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Subs I u~d flee ~ `Vales .
~s we disceassed, I tending y®u ~ selection of br®chaares ~d de;scriptive i~®rffistion,
including ~ vide®, about tla~ proprietary Steinxnuller Valorga (SV) an~reabi~c digestie~ra aiad
corrap®sting process. (Pleas tea to the ~ ali of flee plants a~ 1®cated ~ urb~ra meas.
j ~e ~lie~re
oast this process, ~vlaern appls;ed t® I~S~F and ~sewnge sludge• dispose reapi~nts ~ ®f y®aar
cities seed was, will ®fler esaviroaaaxaeaatatiy s®earad azad ecans~ally atttractive alteratative to
. the l®ng-terms d°aspos~.l ®f s~zc:h waste ire dfills.
'~1VI2SI de~ie!®ps, desi~s, c®nstructs, grad opea~tes recycli~ag and c®rst~g l~cilities f®r'
the disposal of rnranicipal s®lid waste S~ and sewage sludge (biglids), grad repsesent
. the SV process in flee Unitui States.
~y combining a sorting line t® recover recyclable reaaterials from ani~ed FvIS with
S V acaaerobic digestion ianit, 4SI fs able to recycle f®r beraesal abut 55 of t9i~ typical
U.S. rreixe~k ~IS~T s I.~ooldrag at ii from the traditional waste dis pcrspcctiver, f5 of
-the t®t.~l wed I~ISW -can be di~rtcd l~ffie luad~.lls, prs~duciBag a recyclaa~g rate, ®r
landfill dsversi®aa ram, that e:~ca;ds all cura~nt state nnaaa ~ requirrecments.
he prodaacts of . S~ V 6~a~robic coraaposting unit ate: -1) n hi~a gaaality soft redsaacrat
(corBapost); and 2) rraethane•-rich bi®-gas, ~?$~ich is a soup ®f energy ~®r flee gezaeration.o~ sty
and/®r electricity, or ass e1 l'oe rtc~r ~vehaclcs. ~f get irtan to re$ideaats in the local _
cota~unity, the SV p~occss does not wait cxtears t® the a~tnaosphese. ~ .
.performance the ASV" pgescess is gararantee~ and VVIZSI`s engineering and c®nst~action`
partner mill guaraaate~ both i~''ae r~nsffiatction cost ~ared flee; conapletfon, date of ~ SV facility.
.
. 1120 ~a~~n P~~kway East ~ .
91 v~ei esgh, ~1 a ~ 354 .
{205} ~7g-6099 Fix X2®5} ~P9-2069
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The • S V anaerobic ' ~estioaa process is the leading technology- avrailable today. - It is
. commerciaPly .proven with ~ = full~sc~lle plants operating in .seven European countries. ' - ~ of
those plants have the capaca to process in e~cc~ss of 100,E tonsAyear of l~S~. Currently, SV
has five facilities under devs~lopment and/or construction in (~errny, Italy, Spain, and The
1\Tetherlands. I?escriptions oi' some ®f these facilities are iatcluded in the Steinmuller Valo~ga ~ .
literature. .
The plant in Freiburg, Gersraany represents the state of the art of the SV process. It
includes a sorting line to rem®ve plastics, glass and ~xaetals from the incoming waste stream, air
locks for trucks entering the facility, a mater treatment plant to reduce the cost of.~isposing of .
excess process water in the sewer` system, and a bio-i~lter to remove odors froar~ all air circulated
in the plant. The anaerobic dages~ter is designed to operate in the therinophikc temperature range, .
which ti'iccts all protocols for the destruction of harmful pathogens. _ It is significant to note that
. the facility is located on tlae ;aaain thoroughfare- within the city liaraits of Freiburg, in a
cognmercial zone, and iinna~~di~~tely adjacent to a Burger King restaurant and aa~tognobile
dealership. ~
~Ve look forward to dascussiog with you hove the SV technology could be applied vrithin
the scope of v~aste disposal operations in your areas. ~ - ~ .
. . - Very truly yours,
'Theodore 1V1. Lakos .
CFA -
TMU`elb ~ -
~nclosures -
cc: Mr. Steven A. lVlorris
Mr. David Palmer
i
. - ~ ~ ~i~~111
c~~~~ ~~~~~~a bi~~~
7
Compost -Valorga Styr
Waste Recovery Systems, Inc. (WRSI) promotes a program of solid waste management that includes the"
composting of municipal solid waste with sewage sludge. The solid waste portion would include
organics, such as food wastes, removed by a central sorting facility, vegetative waste and paper, in
excess of that recyclable. WRSI proposes that this compost be produced utilizing the technique of
anaerobic digestion followed by aerobic curing as developed by Valorga Process S.A. The end product of
the Valorga process is a stable humus-like soil amendment. The process is the same as occurs naturally
in the degradation of organic wastes, a combination of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria reducing the
material to soil, however, the process takes place in a controlled environment and is accelerated to a
five week period.
Three characteristics impact primarily on the usability of the compost, its maturity or stability, its
carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and its chemical composition. The WRSI program is designed to maximise the
usability of the compost. The Valorga Process anaerobic digestion system is particularly suitable to
producing a high quality compost.
The compost that will be produced will be a stable, mature product. Maturity effects compost use
through the ability of the compost to contribute to soil quality and plant growth. Immature compost can
actually remove nutrients from soil as it completes its decomposition. The compost produced by the
Valorga Process system is eompazable in stability to an aerobic compost process of six months. The
compost can be considered a soil amendment exhibitir?g excellent characteristics for moisture retention
and soil aeration. It also provides some nutrient value, however, the true benefit of the compost is in its
ability to enhance the efficiency at which inorganic fertilizers are utilized. Agronomic tests on the
compost produced by the Valorga system have indicated that certain crops would require one-half of
the inorganic fertilization rate through the use of the compost. In addition, compost returns trace
elements to the soil which are essential for plant and animal growth.
One indicator of the effectiveness of compost as a soil amendment is its carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. This is
significant in compost produced from municipal solid waste where paper products comprise a significant
portion of the compostable matter. The WRSI technology utilizes sewage sludge as a nitrogen source
which will optimize this ratio so that end users can be assured a quality soil amendment.
The chemical content of the compost is primarily related to the input materials, the less contamination
of the feedstock the higher the quality of the compost. The WRSI program anticipates an effective
separation of inorganics and non-compostables prior to the digesters. This will allow the finished
compost to exceed Federal or State standards for use. The compost will be produced under conditions
that have been accepted by the USEPA for eliminating pathogens. Valorga Process has modeled the
expected compost as would be produced by a typical tiNRSI facility. These characteristics are included
as Table 1. Because of the type of composting utilized by WRSI these characteristics can be expected to
remain relatively constant.
Marketability of the compost is influenced not only by the chemical analysis but also by its physical
characteristics. WRSI anticipates that even with an effective screening program some inorganics will
enter the digesters. These will pass through the Valorga system essentially unchanged. WRSI has
included a screening process for the finushed compost to assure a uniform product free of inorganics. The
Valorga process produces a dark humus compost very similar in physical characteristics to topsoil.
Because of the maturity of the compost, there are no offensive odors associated with its use. Suggested
uses and application rates are included as Table 2.
Valorga Process Co-Composting System
Valorga Process has developed a composting system utilizing an in-vessel anaerobic process. The
system may appear similar in function to other in-vessel composting technologies, however, there are a
considerable number of differences. The most significant is the utilization of anaerobic conditions in the
Valorga rystem as opposed to aerobic in the Bedminster or other aerobic in-vessei technologies. The
unique feature of the Valorga Process system is that the biological decomposition takes place in
completely sealed reactors. This is not the case in any aerobic system. The advantage is excellent odor
control. The byproducts of the Valorga decomposition are water, compost and methane-rich biogas.
The unique design of the Valorga reactor allows for containment and capture of this biogas. This gas
has approximately 55 to 60,°'0 of the heating value of natural gas and is intended to be combusted in a
dedicated boiler. The steam is utilized for process heat in the digesters and to produce electricity that
will operate the plant, with excess marketed. In the case of a facility designed to compost 500 tons per
day (TPD) of ~1SW, the biogas has sufficient energy content to operate the facility and produce about
2.5 megawatts of excess electricity. The water generated is re~rculated in the process and utilized to
condition the solid waste and sludge prior to digestion. The compost is a highly stable, biologically
rich product which is an excellent soil amendment. In order for aerobically produced compost to meet
the stability and usefulness of the Valorga compost would require at least 6 months of additional curing
beyond that typically provided.
The Valorga system has many features which are superior to aerobic composting, the system has low
maintenance and high reliability, the digesters have no moving parts, the equipment is U.S. supplied,
only the process design is imported, the compost is high quality, the process is a net energy producer, all
other composting technologies are large energy consumers, and, the ability to handle large volumes of
sludge in relation to the ~-lS~V.
Valorga has the philosophy that a composting project provides rivo functions, one to dispose of solid
waste and the other to produce a marketable product. The Valorga system contains screening to sort the
waste prior to the digester. Valorga research indicates that the quality of the compost is greatly
enhanced when non-compostable materials are removed. Even though competing processes do not shred
prior to their vessel, it is our opinion that batteries, paint, cleaning fluids and other similar materials
will contaminate the compost and limit its uses.
Valorga has considerable Financial resources and operating experience in facilities. The facilit<~ in
.-Amiens France processes about 350 TPD of i?1SW, the Tahiti facility processes around 250 TPD and the
Belgium facility will process approximately 750 TPD. [n addition, the parent companies of Valorga
have combined annual sales of S15 billion and provide all process guarantees Eor Valorga.
'Y'ABLE 1
P-
~'ameter
Units
MatteP WRSI
Volatile Solids % Total Weight US~Std_
De'ganic Carbon % Total Weight 50
C/N Ratio % Dry Matter 25
~ 25
K2p % ~y 1~iatter 15-20
Ca0 0.6-1.2
Mgp I.8-2.3
Cd 4.5-6.0
PPm/DM 1.0-2.2
Cu 0.4-5.0
~g " 14-200 10
Ni 1000
~ 0.2-20 450
Zn 10-36 10
P~ 60-170 200
Inert Matter 100-500 ~
Conductivity % Total Weight 7-8 1000
Color mS/em 1-2
0.6
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xello stave,
accordiaaq to the latest clisc°ussion from Berman governaaent, is. future ft
will be a incraaainq request. for higP~er quality of emitted air from
Aiofilters.
Up to now wt~ are alloa~d to etflit 80 mc1; Pdm' effluent air on NMVOC
norm~ethanevolati.3.eorgani.cr„oxapounds TOC without methar, plus 300 GE I~im'
( e$+e 11 inq-?ansts ~ .
In Future tkaere vrill k~e a limit of 20 mq/ I9at3 5lA3VJC.
Thin gill b~ soleted (already te5ted~at freiburga with a special
ch~taCal-air-~asYzer/scrubt~r .in froa~t of the still remaining humidifier
before hiofilttr.
To prev~aLt producing of a IQF19-809-solution is the chemical-airwashQr (by
aa~diaaq I32S0~ in the wastei~~g-eiater} we; are testing inbetween the nex: 10
s~reeks a slrste~, e+hic8~ is lased or1 a catalys~ator-dosing ire order to destroy
the ;9I34 ia~to eles~tar ~2 anct H2O, so that there f.s no NH4-S0~3-solution
~?hieh ?aas to be treated arxywP?ere {costs ca. 200-300 D~1lm'.
F`rciburq is producisaq at t:he moment ca. 100 m3 of thin
DFH4-SO8-Sal t-s olut i ors.
