, methane, carbon dioxide, and balance gas content.
• Utilized ArcGIS for spatial analysis of ETs and their distribution over time.

Main Results:

• 74% of studied landfill cells exhibited elevated temperature readings (exceeding the 55°C regulatory limit).
• 37% of cells contained municipal solid waste (MSW) ash, with 90% of these identified as ETLFs.
• ETLF cells were, on average, double the site area and 6m deeper than non-ETLF cells.

Conclusions:

• Municipal solid waste (MSW) ash is a significant factor in elevated landfill temperatures.
• Landfill cell size and depth correlate with elevated temperature conditions.
• Heat propagation is generally limited but can occur if landfill gas wells are inactive.