Abstract
Three different laboratory bioreactors, each duplicated, with dimensions 0.5 × 0.5 × 1 m were set up and monitored for 160 days. Municipal Solid Wastes with an organic content of ~80 % and a density of 550 kg/m3 were placed in bioreactors. Fresh leachate collected from waste collection vehicles was used with a recirculation rate of 28 L/day. Aerobic bioreactors were aerated at a rate of 0.15–0.24 L/min/kg of waste. Almost the same level of treatment was observed in terms of chemical oxygen demand reduction of leachate, which was in the range of 91–93 %. However, for anaerobic bioreactor, it took almost twice the time, 160 vs. 76 days, to reach the same level of treatment and stabilization. The behavior of semi-aerobic bioreactor was somewhere between the aerobic and anaerobic ones. Total biogas production for anaerobic bioreactors was 90 L/kg of waste, which contained 57–63 % methane. Methane concentration measured in semi-aerobic bioreactor was below 5 %. The main advantage of aerobic bioreactor was the fast rate of the process, while for semi-aerobic bioreactor, it was the elimination of the need for energy to maintain aerobic conditions, and for anaerobic bioreactor it was the production of biogas and potential energy recovery.
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Ahmadifar, M., Sartaj, M. & Abdallah, M. Investigating the performance of aerobic, semi-aerobic, and anaerobic bioreactor landfills for MSW management in developing countries. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 18, 703–714 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-015-0372-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-015-0372-0