~`least's the utadmte of tho c;eveloping of erlluent air-treatanenti.
east regards
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omposting is by its very nature asmall-sale local operation trol the potential odors and deal with them while they are contained in
that does not readily lend itself to large-scale systems that the vessel rather than in flee neighbors' yards;' Linder concludes.
can be sited far from urban centers. There is an advantage to
having a composting system close Io the source of its feed- ~ir}~~~5
stock-in or near urban or suburban neibl:borhoods. Even if a com- Linden's "vessel° is actuaIIy a bag manufactured from low-densitypoly-
postingsystem is originally sited outside of tov~n, housing development ethylene recyclable plastic. Called an EcoPOD (POD stands for Pre-
eventually catches up with it. And when the de com position inherent to (erred Organic Digester), Ag-Bag Environmental'sbegs are 200 ft. long
composting creates unpleasant odors, the neif;ltbors are likely to wm- and come in 5-, l0-, or 12-ft. diameters. Depending on the size select-
plain vociferously. ed, an EcoPOD will hold betvb~~eeen 250 and 1,(300 yd' of preground ma-
Although there are ways to minimize or u?ntrol these odors, com- texials that are mixed and blended with acarbon-to-nitrogen ratio of
posting operations tend to have a bad reputation among the neighbors. 30:1 and contain an averag+: of 55% moisture. When full, the bag is
One bad-odor day can cement that reputation for a Iong time, leading sealed on each end with a special sealing strip that prevents leachate
to difficulties in obtaining permits for composting systems and to law- from spilling onto the ground. The EcoPOD is supplied with strip-seal-
suits and regulatory action. For example, flee Massachusetts Depart- ing equipment, aeration piping, controllable vents, temperature probes,
ment of Environmental Protection's draft "Gulden:
e and Policy for the and ~+aater lnoculartt.
Evaluation of Odors at Composting Facilities" set :ur emissions limit of The maixed materials are pressed into the POD at the proper density
Eve dilutions-to-threshold at the property line. Exactly what this limit to maintain porosity. As the POD is filled, aeration tubing is fed into the
will mean to a composting facility is unclear, but it does not appear to mix along the entire length. Specitt~ sized and spaced slots in this tub-
be easy-or cheap-to meet. ing pressurize oxygen throughout :he entire leng*.h of the POD. Then
One increasingly popular approach to resolving these difficulties is oxygen is introduced into the sealed POD using ahigh-pressure blower
the use of in-vessel composting. Debbie Luzder, operations director system controIled by timers t=hat care be adjusted from seconds to hours,
for Ag-Bag Environmental in Warrenton, C R, cites the inherent ad- dependuag on the phase of the composting process. lrtitially, more oxy-
vantages of in-vessel composting: "The ideal environment for the rrti- gen is needed to feed the bacteria colonies, which rapidly expand and
crobial growth that is the secret to better and mo°e efficient compost- move through the material. Later, when less oxygen is needed, blower
ing is a wet, warm, and dark place. By havirtl; an enclosed vessel, there rycle times can be reduced to facilitate the microbial. needs while firs-
is less volatilization, which in turn leaves ahigher-quality composted fishing and drying the material.
material. More active microbes are available for the sot and plant As the material decomposes, it changes shape, creating new oxygen
growth. paths. The POD heats the material quickly and reaches the 330-14fl°F
"This is different than turning the windrow every several days and temperatures needed to kill pathogens and weed seeds. The POD acts as
having to rewater, which releases odors and slows down the whole its own biosphere as condensation rehydrates the outside of the materi-
process> as the microbes have to remultiply and rebuild. By enclosing als to sustain bacterial aeeion there. This process eliminates the external
the materials in a vessel, a higher fraction of nitrogen will be left in the drying that occurs in a windmw system.
compost as oxidation renases less nitrogen gases into the atmosphere. "After eight to IZ weeks (depending on the feedstock makeup], the
In effect, the material acts as its own bioftiter. Thos, ~+re are able to con- POD can be harvested and the material can be removed with a loader
Compostcr• pears to have brcn limited largely to applica- use about r~5°.~, of the typiarl US mired ti1S~V
wet mill located on the tip fluor will ho- [ions im•olving animal waste or organic in- stream," i~torris says. "Moreover, it will supply
mogenize the MSW and add water as needed. dustrial waste. There has been little ur no use a significant source of energy for the genera-
6iosolids and wood chips can be mixed in us- of anaerobic digestion to compost MSW. In Lion of steam/electricity or as fuel for motor
ing a hraw-duty auger miner. Ahcr the high- Europe, however, the use of anaerobic di- vehicles. Of great importance to residents in
rate composting is completed in the tunnels, gesters to process organic I~tSW is becoming the local community, the process does not
the compost is removed with the Compost relatively common. Not surprisingly, there- emit odors to the atmosphere:'
Miner and placed in static windrows in the ,id- tire, some European suppliers of anaerobic The MSW feedstock is mixed with the
jacent curing area. Once cured, it is moved digestion systems have been eyeing the LS sludge and water to achieve a ratio of 35%
with a loader to the product refining area for market. solids to 65°% water. At the mixer, steam is
screening and destoning• One such company is the German firm added to bring up the temperature of the mix-
Steinmuller Valorga, which has systems in sev- tore to the thermophyllic range to ensure that
vde~~~d ~y9~~~~~IC ~i~8~'~~6"5 en European countries. The advantage of the pathogens are killed. The heated mixture is
All of the systems described thus far are aero- Valorga system appears to be its design for then pumped to the digester. There are no
bic systems-that is, they use oxygen to grow containing and capturing biogas (both moving parts in the digester, but a baffle sys-
and reproduce microorganisms and break methane and carbon dioxide). The methane tem separates incoming from outgoing mater-
down organic feedstocks, and they return car- has approximately 55-60% of the heating val- ial. A 2~I-in. pipe carries the pumped slurry
bon dioxide and ammonia to the atmosphere. ue of natural gas and is intended to be cum- into the digester, and over the next 14 days the
Another approach to composting, widely used busted in a dedicated boiler to produce steam. pressure of incoming material forces the slur-
in Europe, is anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic This steam is used for process heat in the di- ry around the circular digester, past the open-
bacterial processes operate in an enclosed, gesters and to produce electricity that will ing in the baffle, and out a similar pipe at the
oxygen-free environment. In addition to pro- both operate the plant and generate a signifi- other side of the digester. In the course of this
two-week odyssey, jets of air keep the material
1
~ ~ - ` ~ ~ mixed, and the biological decomposition con-
- f ~ i
•4 ~ times. As waste is added each day, a compara-
f'" ~ - ble amount of compost exits the digester.
:!I I; ~1~hen the biogas leaves the digester, it is rout-
ed to either (1) a biogas compressor and then
to pressurized biogas storage or (2) a steam
line to generate electricity.
:
When the slurry exits the digester, it pass-
` es through a press that squeezes out water to
get the ratio to the correct level. The still-
warm water is recycled to the mixing stage
where it provides resident heat and some mi-
croorganisms to the new mixture. The wet
compost goes into an aerated tunnel where it
is cured for two to three weeks. The tunnel is
Anaerobic dige~~sr i~cated next f®a ~usger tk'sng in Freiberg, S~ermarey
enclosed so that no odors escape during this
phase.
ducing compost, such processes generate cant excess that can be marketed. In the case of All in all, the Valorga system appears to
methane and carbon dioxide in an enclosed a facility designed to compost 500 tpd of have eliminated the odor problem completely.
container, thereby providing an opportunity ~~ISW, the company calculates that the biogas Indeed, the facility in Freiberg, Germany, tow-
to capture these gases and use them produc- generated will have sufficient energy content ens over an immediately adiacent Burger King
tively, either for process heat, for steam, or for to operate the facility and produce about 25 restaurant and provides a powerful visual
marketable excess electricity. Ivt1h' of excess electricity per hour. symbol for this system in particular and for
"Processes such as anaerobic digestion and A liS firm, Waste Recovery Systems Inc. the in-vessel composting industry as a evhole.
composting offer the only biological route for (WRSI) of Newport Beach, CA, is marketing In-vessel systems cannot compete on cost
recycling matter and nutrients from the or- the Valorga system in North America. Accord- grounds with traditional open-turned wind-
ganic traction of MSW," contends Herman ing to President Steve Morris, WRSI is pro- row N1S~b' composting. However, dust, health,
;Miller, president of Environmental Developers muting a program of solid waste management sludge disposal, vermin, and odor concerns af-
Inc. of Stockton, CA. "However, composting is that includes composting MSW with sewage fect the formula significantly at urban or sub-
an energy-consz~ming process requiring 50 to sludge using the Valorga process of anaerobic urban sites. In many cases, these factors can
75 kilowatt-hours of electricity per ton of digestion followed by aerobic curing. make in-vessel systems preferable; occasional-
N15W input. Conversely, anaerobic digestion is "By combining a sorting line to recover re- ly they might well make in-vessel systems
a net energy-producirzg process, with around cyclable materials from mixed [not source- mandatory. 3~SU€
75 to 150 kilowatt-hours of electricity created separated] Iv1SW and composting the resul-
per ton of .MSW input ~ tant MSW stream with a Valorga anaerobic di- Charles D. Bader is with Dateline II Commu-
Anaerobic digestion in this country ap- gester, we will be able to recycle for beneficial nicarions in Los.Ingeles, C.~.
J.~cc.aer/Fcsar.~r.s ~oo~ ~'9a~Vr0 iVlanagement • ~
.i(~ter which it is renun~ed from the hall, ~litional annpust after the expansion: "1fs a ~r~Cf1CdI ~pt79~®StIP9~ ®1'j ~
,crerned, and placed in an aerated curing area good-yuulity product" I=,dgf~~r $Cdle`
in 70-ft., thertu~>uwple-monitored piles un West Yrllowstone's transfer station receives
corrugated air pipes through which air is COP'9`9~OStlil~ ~~'~IIS R~Ilef 3,~0(l tpv of :~[S~V, with significant peaks in
blown with positive pressure ro aerate the pile. fir l91~~St 1(ellOVbeStt>,n~ the summer months, .-1s a result, the facility is
The curing urea is under-roof but open un two The bVest Yellowstone/Hebgen Basin Solid designed to handle ~k2 tpd.
sides. "However;' Plett notes, "the odor is pret- bVaste District in Montana was seeking relict Several constraints pushed the facility de-
n~ much nonexistent at this point. from high tipping fees and increasing truck- sign- First, because of high snowfall amounts,
"We are in the process of expanding the fa- ing costs to distant IandHlls. [n [arch 2001, all of the activities needed to be under one
cility: adding on to the end of the hall and ex- the district issued a request for proposal root Second, a limited urea was available at the
tending the biotilters to match. That will add (RFP) for composting the ~ISW generated selected site adjacent the transfer station.
1 to 20%o to our 31-tpd capacity;' Plett from the district and Erom nearby Yellowstone Third, the waste district was intent on limiting
points out. "Actually, we have needed to es- tiational Park. the labor requirements.
pand for some time now. Instead of the 20,000 West Yellowstone wanted a single vendor to The SV Composter provided an ideal
to_~,000 yards of yardwaste per year we had provide a turnkey ~[SW composting facility. starting point to meet these constraints. The
expected, we have been getting I ((1,000 yards. The scope of work included furnishing a de- tunnels share common walls, keeping the fa-
To keep up, we have had to be quite creative. tailed process design, all process equipment, cility footprint efficient. The entire footprint
Toduv we first ;rind the yardcvaste and allow it installation labor, and materials. The RFP in- of the facility is approximately 36,00 ft. ~
to decompose and lose some moisture; then eluded requirements commissioning the cum- conveyor system delivers the raw feedstocks
we grind it a second time to further reduce its posting equipment, training the operators, from the wet mill and mixer directly to the
volume before we convey it to the mixing and providing ongoing technical support ut composting tunnels. The tunnels are un-
room and mie it with the biosolids prior to the ~h'est Yellowstone transfer station. loaded using ECS's self-propelled/self-steer-
adding the mixture to the piles:' EC5 of Seattle, OVA, teamed up with Eton- ing Compost ivliner. These two features
The facility currently produces 25,000 yd.' Lana-based DA Construction to submit apro- greatly reduce the labor required for material
of compost a year and sells all it can make, posal to suppl,v un SV Composter system. Af- handling.
principally to contractors working on depart- ter a thorough technical and economic review The tunnel's aeration and control system is
meat of transportation projects. Moreover, process, the ECS-led team was awarded the a direct extension of the technology used suc-
Plett anticipates no difficulty in selling the ad- contract cessfully for the last five years with ECS's CV
16~A ~ AI,
r~~~
Parris N. Gtendcning James W. Peck
Governor
®irector
1VIr. 1vI. Lakos
waste Recovery Systems Inc.
C/o C'sulf Atlantic International Inc
1120 Beacon Pkwy. East
Birmingham, AI, 35209
Tait Saderholm
16<taryland l~nvironmental Se;rvire
2011 Coarnmerce Park I3rive
Annapolis,lVll) 21401
Dear Mr. Lakos,
'Thank you for your interest in P~Iaryland Environmental Service and the rnarketin~ of our
compost products ComPR~~ a.nd Leafgro~. 1V~S would be very interested in
marketing a compost product fcsr ~iaste Recovery Systems Inc. and we are confident that
1VfES would be able to build. a strong, stable market for your high duality compost.
1VII S has been i~a the compost r,:aarketia~a~ business for almost twenty years. Starting with
ComPR(~~ and continuing wvitlt Leafgro~ 1~/1ES has created demand that continuously
exceeds supply. As an independent State Agency and snot-for-profit public corporation
IVIES combines the public serctc~r's commitment to envfronmental protection with the
private sectors efficiencies, #Ie~:ibilaty and responsiveness.
VVRSI through the Valorga pro~~ess has shown the ability to produce exceptional quality
materials that will be required to meet the demands of the horticultural compost nrket.
The initial analyses also shc,w that this compost wi11 contain a proper balance of plant
nutrients which is essential for plant growth.
The ComPR®~ product recently went out of production leaving a market of almost
40,000 cubic yards unsatisfied. Ara opportunity exists for IVIES and WRSI to meet this
market demand with this new compost product.
I hope that this is the beginning, of a long and anutually beneficial relationship between
MES and WRSI.
Hope to speak to you again socn.
Tait Saderholm
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'29it~~!')til~C8l~1~n264~~iu:LE ~b7 J~COPZ L:~!/.>'~)7~
~,'ashi,n~um Post Sta;f V4'riter
_-'_s= ~ Saturday, April l0, 1999; Page A01
Print ~ditic~n
vletrn t~rtirles
~:r.T,,,t p?„~ It has t}11G};~ll~d Z~'ashilxgton Redskins practice fields and the lush
°,:~.'.~~s fair«•ays at Acenzl. Tourists vlaltlnb the National Mail tras7tple
r•,, n.... C.~.'. 4racc nrn~richv~ i+ ~:wnsin~IoL~.aY.~,•~ ~t rl.a ~~r+~ ~[~f6r~S~,,••••3
~,~s C;ara~tien Yards s~lear by the s?,uf.£
~r~it~ Ab~.ve a':1. C~r,1PRU has For years been the fertilizer of choice fo.r - h%r ~d~~-~
Re;~our~.es t11UT.lsarids of ~~'a.sllingtorl area gardening entihusiasts, who ha~~e (G~~~~c~ ; s
~'1~='~'" `~~'r,r~' eagerly dpp.Iied .it to p,~,tchy la«'!7s and meager flower bLds despit4 ~~f.,,~,~,
the fact that its c~lltral ingredient is humarl ~~raste. l~npl°asant,
` ~ ~ perhaps, but certainly bearable in pursuit of the perfect yard. y
I ~ t,~~.~ ~ But ComP~.4's days are nurnbezeil, Garden supply stc~res .have 5 l
_ only a fe~ti• htandr~d hags left as the ~%ashazigton region wakes up ~',`c~ ~-et~~`~
#rom win.tez ata.d enters prime planting scascrl. The ~~%a.slaington .~LaT-- s;~„~~e r~,~ro '
~ la f Suourban Sanitary' C:o~niission slliit doc,n tf~e on..IL- ~-'ornPRC) 9~h ~ is ~
• b pia~rt in the country. ~t,~~o n~ol~.ths ado. The last bath will lca~.e tl,e ~
4n ~ l1•:[ol,t~omery County Regional Camx7ostzn~ k'a,.ility newt w~ee.k.
~ "J heard they were sloti~~ing down, but I didn't liIlOti~: it was go:izlg t~~ ~ y~e ~i`or ah-a:
= be gcane calnplLtvly," said Scott Kreger, thz acsistallt grotL:ci ,
ale ~i?~
° ` su erintendent ax the Toarnarnez?t ~'la}~ers C.iub at Avenel.. FIz wes , s
CornPRt~ to replant sct.iffed failtivays at the c.nnuai. stop on the
PGA touz', I m nc~t scue what were going to ::se no~v. It ~ good c ~
('nrn~~~,~. /~6mir•a )ninl.t:n?-.ham l.n..... l":...!_ _..1
affected back yards across the «ashittgtoa r~` „~n~ It also leas aLt
offs mini-scraml?lr•. for the last bags of'C~mFF:~J, A going-out-qf.
bU3111~S5 stiic n~iv hitting $115}' r° L~seaies and g-~.ricn supply shops
across th2 region. The?:0(l0 b<r_ :~f Cvml'RO ~tole~I DLit t0
retailers I?eb. 1 have d,t~i~zdfed to~ust a ~
.tiv.
Fnd~.`an F~: r r:~r.;iizrr~~"iS;i Hiuz:an Glament;nll: JSCRt:h.Mn;niab:onpo::.:oir_itp-;wilVFlstc'ty94 ~~:;-i ,~St~;o~ ~d..t,r.:,,;;
~j~. ~ ~?9 20:56 3~1 =2`. ''~'-'•''`'I - - - -=i lTI= Ir. F"-,'JE _
hours this week~to sleek up on 15 of the 40-p _,t,nd bags of -
CoinPRQ after learning of the limited supply. Retailers are
beginning to pitch other organic fertilizers to prepeate customers
for the day when the supply Hans dry. Others are resigned tv the
departure of another good gardening product, t)l i5 one most suited
to lawn care and avithout an obvious substitute u~ take its place.
"It's a sh~xne," said Tom Pitt, a prafessional l;uicl~cjper ~vho has
~:'V1Al11tV 1Vl L41.l Vti.. ~'GCi1S lV Ci,jj jV,;jj 1jVWCj tJCljl j(.Ir nI5
Georgetouxz clients. "You've gat to do something with the stuff:"
T1~at "stuff' is processed sewage, or sludge. It's t~~hat gives
Corrtt`RQ a high nitrvgrzi. content that fuels grass and flower
gronrth, and also the reason that salesclerks ancauaage Cornk'RU
users to handle it with gloves. ComPRO's potent nitrogen gives
gardeners instant gratiti.caliuti bcLduse it turns Iaw~ns green. It is
also..rich in sol~rble lime, which turns soil acidic taster than other
1"or 16 years, thL WSSC has txuLked sludge froz.~ the Blue Plai.~is
~t'aste~vater T'reau~itenL Plaint in tt~.e District to the 110-acre plant
along khe Montgo~rLery-Prince George's County border.. There,
worlcet°s infix it with wood chips, spread it out in rows for curing
anal harvest it 60 day s later as Corr~PRU. It's bagged and sent to
retailers across the regzon, selling for roughly ~4 ~poT~und ling.
:About SS percent of Montgomery's sewage is p~c-•o~-cessed at S)ue
Plai:~s and has been disposed of this way, an utzorthodox alch.°.cZ~.y
that state officials say is a madzl for haw to t°.arti ~~~aste ir~ty a
marketable p>•vduct. The p1_ant produces 50,000 cubic ;.~ards o~
Cprn,Pi2U annually, ar enough to cover eight football fields a }yard
deep,
"I~eople are pitying more than Itvrznal," said Bill Maim, gardezt
shop bu}-er at 13ehntCe Nurserizs in Beltsville. "1~~~hen people start
rea~lzing a populaz product is no longer going tv be available, they
drive up demand. 1?speaially gardax;ers. "1-hcy d~~n't like C}73j1.g1j1~.'F
I•o hoznegwners who live next to the $68 million plal~t, however,
the withering fuu~.es it creates have beoft a high price to pay fo.r a
steady supply of fertilizer. At the urging of Ivlontgorraery (~ounty
I:.xecutive Douglas M. Duncan (]7), the V~TSSC voted eerlier tlzia
year to close the plant, acid it stopped taking sluds~e k'eb. 1.
"There has long beel'1 concern trvrn the suia'ounding conlmurrity
about the odor. azAd attempts tv try to ~~~inimize the odor prablcrrrs
have failed," said Ua~-id ~~eaver, Duucail's spokesman.,
cf c. set c;:.:•! G~rtdizer 1\r;%11 Numan Element (bttpa.'seveh.tt~ast:ing[c:,pcst.can.-':.F-sn••'WP1St~ilS94-C~%10.v';i?L9~~ l0?9-idt.ht:nti
'rirta.i ~'R~%D!v7' ,g Web Rro'.v^,cr v~ r'~pf 21, 1499 tli !Z.'23 ri\t !'~cr
Montgomery uow trucks its se~r~age to Virg ;a...~. ~„~iieze it is spread
over open farmland. Prince George's, ~~;hi 'i processed a smaller •
share of its sewage at the composting plant, has three othez• places
to dispose of its waste. 13ut none produces CotnPRO.
ror'severa~l years, Nl~aryland Environzztental Services, the sertli-
public state agency that rnarl~ets GotnFk~Q, has been encouraging
retailers to sell the product because Yt's good for the environ~xz~ent.
:viany did just that, and nova- they find themselves in a bind as
ComP,kO becomes a thing of the past.
"This is an emotional issue fo~• us," said Skip ShorU; a f~;rtilizer
specialist at ~rnericazi Plant Food, which is no`v doti`m to fetiver
than 100 bags of CornPRQ. "V+~'e do a lot ofhand-holding here:
and we rarely push products.l3ut we have pushed this bzcause vve
wanted to become a greener garden center.''
• Tony I~ightbourne, the store's ~•arehouse nianagez, sand he is
telling customers to use Leafgro, aylother organic fcrtil.icer
disrxibuted by 4laryland Envirotunental Services. Fiut that product
is heavier than GomPRO and less useful for planting la~vzts.
~:iaaz;ti~~hile, along Pennsylvania Avenue; the grounds crew at til.
Vti'hite House is prepari„-tg for life after ComPRO. Txv Williaz~~s,
tivkzo has taken care of the White House grnuttds for 33 ti•ears, sari
they will make do, ev~rz tktough C:ozxzPRQ has helped -the South.
Lav`~.
"h'e'll do the same thing we did before ~~ve got it u;e ~•ass
oLippings that decozx~pose a.°td regular comniez•cial fertilizer,"
Zz%illiams said. "I Ynean, we just had the Easter Egg Roll L;~ith
32;000 people. The latvTZ needs to heal."
~ Copyright 1y99 T'he Washington F'o;t Company
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round the world, pollution of the air and water from municipal, industrial and
agricultural operations continues to grow. Governments and industries are constantly on
the lockout for technologies that wil 1 allow for more efficient and cost-effective waste treat-
ment.One technology that can successfully treat the organic fraction of wastes is anaerobic
digestion (AD). When in afully-engineered system, AD not only provides pollution
prevention, but also allows for sustainable energy, compost and nutrient recovery. Thus,
AD can convert k: disposal problexri into a prof`gt center. As the technology continues to
mature, AD is becoming a key method =or both waste reduction and recovery of a renew-
able fuel and other valuable co-procluct:~.
Worldwide, there are now more thaw 115 AD plants operating or under construction using
municipal solid w3St~ (MSW) OL otgani;, industrial waste as their principal feedstock. The
total annual installed sagacity is almost five million tonnes. Another 40 AD plants age in the
planning phase with an announced total annual capacity of nearly two million tonnes. More
than 50 prune technology license holders have a proven system operating at the pilot- or
full-scale level (at least 150 eonnes Fier year). Waste managers have found that AD provides
environmental benefits allowing Wa: to disposal facilities to meet increasuigly Stringent Yegu-
lations. Controllang odor and emissions into air and soil are major drivers in their decision-
making Process.
The use of AD for treating industras~l wastewaters has grown tremendously during the past
decade w the point where there are now more than 1000 vendor-supplied systems in opera-
tion or under constnaction throughout the world. Over 30 types of industries have been
identified with having wastewaters amenable for AD aeatment, including processors of bev-
erages, chemicals, food, meat, mills, pulp tnd paper,. and phartnaceuticals, among others. Many
of these industries use AD as a pretreatment step to lower sludge disposal costs, control odors,
and to reduce the costs of firsal treatment at a municipal wastewater treatment facility.
This booklet provides an outline of the :1997 status of AD as the most promising method of
treating the €~ganic fraction of M~.~W and other wastes. It also summarizes policy issues
which induce the deployment of AI) technology, facility design concepts, the energy,
economic and- environmental issues relating to AD, and the comparison of alternative MSW
treatment processes.
1
here are a number of benefi°s resulting from the use of AD technology.
11tia~~ ~re~lrm~n~ ~e»,~~~
~ Natural waste treatment proce,~s
~ Requires less lend than aerobic. composting or landfilling
~ Red=,zces dasposed waste voium~a and weight to be landfilled
Reduces concentrations of leac:hates
E~~~~ t1~~il~
~ Net energy producing process
~ Generates ahigh-qualaty renewable fuel
~ $iogas proven in numerous end-use applications
~1'9i01y't3~B~'EE~~~ ~~1'~tS
~ Significantly reduces carbcan dioxide and methane emissions
Eliminates odors
~ Produces a sanitized compost and nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer
~ Maximizes recycling benefits
~~~i't~iyiE~ ~~~fifi~
~ Is mare cost-effective than otl:.er treatment options from alife-cycle perspective
In tl-ie al+sence of oxygen, anaerobic bacteria will ferment biodegradable matter into
methane and carbon dioxide, a mixture called biogas. Approximately 90 percent of the
energy from the degraded biomass is retained in the form of methane. Hence, very little
excess sluc.lge is produced.
~s~~
Biogas is 1:~rmed solely through the activity of bacteria, unlike composting where fungi and
lower cre;atura.s are also involved in the degradation process. The process occurs naturally
in the bortotn. sediments of lakes and ponds, in swamps, peat bogs, intestines of ruminants,
and even in hot springs. Methane formation is also the process which stabil[zes landfill
sites.
The widespread natural occurrence of methane bacteria demonstrates that anaerobic deg-
radation can take place over a wide temperature range from 10°C to over 100°C and at a
variety o1' moisture contents from around 60 percent to more than 99 percent. This distin-
guishes tl-~e rn.ethane bacteria favorably from most of the aerobic microorganisms involved
in the composting process.
Thanks to th is tolerance, AD processes can be applied for decomposition of dry solids such
as municipal solid waste or diluted wastewaters from municipalities and industry. However,
the digester design has to be optimized for the respective substrate. No digester system
;moo exists that can handle all influent material equally well.
`The potential to operate digesters at tem-
,t'` peratures above 50°C makes the AD
process particularly interesting for
7 ` hygenization. Digesters can be de-
signed to operate entirely at that tem-
perature, or as apost-treatment step fol-
lowing operation at a lower tempera-
ture. In addition to temperature, the
anaerobic chemical environment multiplies
the sanitation effect. Recognizing this fact, and as
one of the first, Danish law accepts AD as a hygieni^, n:s~asure for or-
ganic waste management.
If the mythical
dragon ever ~ with all l; iotechnological processes there are a fe«r liataits to thg AD process. The biggest
existed, it must +
have been a limitation is the process Inability to degrade lignin, ~ Fnajor eainpo~nt of yr esgite
ruminant who this inal~ilit}~, several research programs have successasil'Fy used crops including aquatic and
ignited biogas marine 1,~lants, as well as grasses as potential feedstocks far the AD process.
vuith sparks
from its teeth. In evolutionary terms, anaerobic bacteria are very old, certainly 9trsch older than their
aerobic ~,ounter-parts. The anaerobic bacteria presumably first appeared before oxygen was
a major dart of the atmosphere. This accounts for their inability to prot:r~s lignin, as woody
plants h ~d not yet evolved.
111
Scientists first determined that flammable gases could evolve from decaying organic
matter in 1630. In 1776, scientists concluded that there eras a direct correlation between
the am~aunt of decaying organic matter and the amount of flammable ga` produced• In
18fl8, it was determined that methane was present in the gases produced during the anaero-
bit digestion of cattle manure.
The rec4nt practical history of applying AD began in 1895 when biogas was recovered from
a "carefully designed" sewage treatment facility and- used to fuel street lamps in Exeter,
Englarl.i. After 1900, the development of microbiology as a science led to research to iden-
tify anaerobic bacteria and the conditions that promote methane production.
Today, farm-based manure facilities are perhaps the most common use of knecdota!
AD technology. Six to eight million fatr.ily-sized, low-technology digesters e"tdenCe
ate used in the Far East to provide biogas for conking and lighting with can be
found
varying degrees of success. where
~ ~I`, 'I,'~ biogas was
There are now over 600 farm-based c€igesters operating in Europe and North I used for
America. Farmers who use a digester often cite odor control, pathogen con- heating
<>>A~ bath-water
trol, and containmene of nutrient toss ?-ofl' as the drivers influencing their in- ;n ~a
vestment decision. during the
l Otte
AD facilities generally have had a g; god record in treating the spectrum of century 8c
and in
suitable farm, industrial, and municipal. wastes. The first digester to use MS'1~~ Aersiz
as a feedstock operated in the USA from 1939 to 1974. The AD process was during the
used fairly extensively when energy supplies were reduced during and after 1 b~
World War Il. Many farm-based AI' facilities in Europe have now been in century.
operation for more than 20 years. 'Che key factor found in
these successful facilities is their sitr+plicity of design.
Other factors influencing success 1^.ave been local environ- ~
mental regulations and other policif~ ~ governing land use and !
waste disposal. Because of these envirc~nm.ental pressures, many ~e ~ e
nations have implemented or are coz?sid~~ring methods whose eY
~jectives are to reduce the environmettal impacts of waste s
disposal. In particular, with the afltr.. of reducing the impacts ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
of greenhouse gasps, the measures include provisians to re- . ~..s-'-.. _ • ~ ~
duce the landfilling of the biodegraa:.abl+. fraction of MSW.
One revisited application is the dig::stion of MSW A variety of plants have made signifi- -ts it time yet sessie?' dates
cant progress towards commercial +>.se in recent years. Some of the facilities processing from vVoria War n when
MSW have peen in operation for more than 15 years. A number of different types of sys- ~ergy supplies were
drastically reduced for
terns have been developed, each ha~~ing its own special benefits. private use.
Currently, treatment processes such as AD and composting offer the only biological
route for recycling matter and nutriE:nts from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste
(MSW}. Composting is an energy-rtmstcmirtg process, requiring around 50-75 kWh of en- ~
ergy per ton of waste input. FuII-sc:ile ~_omposting technology for MSW is commercially
available and in use, but its further ,.,ppllcation is limited mainly by environmental aspects ~
and process economics. AD is a net energy producing process, with around 75-1 SO kWh of
energy created per ton of waste input. AD technology is now being demonstrated and fully
commercialized.
S C~~sp®s~i~~ 5~~~ 5~~
Both the composition and definition of MSW varies between countries. MSW is a hetero-
geneous waste which tray be divides:. into a number of fractions. In this booklet the division
of MSW is along the following lines:
~ Ihc>~ 1FI3A~'r[oN, is the rea,iily biodegradable organic matter such as kitchen waste,
food residues, paper, cardboard.. grass cuttings, tree clippings, and yard trimmings. This
is also called the `putrescible friction'.
~ Co>~vsz~~ ~c•>i~oN, includes slowly digestible and indigestible organic matter such
as coarser wood, plastics and other synthetics.
~ It~Rr FRACPION, typically con:;ists of stones, sand, glass, and metals.
The size of the first two categories varies between coup-
- tries, regions and households but the biodegradable
paper and putrsscible fractions usually comprise about
50 percent of the whole MSW stream.
C~r~nt C~t~~e#a~t ~rt~
< f t3es~o~~ ~th~ ~~r SAX!
iii In many countries, MSW is collected as a mixed stream
~ and disposed of directly to incinerators or landfills. in
recent years, both source s~paeation and recycling have
attracted increasing attention. As a result, separate
fractions of MSW are now becoming available for more
advanced recycling treatment prior to disposal. The
origin of the organic waste is important in detetmin-
Both the composition and ing whir treatment method is most appropriate. Kitchen waste and other putreseible wastes
definition of MSW varies are gene:-ally too wet and lacking in structure far aerobic composting but provide and ex-
between countries. MSW is cellent fi:edstock for AD. Woody wastes contain high proportions of lignocellulosic mate-
s heterogeneous waste
which may be divided into rials thae may be better suited to aerobic composting.
digestible, combustible, and
inere fractions. ~~i~@rC~ S~ra~ri®~
In a number of participating countries, the source separation of IviSW is actively encouz
aged. T't~is includes separation of the gutrescible organic fraction, also known as "green
waste" or "biowaste". Source separation sometimes also includes other organic fractions
such as :smaller pieces of yard trimmings, non-recyclable papers, and diapers. The residue
that ren:iains after source separation is known as "gray waste".
Experience has shown that source separation provides the best quality feedstock for either
campos~:ing or AD, with a minimum of heavy metal and plastic contatninarion. Where
source s ~pau~ation has been widely introduced, the resa~.lts are encouxagirsg. 'The experience
of mans countries indicates that- 30-50 percent of the total organic fraction of MSW is
successf=ully collected. The quality of this organic fraction vaziss fmm "reasonable" to "very
good" enabling the producrion of an excellent soil
imgmvet:
C~ntra~>i~ec~ S~p~r~ti~~
Centralized separation provides the only route for ob-
wining an organic fraction from MSW where source
separation is not available. Centralized separation
techniques include mechanical processing, optical
processing, and handpicking. The obtained digestible
fraction is usually more contaminated than source-
~ separated biovs=sate, wish inevitable consequences on
,
~ ~ ultimate digesters utilization. This particularly affects
the heavy metal and plastic content of the digestate
„ 5 ~ ~ end-product. In many countries, digestwte derived
Y from mechanical separation might not mast the stan-
.
dards required for useful application as a soil condi-
centralizsd separation tioner. In this case, the benefits of aerobic composting are minimal and the benefits of AD
provides the only routs for derive only from effective use of the biogas as fuel, from waste volume reduction, and a
ot,taining an organic fraction more rapid stabilization of the landfill site. I-Iowsver, many other countries allow this type
from MsW where source of mat: ~ria(to be used for landfill cover or for land remediation purposes. Centralized sspa-
separation is not available,
such as ae this Eco-Tec ration can also be applied to the gray waste residual after source separation because it can
reference plant. still cc:ntain up to 35 percent digestible matter.
~he main process steps in digesting MSW are:
~ Pair-Tat;Eetrr upgrades and 1•~omagenizes the digestion feedstock by removing un-
wanted materials, like metals, plastics, or stones, and protects downstream treatment
processes.
~ Atvn~tte~~rc >~>!~lsrro~a produces oio~;as for energy and deodorizes, seabilizes and sans-
tines the digestate product.
# Posy--~>`rr completes the stab ilization and disinfection of the digestate, removes
residual inert materials like glas;t and plastics, and produces a refined product of suit-
able moisture content, particle size and physical stnacture.
iP~tlP~~#~7~!'~ PP~~~SS~S
The main pretreatment processes for sorting and size-reduction are described below. Some
of these process steps serve more than on.e purpose. Fos example, bag-opening may not be
required as a separate process and, in •~vet systems, separation and particle size reduction can
take glace simultanemusiy in one piece of equipmene. As a general Hale, materials handling
in a biogas plant is much easier when she required fraction of MSW has already been source
separated.
S~t°#in~ ~i'~~SS~'Si
MSW can range widely in quality send composition, and
even source separated MSW will require ; ome further sepa-
ration eo remove wrongly sorted materials such as plastics, x
metals and oversized components. In same cases, source sepa-
rated organics are delivered in plastic basis. `This should be
discouraged as plastic does not degrade very quickly. How-
ever, it cannot always be prevented and ;a bag opener may k<rk ~,~.r ~
be required as a first stage of processin~,~, Thereafter, the sepa- k~~~~~`1;,~;;~'ry.;. _
ration can be done under wet or dry c.onc[itions. Wet sepa-
ration can be undertaken in a pulper or wet sieve, which
provides both separation and particle si::e reduction in a
single unit. It also promotes "suspensi~~n" of the softer parts
of the organic matter in the pulping liquor. For dry separation, rotating drum pulverizing Using the so?id and liquid
screens are widely used, frequently vita addition of some water or recycled liquor to moisten residues from the ~
and weaken the paper components. process can also have very
beneficial environmentai
impacts, Recycling nutrients
Pd~lCL~~ ~~~Ld~ti®fi'i can help create a virtuous
cycle of sustatnability.
`This is necessary to reduce the coarsen organic matter down to a more homogeneous size to
aid the anaerobic fermentation and to fac:.litate downstream processing. The size reduction
process can use screw-cutting, mitlini_:, drumming, pulping or shredding machines accord-
ing to the design requirements of the plazat.
~®s~
~~~at~~~~ ~ir~CeSSa~S
After digestion, the material usually requires refining before it can be used for horticulture
or agriculture. If the feedstock is pra:.essed wet, the material may be spread directly otato
farmland as a slurry (most applicable to c:o-digestion plants) or it can~e_~eparated-.intQa
'solid and l~~aid#raction. The salid frs?.ctic~n can be matured for about txo to four weeks to
provi ^a dry and fully stabilized con::post. ~'he liquid fraction may either be recycled.for
the dilution of .fish west€, applied d.irectty to farmland as a liquid fertilizer, or sent to a
:cz~;~~aent plaaat. If the A1S~ is treated in a dry proce~, the da'gl rc~terial ns
uslly de:tc~d ai ataarxared to coanpc~st. ;2,'$ost of the liquor ~ cycled to t~isten atad
ix~cta~te tt~ ir~aning raw I~54X; lsaii`tlsere will usuly ~ a smell s~ ~t can be
sp~d.on find a fertili tts
reed axe a treater ~1~. ~gpli-
cation of rle~•,tate or.lir to.fsad is dt ors dtate ~.t~
std local t4a-
~ ~ euids vaaiety of engineered systeaa~s have beega specifically de'velopeal for the rapid
" vessel" digestion of 1 and other types of organic wastes. leach had its own special
benefats aAad coa~sttaiaats.
i t-Iere the IvIS'T,T feedstock is sluraved with a large proportion of process grater to provide a
dilute (IC • IS :p~cex~t dry solids) f~dstock that can be fed to a coanplete r~aix tax;k digester.
~J'hera d fc~r A+IS~ digestion alone, liciaaor from:. ~e sSc?er dictate is recycled for feed
patlarn es~ avoid gexaerating an excessive voluraee of diluted d`agestate fQr disposal. `This
concept lc~ds itself towards co-dagestia~.g A~1S~T valth more dilute feedstocks soh as anianal
taaataures, liiosoli~, or organic industrial wastes.
sc>~#~Sf
There are. a aa:~aaber of multi-step wet digestion processes where the 1M[SW is slurried with
water or zyrcys:led liquor and fermented by hydrolytic and fermentative Lteria to release
volatile f<<tty aacids which are then converted to biogas in a higlx-rate industrial w~$tewater
anaerobit. digs~t~, usually an anaerabic filter or a sludge blanket reactor. T'isese sy~teaus am
very suita',le !:or the digestion of biowaste and vest organic wastes froaxa industries such ~
food paocE~sirr~.
Cc~~i®u~
. These sys~:ea~3 batch-load a continuously fed digestion vessel with a digesters dry matter
content o~~20.4d} percent. t3othcornpletely neixedand plug-flow systeans are available.l'lug-
flow systems rely on extersaal recyc$e of a proportion of the outgoia~g digesters to inoculate
the inco~:sing rr f~clstock. In both cases, the reciuit+~taent for only aninil water addi-
tioaas n~~;ss tree overalif heat balance favorable for operation at thaoptaili~digestia~aa teaa_
perataares (~0•~55°C).
dry. rllth
This concept beech-loads the conraixament vessel with raw feedstock and inoculates it with
dagesrate fiffitei another reactor. it is then sear and eft to nanaralPy. 1?xr9.ng this
closure po:riod, ieactnatg from the base of the vessel can be recirculated to anainta~ita a uni-
forn~ ttaui~ture: caxatent and redistribute soluble subst€ates seed aaaethane tzacteria ut
the mass ~~f bg5~l wittun the vessel. Viihen dag~tioaz ~ complete, the vl is reopened,
unload and refilled with a fiesta charge of raw $eedstoclc.
5 ~en~ .
`The se~:~
batch conce.~ is y sisaailar to day batch digestion, except that leachers
froara the lease of the vessel is exchaaged bet~veeaq established and new ha€ches to facilitate
start cap,s~aoci~a and removal of volatile ta~aterials ire tt~e active reactor after-the dig~s-
tion ptvc~ liecootn~ established in the solid waste, the digester is auac~upled seed recoaa-
nected ts~ a fresh t~rcla of MSS in a second ves~l.
"I`his concept is asa ~celerated egad c:otati°oll~l la , desi to encoaar~e the convey
sion of solid vat isato anethane. A l;ioa€~ct~sr 1~3fi11 is typically divided 'auto cells, a~ is
provided with a sy~tears to collect le&act:ate froarc 1 of t14c cell. C+sllected leasbaate is
puateped back aHp to flee surface a~ distiabuted gross the waBt€ cells. `leis transforms a
laYadiall izaeo, essentially, a large hi~ta••solids digester.
l llll
~Si~ is not the otaiy rov~aste ~~rxeam suitable for treatment with AD. In may
cases there are sigeaifit advatat~es to cs-dust l~S`~T with othaer cleaia salid av2 strsas,
Successful co-digestion candidates isaclude argaxtic endustrial wastes !®IlX.'), s as food
proving wastes, and agsicultaaral viastes, s3xch ~ raaazaure. Ara ataaportant feats c;:f ~5~~
is that it is genemliy mailable in coarstarat quantities thtouglaout the year, and ah ~S
provides a stable base fe~lstoek, lsalz:reove=i, rave parsvidel by ate fees for 1~iS~` fe~-
stocks will be az~ ianpoatant part of ilre overall AD plant econcaanics.
AD is ideally suited' for many of thk: concentrated wastewaters eypical of aYaany industrial
processes today..'1s will be detailed la~:ea; oyes 30 types of industries have beta ideratifted with
waste~a~t aztaexaable for AD tteaeiiraent, inslaadia~ of heveHs, chesaaicaals> food,
teaser, zasilk, pulp awl per, aaad phi°~aceaaticals, amoa~ others.
`T`he types ~ aarQbic digesters ccsraatvoa>Zy d in itadaastrial applicatioias include low-tean-
pelaeaere CCEi~ed lam, COB3apl~t~ 9Ygi2tfFtlFr~'t tif3s, ~iC ~€lter rE'c CtorS, 6lp~l~Ofi s~~
blaH~kers, and fluid lied a~actors. 'lac: adds of these technol~ies to aerohic
prOC€sseS i3lcltide low sly prods:
do}z, l~agh loatlira~
rat~,1(Dw rautiiertt re~i€ets> . fl~~YtYH,
Of course, the production of bid.
T"he use of AD technology oil sevf:ral :~lvantes over
waste treatanent by the aerohic paro:acesy. Usiaa~ desrr~ic
treataaeHit, acts appreciable fraction r$'the ~a~te is trans-
~
fortned to new bioma~ solids, lea~iisai~ to a potential .
. m r
sludge dispel probleaia. In contra:;t, ~3I) presduces era ~ >
order of ma~itaade less solids, ~itb. the diffcaence coca-
verted to biogass waith e~iergy vat'
ue<'°t'he::e also favor-
able operations and sasainteHaance betYefat;: ass~i€d ~vixh
AD techaatzlsagy, normly includes :!ter et3er~uire-
meets for operation. Certain types aaf 1~D processes saga
be extremely space efficietat due to the ~hievement of
higlaei loadir rates than is usanalivr povvsible wit~a aero-
bicprocesses. Cln flee tither hand, at rnaa:;t be pcaanted out
chat the anaerobic diioaa gf organic: ratter is normally not as complete as can be ob- ~ ~ idly suited for
rained through aerobsc trea4axaent> #3aad, at least the processang o$ atadtastrial wast.eer, it t
is often advaigtag to cotrabiiae a:~ae~xa4bic pawtreatment vwith a very small aerobic polish- indiai s~ today.
iaag step. such as Bit's.
F'.AC?~41ASB
at a diss~iltery in
Sraaii_
~O~l ~
The older and ttaost simple form c:f AD techtxalogy eaaaployed by industries is the uncov-
ered, unaaixed l~csotx. A boon traay };eve a gtat~tion tune in v?~4cs or nnonths.
in order to naxake pia~tical of ~:#ae lcsn techiaaalogy and shorten flee retention titsae,
mixing naetlatDds ~raers devised to r,~apm~ve the cosatact betweern -alas organic after and the
bacterial biaranass, l~ecaaase of sadors and the new to control air emir $i'ke Heathens, an
ezagised meaaabratae coves to co=lace: bias w~ added. 'Ibis type ~ miace~ tired ccavered ,
4an is aacsva widely d outside Euaa~pe fs~r the treatment of i%s€iustzial wash.
~ ~
~ ffi
e ~ _ ~ ~
~a
1 ~
'Std
~ a
cca~ ~
'c ,dl ~
~ ~ ~ ~
~ _ ,
` of
e~~'~#
. 'I
~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~
~ , , ~
i
axe ~
~ ~
~ -
~ ~8~~
~~~~P ~
~
e
a~•
using anaerol3ic trcatmetxt (F> 1). The ptalp and passer
iaadustry, incl~iaag rgaills, as a distant fourth as aaa . ,f, € _
inducer cat~ory. I~o~-ever, a grcat poteratir~l exists for the r ,j: ~
futearc aaaobic treatssaent of ~s:~ze:~at+~r in tkae cl~anica~ '
and phanzl:~eutieal it~ustries.
ZS ~ L~..ly{~ S
The use of All technology for the tf~eatrnent of s~astewater
From inda~txy has grown tretaendot~sly eluring the gale de- ~6~:
cads to the goint where there are nor azaore this lfld€1 ven-
dor saappiaed syctrxetras in ogerati®n or a~.nder caxastxsiction ~
throughout ths: ~=sand. It k» l e:~ti~~ted twat
plants comprise 4(?gercent saf the in:~talled b, while only
12 gercent of the s~,~ are located an Forth America. A
ca€asiderablc feas~ioaa of the systems are located ira Asia, pri-
mashy India.
Srr~rss, qke the ~cample
An intea~sting observation concerns the distribution of Al) systegns by general process st~wn in ~ aetisrs
type. For the purps of thus eval~:iation, these vendor-iaastalied roce$ses ~ sttihed account ~
g a large a of
into low-rar,~ Goon and con~t), hagle~te ~£dter and UASB) and aaltra hi~a-rate (flasr~d- irG ~ AD
ized bed). As ~hQa~n in Figure 2, tlse LJ.~LSB high-rate process- es on a wrsrldAwide v~as'~sr~€ersysris. Some
basis, with a trl~et tration of til gstt t~f total nutnbe€ of iatxial AL? sygtet~ or ~ otter types of
iYXllSSti~3 tint a.~sca.gD
deploy~l. The n~otity of the zeainicg systes loss-rate low and cntatast dam- ~ a+~s«.evvat€r
e~.l-lava~, the use of etltra high••rate technasl€sgy has incre~ecl ~carltly dttri~ the txeatr~rtt i e~kohoi.
recexat past, a~ it is not unreasQna~le '~o expect this eype of technology to have a greater traks~s . ~~y
market penereaticax~ Fate in the facture. cam. chcai.
ctaocol c acid, cam,
daEiy ad>d ca~ese, di34ilfet)+.
FIGIJftE 1. ~mts~tat~, ~saa#t,}z+ice,
fructose product3or?, PuIP
and p3~i', phai'tYidC@L,fibC~e,
potaIDO pCace,~ng. Rltftkar
~POf86dcY70PD• s€4.h~1~£ itQ/:OT.
3$~ ii S~"€£4
d'Kk~`~'. SfT~$ &g6~T11C5,
Stad'CP'I ~~3:~{~+. CoPP1, Wheatj,
Sider' (3foC~€~g. S2»lLr
C
6~s'sr,~
~ . a. Si.
e r1d ~ ar>d
L yei
PS~S a~G AD Wast~nrates Systems 51'
Industry Type
25~a
FiGL'Rc 2. 43sgh
(UAS~)
67%
I
_ _ ;
i~~
ddb
AD WaSF~r+rdECr Systems by
Process Type
Cs'rtsp ~
t~~
Q
i~an prodd by Ilse AD prod is cieait~ siasailax so "natuealn ~ it is exacted
frorna ~ wellhr.3ci. However, in addition to enexh, natl. has a. cogs ~ qty of
~ other hydroca~gls as baatane, ethane, and prose. As a rety n~ ~ sways
_ leave: a higher cs~~ie y
slue than pure asaethaflae. clsa$~cteics ~ r~dsa~ase,
ei the sirrsple~s: €~f t~rze lsydrocarbas~s-seal the principal ~ of lri ~ it an exrellesst
fuel for y .
I ~ics~sc~sbes~dinallapplia~tiansde~igned
fcsrrsansa~l ~s,'Fads~.y, it ~ catanaonly bus$aed
an ~nx~l ro~'saism ers~ixse to gener-
a ate e:lectxicitg~: Practiea4 expt:Piexsce with
s~
ale i~~& e~or& witka
a aflthan Z k~l medicate
an el~tril con~tersi€~rs e$tciy ~ to Z5
~ f peaceast. ln~l cotnlion ~ can be
~ ~ ~.as l as I~;s~'3-k dhav~ atxr~h
~ ~ = ~ . l ~ ~ 1~ e'~tr€e~l cs~v~~aon ~isncy of up
to 36 percent.
- ~thess bi€ is used to produce ele~tricaty,
~r:. ~ : -
~s~ is flee aid potential for heating vrateg
fxc~ms eng'sxse's easlsa~t ate: cooliasg sys-
tenas, ~aacsing hot v~ater Fecavery with
elcctriciry gera4-ion care provide ax? ovll
conv~siors eiettcyrsf ~is~5 percent, liiag
roc9a}~. t~ia~as is cornmanh~ is also burned in ~i$eas to produce hot wage ar?d stem. l for ether isadszstxial .
com9wsted m ger~ercc
A ptomsi;~iasg raea.~
t~ appiicatian fur electrical genticsn is the: of ~ tasrbirsas. For
larg~x s~~le: 8`LL4~j ca~lhined Cyc1C paw€r 5$atidYltS CAg2Si1S£ of L8Pr1~i~i4S, a$~3 tiB~IYAgS,
and .e heat a~covcry boiler all wcsrkieig together to pie electeicit~ lsrlod ~ tsar-
bine plaas~ are: ill, exttemety effint, environmentally ~ and ~#ty ~za~sa~asive.
Unity a$ ~sall as 2(~-lt~#l are availahle, but only at sales tlgz~n iii-l~~i does their
electxica.l cossv~siors e~"iei~sey t or sins ass izsters~l cflsgs~issrs ~e-6l systeza~,.
l-lawevex, tls~~ s~ of a gas ttbrlsine allows ~ fticsnof the waste heae tc: be reca~rcxed ~
more va~asable gym. $ra this faslaic~n, overall tsmcbitae efFtcieracy cars lie gter than 70
percent. In rhg fiittare, fuel cells ar~d the Stirlixsg engine msg be able to s~ bird to east-
ef~ctir?ely generate elecuicity and xncover prace~ hest.
r, . l3is is suceessfsslly ccs~~ fax ~ an altcxasatlve tc~syporta-
- ,
tion fuel iaLtliglataiad hemvy-duty ~4aieles. °fo olhttain amble metl,e,
cachcen dioxide, ls.~. ode a~ aepara £rom tlse•
bi~s• Aftertl~isupi~gpgacedt~, use e~hni~uessffixeli~witlg
bid ~is the ~ dot used ~r used ~t ~ (~:NG)
e' velsicles. ~ihrldwide, it is estitt~el that araurad osse snilliors vehicles
are now. ~axag C:f~TC'i as a trans~srr~ticxs fuel l 13uxns very
cle:axsly, x~axay fl€et oger~stors have reported savings of 40-50 percent
in varhicle in*.ence cosea<
Siogas is ~ y hica is vied ~ eta envixontssens~ily attractive
a9so alternative; to dial and-Mane far operatsra~ bsases mad tither focal.
cnm~xr~ transport vehicles. The sound level gated by naetltat~e-povuesed
eisgisses ~ generally lame tlsaas tlsat gera~dby dae~l~se~,vahich
as is a positive aspect, particularly izs an ~exbara ~ravircaxscxs~st. lrxhaust
a~ssse
fiaixde esni.~aons arc c¢3taaidlg Iar than the er€a€~imrgs (roan died
frseE ~ e~anes, and Ilse eanissican of nitr~en oxides ~ v~y low. `T'he major
~gnr and prolileasas associated with. ~ia~ coaaspeed vehic4e5 inclsule ae-
cluced driving range and cargo space.
l °
U sira~ the solid and Liquid resi~f~ fro~a e~ae ~ prods can alscs have v~ ben,.
efacia~ bracts. ~e giant, ~%t9 eyed Herrera these paoduc~ l de-
pend ore the cgu~ity of zhe few, rise ~a~thod off diction (mot +or dry,} and the ~astent of . ;
rite post-tretteaat refitAin~ prods.
In recent y-eats, a ttta-
jor effort of the IE~4
13~itsene~a Af3 Actin- _
ity hac been devet-
optnetit of a shard.-
ized protocol. t -
lows a cotr~para~ve
steidy betty a~rcal~ic
and anaerobic eom-
posts to be c~xdtcd:
.
~t)Y Some tin3C, soli ~
prodi3~ei~ ~~®bic ~ ~ z ,zeig~t
COtTBp~~a4a:bG'~r5 a+~ tw ~
mariteted tvorid~isfe , t` { 't~"}'~£'...:~'
ss soil itnprov~s d ~
~rOb['in,~ 3raedla.
t~naerobic di~t;state
a~ has ats,~~et tezs>
tial, beat for rise m
part ~gglicable st-
lords ftsr this prexl
do not exist. '~€le
similar in a~sanu ~a~,
aerobic eornpcsstsx
anaerobic digestates
and composts frs3nt combined ana~ol:ic and aerobic treatment appear to have significant ~C3E5 ~E
differences. °T'he d'arious anaerobic prop:
asses (eret or dry, different temperateaae rams, etc.) r~n~'t-tares Go7
vrill also yield di~tes vaith different glides. Cleaxly, a st~clardi~l ~raluation of these Grooving earith ~ eerie
phosphorescence
different aced products is needed so that oiztamaan applications can be develogsed for all rluces^x "night
products. k~€xss°) t9ouds catch
~ds'ng So•icrrr cave
`The main product of all process is a solid di,~state which case be tnatur~ auto a coanpost ~t1~. c~ fr°~~'
z~t~-uapor, ttse}+ occur ~
product atsd ~ ss a soil impro~;r or media, Sam~ll ~antit~s c>$'sut~ste~ li~or are erstsct: thcr awes than
also available bvhich are ~nlly sitnila€ to s dated araitaaalalur~ e~ tale can be ~ouds r:orrs~a~tyform.
spread directlyr onto fnland or de~atered to provide separate licissad fertili~r .and solid ~eo~~ ~ re~earcners.
corn roducrs. noetituce~ ciex.~rds r~~
a~spear tv~.os as otter as
did 25 Y~~ ar~o. finger
~1D enricl3es alternative agrictaltural lsractices wlaera the cliion residues are applied to a~ are creeping,
crisps or dcsted ftasrks for othex altetave fuels lilies biodil or ethanof. ~"re~tir?~ soeat#-sfra'ara3 ' t~ s
crsngrnoel~i~ to larod anotiset yid whale rtcyclin~ saatrients creates s virta~ous c~; ~~inq t~ n~ct
cycle of _~i~.abili~: €he sib ~ ~
fireece, or 9Aexico.
AD miti:tes a rauttsber of other ~v cal concerns, Ira®rss of volati4e sFalids and a t'i`
volatile fatty acids am directly r~;lat+:d its odor stseAS~th frotrs I '~itith urban ~
y has. ilR~arte
encroachment Ito roaral , i~ nsataber of amebic ~tis~ plarsts atxd r~ at the surge s9o~}r
lailis a differ spec£ss~lk~y i~t~led fs~r the lsurpose of:~lli od~srsfrestrt Mode- u~rct wit ~ breaks
gaaclable oric trs~tter. 'T~.e fsrr.,c~ also destrops patho~ns atad displaces fossil fuels. rsaub~ to produce wrr
vapor, ,fit an ~e ~ 80-
km, the v fts into lee
Ftarther, merhatxe is a potent ~reeaalco 4GH~}. According to aaathoritfe5, the 1QQ- erysta~ a~ rat sue~ig3at
year Global ~a~iaag 1'oteaatial {C~VP} of meths is estimated to be 21. `This means that abo~ t~ s s~ in
a gives, m oiF mesa could ~~act~sse the at~~ghere's radiative forte by an aaant 21 ~ ~?g • ~0'~'aP?'?
r~t~s Greater than the same azzas ebDra dioxide. The need to ro€strol bias _and laaadfnll ~ Pek&a
/4
gas eraaioras has beers flee topic of rnuch recent iratetYaational eravirora~eratal dsscu~saon.
l~leetll tcc5 sea; conversion of bath into l~s csdiaus carbon dioxide be accoraa-
plashed thr+;eaasgl? cation or other techniques.
llil
hen a clam lretav~ra waste ~e~aent alteanataves, it is appaarerat
that flee cs,~l set of costs and;
beiaefats in flee widest p~ible s raxust be corasied.
A~lakirag dff:cisi:arcs ~vstho~at a f~ a~taent sa€ axlva~ .mad dan€s of the
various coca available is, at best, to rely ors ixatuatioaa araelz at ~raorst, fooardy and potera
taally courat~r-gat>ductive..Life-aycle analyses (LCA) is-era irat~aatiorsaily saact$rd~~ tes.Ia-
s nigtae for e,caartsrai~ag eaavixoramera€,a1 burtfens of a ~Sroce~ frosts ceadF€ to grave, including
~ ~ those fleet are atad dowrastrearaa of tlse prrac~ itself. .
°I`he systetxis approach of LCA requires as~~axaerat of a praceas an tea~rns of a `faxeaction~al
urait', gesae~.ral[~ a wait of waste handled for av~ste auanaaaerat operations. Addatasexaal sea
vices, saacl~, as the recovery sxf energy and rtaaterials, axtasst ~ a~kera iaato aesdna€at.1~or
AD sysE~r~s: tl additional services eoaaarraonly electracaty grad ctsgtes. If tl~ inten-
tion is to ~ort~age ether waste rnaraagaraaent options, soh as corfiisOStia'eg; avir4a A.D, like
tnaast be c~snepared wich take, arad adaer sakes of eaxergy ar xxaatetials aaaaest be ancl~ded in
the asealy:ris if they a~ raot also produced. by flee alternative.
braergg serov<:ay ~uil$ gsovide a ~sositive life cycle benefZt for AD csver the coraapoatixag of
orgaaaic w•~ste. ~ already 1AerataoYa~I, ~1D systeeaas are net eraetgy
$r~ processes, arad
coraapostf~ag s?rstas are net eattexgy-c€a~ners. °["he ~ tai f~ ca ®vould
be var~ble anal sate-ddent, but Ir~'~ agproxit+~~ly ~-75 its ~r trararae of v~r~te. , ' •
This wauld o4:tera be applied f~era a fossil-fanel source. '
The relative ! of the r~aalting compost grad dictate pcodzacts are complex to asses.
`Tlae beraE:fias :are a~lated to long-tea sad structure and fertality as vreil as seabatiteatiora of
soil coraditioraeas aaaclfertiliz~s.Crucially, bcsd,.cosnpcast ana d~tate reaszst be a~~. ire order
to acctaac ars ~ beau grad avoid the envagorasraental aiat~ with t dispo~l.
liven whew t1. ra~rials are disposed, itss unlikely that the axs~ wauld go fax to of~t-
tinp the a:.r~r.;y bala~„ce irafavor of ~I~: A fu11 LCD sho.alsos_r~Ia erxaissit to air
vrateg as ~rveli s~ resadv.al wash. T?ae fast of tlae~ are poe3rly aeradcrsts~d fas coanposting as
they are ~.asually aiaacontrdlled. $IV'hile they are likely tta be areas€1 ire ca~aparisrs€a vaith euais-
sions fro~,a ghe energy supply requiged forpovaerirag the cozxagsz~tiang proce~, they slacxald not
be igaa€~~d. AZeanvrhile, wally small, but known, ena~ions froa:a ~D exagines a~ com-
mon saab~ect of interest.
l 11~
~ ~s noted, AD is a techaaically feasible optiors for conver~tirag organic ~idu~. It
~ provides; betaefats to rlac eravaronraserat through eras and rautrierat recycli~, whale also
mitigatasag odors, pathogens grad ateraosplzeric gnetharae. blowev~ lake t renewable era-
ergy options, its ecotzoreaic merit teli~ on conditiotas depe~E ten. a variety of factoxs. The
deciaiorc to . AD for treating 1ufS~l rather thaaxa alterative techcaologi~ gads on a
number of fiactors:
~ ~la~ quality;
~ Site specific circuznstarac~s;
# ~4vailability of outlets for the energy produced;
~ Etaergy prices and taxes;
~ taergy purchase tariffs,
~ Coss of alterraativtaxes on alterraativ~;
~ Policy ~e.g. r~raewable energy azad tecyclirag policies);
~ Larsd prices;
~ ;~ta€kets for coraepost avid digestate;
~ Level of capital grad tab~sr costs ire eac?n courasry.
Discussion of the economics of thE: digestion of MSDU is complex due the wide range of
parameters that affect the costs anr_l thc: number of "cxternal"'benefits that are accrued. In
addition to this, each country has d: efferent circumstances, infrastructure and fiscal arrange-
ments that affect the relarive and, absolute casts of various waste management options.
Even within a single country these costs will vary considerably.
In terms of biowaste the main competitor of AD is composting. AD cannot compete on
costgroundswithtraditionalopen-t~.irta~~ windrow MSlX1 composting. However, dust, health,
odors, and vermin concerns are ms.ktng; more complex in-vessel composting systems neces-
sary-. T`he up-front investment cats of these advanced composting system are currently
comparable to AD costs.
The trend in reduced net treatxne:nt costs for AD systems is shown in Figure 3 where the
casts from a 1992 study are comp;lred to mare recent installations. This figure shows the
reduction in overall treatment such gnat AD systems are competitive with other waste
treatment options.
This trend can anecdotally be verified by the experience of one system developer. Their
first operation was installed in 19412 a~. a cost of about $8.4 anillion (US$} with an annual
processing capacity of 10,000 tonn.es.lJsing more refined engineering practices, their most
recent operation installed in 199t:~ cost $5.6 million (US$} and has an annual processing
capacity of 20,000 tonnes. On an installed cost per tonne, this experience reflects a reduc-
tion in capital expense of 67 percent. Many other system developers report similar trends.
It should also be noted that the prices shown in Figure 3 generally reflect a "tiarta-key"
facility built in Europe, where inwestrnents in some components such as plant machinery,
land, and infrastructtre are signifi.:
an~:ly higher than for other locations in the world. This
is especially true for Asia and South fl,merica.
FJGURE 3.
tOg
~ 0 1982
0 1994 sx~l
0 0 e x 1996 ackeattt
80 i 1942
1934 ffia~li~
8 - - - 1936
70
x o Recent trends in treatment
= x costs for the anaerobic
digestion of fMSW and
c g ~ o source separated wastes.
v c 'ti o \
` e
E~ d x o 0 0
ti o
~ 50 -
? e
e ti e o
e
x e o
8 x
---r-----.-.. _
0 248000 4A +u4I000 100000 120000
T 3'
Tom par Year
1~
1s~i:~es~es'7~ti®s~ ®f ~IISi~ ~i~esti~s~
The imp:~rtance of selling the energy products produced from biogas at a satisfactory price
cannot b.. OVeYestlmated. Because the current major end-use of biogas is electricity genera-
tion, this generally means that AD facilities must negotiate suitable rate structures with an
electricity utility, as well as maximize the use of the process heat.
Many utilities are now very interested in earning credit for reducing GHG emissions. Some
electric ~_xilicies see the risk of mandatory GHG controls imposed by future regulatory or
legislati~~e actions. These utilities will undertake voluntary actions to reduce GHG emis-
sions, in part to prevent mandatory GHG controls.
There h:~s been much recent discussion about the need to Impose more stringent GHG
control efforts. Although these may take two to three years to be fully developed, broad-
based cac#sor.. taxes are among the most promising and important of the emerging tools for
promoti~:,g t~:ductions in carbon emissions. Several European nations like Denmark, Fin-
land, and Sweden have adopted such taxes, but initiatives in the US, in Australia and in
the Eura ~eati Union have failed or stalled.
FIGURE 4.
ncitaeration
:.andf 11
4erobic composting
4naarobic digestion
~oNiigestion
U 25 SO 75 l0U
Comparison of anaerobic
digestion costs with US$/tonne
a(tenZative options and
general trends covering the Where heat can be sold at high price
variation between countries
General tread
A carbon tax c<<nnot guarantee how great the reduction in emissions will be, but any tax w111
be excellenE for biogas projects because of methane's GWP. Some planning units currently use
a placeholder of $15 per ton of carbon dioxide ($55 per ton carbon) in their current models. A
modest carl:~on tax would provide avalue-adder of more than 1Q¢ (US$) per kith to an AD
project.
Individual ::?ational conditions such as energy prices, pollution taxes, and the cost of regula-
tory compli:irxce strongly influence the economic merit of an AD system. Therefore, compari-
sons betwea:n individual facilities and countries are difficult.
l l
~eyond the nuts-and-bolts of the technology arena, there is an effort conducted by the
lntei-nation,gl Energy Agency (IEA) $ioenergy AD Activity to encourage technology deploy-
meat The iEA Bioenergy is a collaborative agreement ~t up in 1978 to improve international
cooperation and information exchange between national bioenergy pragrams. iEA l3ioenergy
~r~~~ aims to rea}. ize the use of environmentally sound and cost-competitive bioenergy on a sustain-
able bases avid to provide a substantial contribution to meeting-future energy demands,
The IEA $ioenergy AD Activity aitn:~ to provide reliable information on the cost-effec-
tiveness of AD, markets for biogas and the other co-products, advanced technologies for
biogas utilization, environmental l; enefits, and institutional barriers. Six countries partici-
pate in the Activity: Canada, Derrmark, Finland, The 1Vetherlands, Switzerland, grad the
United Kingdom. The United States was formerly a participant, but dropped out due to
changes in progratntnatic direceior: at the Department of Energy's Office of lndustrial'I°ech-
nology.
The Activity's principal objective:; are to accelerate exchange of information and practical
experience, identify barriers to the deployment of AD technology, encourage the use of AD
technology, and, where relevant, .assist and encourage national Pilot and Demonstration
programs. 'i
he goal of these objet ~ive~ is to increase the deployment of AD technologies
and to transfer the "lessons learned" from past experience.
The target audiences for the Activity's work products include municipal and regional waste-
decision managcas, AD industry suppliers, waste disp~al developers and financiers,. central.
agencies providing capital grants, and central agencies preparing environmental legislation.
l l
t i1.J systems are now widely u:;ed throughout the world. The factor most strongly influ-
encing the economic merit of an ~iD facility is maximizing the sales of all usable co-prod-
ucts. Advanced tecl~.twlogy end-us a applications can increase the economic value of biogas,
but only after sufficient production scale has been achieved to significantly reduce the unit
cost of ownership.
Legislation that helps internalize soci~d cost is also important, but in practice, externalities
like global climate change are dtfiicul.t to quantify. However, formal consideration of the ~'1e f~ctlviry has helped to
develop an e-mail list
true cast of intended for the discussion of
the various - ~°~D as a sustainable energy
energy op- resource. Currently, almost
100 subscribers on three
lions can onl=~ continents are using the free
improve the service.
econotxr.ic
merit of AD For those of you not familiar
f a c i l i t i e s. " with an e-mail fist, they can
_ < . bean excA!'•cni way to ask a
Evaluating guesrion or to raise an issue
total life- with iske-mErided indivadu~:.
cycle cost is a For example, a project
ma or task in developer could pose a
1 gua=scion to Ohe list members
the near- =3n different methods for
term. The un- cantrol!ing H2S. in this case,
derstanding you would just address your
of total life- e-ma! message to
'digestioncrest. org"
cycle cost by tiomitting me "...-l, and then
politicians gym,
iy write your message.
and policy _ ?o subscribe, send a message
makers is im- to "majordomo@crest.org"
with the line "subscribe
portant if renewable energy techr.olo.;ies are to become truly competitive. digestion <your email
address> in the message
The use of more sophisticated A ~ processes for industrial waste treatment will increase. f eat the subjece: line,.
For exampe: subscribe
AD can decompose some organi~:: to:cic and hazardous materials in co-digestion schemes digestion xyzt~?t 23.com.
and this potential will be realizes. For the future, the driving forces for the use of AD will Once you receive
probably drift away from energy production. Organic stabilization, pathogen reduction, confirmation of your
and the production of a high-qua:.ity soil improver will be important reasons to use AD in subscription you wilt receive
developing countries. Energy savings ;n operation and minimal sludge production from AD addtsona! Information on the
other available list
versus aerobic treatment will become more important in energy and landfill deficient areas. commands.
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES
240 Ninth Street, NE
Washington, OC 20002-61 10 USA
te! 202.546.6283
fax 202.546.3518
email pluskQa pipeline.com
economic solutions for energy and the environment
Gear Colleague,
Attached is a copy of Biogas and ~i~lore! Systems and ~1~larkets Overview of Anaerobic Digestion. The booklet was
prepared by the International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy Anaerobic Digestion Activity, sponsored as a part of
the Energy Recovery from Municipal Solid Waste Task.
Around the world, pollution of the air and water from municipal, industrial and agricultural operations continues
to grow. Governments and industries are constantly on the lookout for technologies that will allow for more
efficient and cost-effective waste treatment. One technology that can successfully treat the organic fraction of
wastes is anaerobic digestion (AD). When used in a fiilly-engineered system, AD not only provides pollution
o ev nation, but also al owe
f~~lstainable enc:r~y, compost and nu rient recovery. Thu3 AD can convert a
di~nosa[ problem into
a~orofit center. As the technology continues to mature, AD is becoming a key method for
both waste reduction and recovery of a renewable fuel and other valuable co-products.
Worid~~ ide, there are more than l 1 ~ AD plants operating or under construction using municipal solid waste (MS W)
or organic industrial waste as their principal feedstock. The toeal annual capacity is almost_.fiy~ttullion -tonnes,
Another__~. plants are in the planning phase with an :ttnual capacity of nearly Ltivo million tonnes. More t n S~
prime technolas~ ltc,~
nse ~o1d~S have a proven system operating at the pilot- or full-scale level (at least 1 ~0
tonnes per year).~erators have found that AD nrovide~ environmental benefits allowing their waste disposal
facilities to meet inereasmalr stringent reguiations~
The use of AD for treatin; industrial wastewaters has grown tremendously during the past decade to the point
where there are, now more than 100 0vendor-supplied systems in ,-~„~r~AOr unu~:_construction-throughout the
world. Ov~~Q_Sypes
oof industries have been identifiesi~vith havin~u way waters amenable for AD treatment,
includinaprocessors.of,beyerages, chemicals, food, meat, rtiilt,~, pulp„and EaFer, and.pharmaceut[cals2 among others.
Many of these industries use AD as a pretreatment step to lower slud_~,e disposal costs, control odors, and to reduce
final treatment costs at a municipal waste water treatment facili
AD systems are now widely used throughout the world. The factor most strongly influencing the economic merit
of an AD._fa:.ility is maximizing the sales of all usable co-products. For the future, the driving forces for the use
of AD will probably drift away from energy production. ~r~ganic stabilization, p~ ovPn r ducti.on, an_d ehe
p - ualita+ it im rover will be im ortant reasons to use A in-~iPVe1Q ino cn~,ngrles.'<
Operational savings and minimal sludge production from AD verses aernhir
r~'~rmPnr wTl[ becorn~~ce~
important in energy and landf ll deficient areas- The use of more sophisticated AD processes for industrial waste
treatment will increase. SAD can decompose some organic toxic and hazardous materials in co-digestion sch__em_ es
and this potential wilt be realized. ~
I hope that you find this report to be interesting and useful, and that you will pass along your comments and
suggestions. Please direct any questions to me or any of ttte listed AD Activity participants.
Sincerely,
Philip Lusk
Activity Leader (1995-1997)
Fr®?n: Philip Lusk <plusk~pipeline.com>
Steve (orris <Strian~pacbell.~et>; A6lichael Lakos <IV9lakosa~email.msn.com>
date: S~turdey, February 05, 2000 11:44 ~Ol11!
Subject: F1N: SIG-L: Food e~ste digesters built
~c
- 4 f S t .
v,: .
r ~
C <:wS.'r < ~ ffx~?fsi:N.r'.b:Y~.u+ t. . _ tclA. +tf{~ .6 o r n / f~CGi .v
:.<..4..a2s32ric~x~..'~T.~,~;.E~~~/::r.,`:5'to"'$i"y.'..Tl.'s'.`t~if~.~t..,..o.. h~.,t'~'~,'loin"R''~.Y''.~3`.S"~.u'`~{.....:ff.~Gr'
y.'nc?q-y'~;
" ~ ~ " Around the world, pollution of the air and water from municipal, industrial and a~
~~~~{operations continues to grow. Governments and industries are constantly on the la
r< . < sus'
~f~.~~'°~technologies that will allow for more efficient and cost-effective waste treatment. ~
s'' ~'•'''technolo that can successfu treat the or anic fraction afwastes is anaerobic d
.~Y , , . < ~ b'~' dY g
AD .When used in a faill en 'eared st
• ~ ) y- gin sy em, AI7 not only provides pollution pre
~x ; . also allows for sustainable energy, compost and nutrient recovery. Thus, AD can c
~v' ; ri - disposal problem into a profit center. As the technology continues to mature, AD i
a key method for both waste reduction and recovery of a renewable fuel and other
co-products.
This web site provides an outline of the status of AD as the most promising metho
treating the organic fraction of animal manure, municipal solid waste (1bISW), and
wastes. It also ' es policy issues which influence the deployment of AD to
facility design concepts, the energy, economic and environmental issues relating to
the comparison of alternative treatment processes.
~~ly ~
'There are a number of benefits resulting from the use of AD technology.
Waste '~reatffient benefits
Natural waste treatment process.
Resluires less land than aerobic coynposting or landfilling.
Reduces disposed waste vohtnse and weight to be landfilled.
Reduces concentrations of leachates.
2/5/00
v
~Yl~`r~~ ~~'g1C~l~
Net energy producing process.
Generates ahigh-quality rene~rable fuel.
htiogas proven in nuanerous end-use applications.
~n~~irt~r:rnent~l ~e~~fits
Sigttificaa~tly reduces carbon dioxide and methane emissions.
Elintiaaates odors.
groduces a satsitized compost and nutrient-rich fertiii~er.
~iax-iyni~es recycling benefits.
Ec~~nvr~ic ~e~e~ts
~~b~ 1992 • -431~9~~J
~ _
` ,~a4.4g 1 ° f ~ ,
sk`:..r ? .r' ' v. ~ ~f.~ ..r jar yF+ -.T-.SFr e
Paz ~
'b~ yyr~ r T
K
}1 tt y -~i
1 s~ ~ SA R} •f' ~ 'per ~ ~r- }r ~ ~
x: r+~c' .4y.'. '-gip. we
'
,
zr,,~, ~ b. ~ .
gg ~~~.r
.3
,:~I d~
•.3
,-w
fps
~tion~I R~~~ar~bl~ e~y I,~b~ratory
I? ~~~~~v
I~ ~~~~ca ~ 1-3393
>t~~si by ~dw ~est~ I~titutc
s~~ ~~~t ~~-SCI`-~3~~I10493
~.t ~l~~+lmTi®td1~1f~R~~
While ntun' ' ! trvaste {M~VV9/j thertnooonversion and r~yclang t~hnologies have bin described
in Ap~rtd~es A through this ndix addresses the of biocortversaon tech~logies in ha~diir~
the organic fracti®rt in SSW and sevrage s~adge. ~ ~uoh~ot the organic matter in l~tSW, consisting @ttaittlgr
of paper, food waste, and yarn ~+aSte, has p®tential f®r ~rtvetsion, along ~o~h sewage sludge, thr®ugh
bioa~terrtet~.al paesses to tt'tethatte and n dioxide pt®vidi€tg ~ rrteasaarable, rerte~abte energy
resource p®teSttiat (F$14). T°!te paced y tt~at+sd t®r r~rftovat n ~~ixi~e and grater,
leaorirtg pilirte qualltyy rt~tthaa~e gas. ss also flea the pote~tlial for producing a ,°tabili~ed solid
ct that rr$ay b~ suoQ as a fuel for ~a~tlasastlon or t,~ed as a co fertiliser (x.50).
Anaerobic digestion ~n occur naturally in an une~rttrolled ertvirortrttertt such as a landfill, or it can our
in a controlled envir~rgment such as a ~nflned vessel. i~ gas prte~~rt as dlst~assed in ndax
This appendix provsde~ ir~f lion ort the anaerobic digester ss as d has tart applied to
produe~ rr~tharte 4rorrt 4he orgartac fraolioo9 of faA~V10 itt t tro6lld reao8®rs.
4.4.1 la~~o~~nd
tdonv®arta! art~robic dg ' n. presses have tin since about t ~ to stabila~e settled
sewage sobs. T7te t bgy was first investigates as a means !~otSVV disp®sa$ in tl~e early 1930s,
boat early +~riments wets riot steocessful. tt rrtet w~h rertexved interest in the late 1960s< Golueke, at
the University o3 ~Galiforrtia, +dire~ed a 5•year program to deteamine the technical feasibility of dsge~,ting
ivtunicipa! waste ittt a artliEieS of attirt~l waste (3~3).
in 1968, the ~oi~ ®t ~tid Waste Manage of g'te U.~. l~blic llth rvice (later to l~ trartsfen
to the U.~. A) fu a f ) to irtveblt~ the ~rtd~~rts that aid resuR itt
the rrirrearn ~s~ersi~s~ of ?~S@PB to gas, cted by l~feffer, at t3te Uat~ersity of ltlirtois, the irtt~rtt of
the process ~ to r the ~e and volurrte of the solid waste remaining 9®r disposal; ee~er
revery was not a rrtajor factor that tune (614). 't`tte wor4e dernonstrat~S the feasibility rvtethane
producxion from soli Waste, seotih lime additions sewage s!$adge: and irtct4uded an evaluation of gas
produceton as a ftat~tan of pFf, ie ratters, Sobs loading, retention tints and slurry ~rtcerriration, and
alt evakaation of t3te tests ate r'~t rtoriz~ t~rtefit of tt~ sgrstertt (3~.3). Also in 1~9, ~nsolida8~
~latur~! ;vice ~at~any perfort~ted laboratory and engirtee~rtg siudses t® ~vaE~~se biogas
pr®du~aori fr6iYt i~~ reoor#trd the tecttnacal fe~ibility 4he anaertiab~ ~6g~sti$7r9
process t® invert organs wasaes to pipeline cttaality fuel gas.
to tP~ e~dy t970s. fhe fang astargy crisis lad ~ i~craasad i~s~st ieo a~ diges8ion as a~
attas~ative f®r raati~rr~g aPtergy from ~efS1~d, r tla~ ~ 04 ~a to sad ~nci
contntr~ing arniss~ns. In 1973. the f~datioatal Sciart~ Four~at (~d~~}, ur tfta ~asearch d to
fvational rV PrograPro, a~a.~d ~ ~ntr~t to ~y~at ~t~ ~r~~any for ir~a~ttt st"dy to
. datatrnit~ tl~ ~oiernial for deve~P the aetaao~obio dig€;rt p ss Sor fPta orgaot~ frao~ion of ~S~
and thou o~araaration of the r~ufi~°og biogas (34 , X14, x350). A ~aa'ahiva ! 03 ~ 1,000 1°I~®
faoit~y 'was d€~tre#o~d tai ~ a a~nooBt~ feas9'bility. Sased on this s~, f~S~ r ended tur~'rng
for ~ p~aot-ot-sa~ncept taoility. pasta I~aroae~err~stt, lo'oo. $~aas aPd~ a ~attr~t to dava8o~ the taoili at
Its ~oP~ ~aofl?, 'ride Soft waste dad ~ CePtit~ site. i~rias' to P~$ iata8iation, prta~~
~d~aPtist~tior~ .sad fc~nditr~ eorad to ttta pert to U.S. art,~y I~esaarch a~
~ave~°d a~utho~r: a~ subse~eottly Prae under tf~, ttrslt€~ of the tJ.S. DC)~ (343, 814).
KnoPt as I~st~ (i~etusa arslort tca A~ethana;, ttta -ot i taoat~y operated trom t973 to
t n the dan~otstration Rariod a~~ and the pro(a~ ~ si+~t
~.t~
't'he ie4a use of b' has opt t~ a ead in tf l~atiited Stems nor throughaa~at
the ~orid. ~ef~sl~e4 rarir~t tt~ a- t to n dava~ ~ the t3natad Sfatas; o~
oo~rolt~i co 'at ~SVV a~~ro~~ d~asta~ ham yet ~ p9ad i~ oparat~n in this couPrtry (010).
Musa of the inoreasir~g interest i~ the Selo ~ of st. aeaviroatr~ntatty- ptab~
attative a sogarcas, ~a ooa~aa~6on of AdS~ ~ rote e 4 I e~ae~b~ digestion has 3aavaa
flee suby~f of gxteotsiva rasear~ i d~etortf a~`o g tt~ ~or~ (450). ieo t 9f3~, several
~ucBta in~tudiotg stP~a, a, ~at~rosartt, ~i Ire , fit ~aa t~oevaay, ~ rt, the
Unites Kir9gt3oPn, and the Sues have to t~ordina than reseh to bioPt';ass ~ttver~~ort
thre~a.~h ~ IV of the ~~a€~e of t 8otte ~0~3 ~rsergy a (09$.
In the t1~ad SYatas, a b~logioaf and aragiP°,eering research pr®;ads era k~inq oonduotod, aS
~Pt o4 the ~ryy fi'o~'i Iu ' ' t Waste t rogPao~, ~ ilea ~aga~ of cagy under the ~~td
r~nagerst of the ~tatioPtat I~ea~3wel3te 1=r:er~ Laborat®Py (J~S~~.), gorPrtaPly the Solar inne~y
~a5aa~li Irt5t9t31t~ (S~~I). ~~~a~,~'~t1 ~ ~ ~~#3~3ad irl a nurr t9t ara~~ Sara ta~irlo~ga~t
lP°s~fY:~ntS ~i~ I~ ?Yt~da iP9 +Drdas t® 8th ,ly t~Y~$f
H~P°~ :~~91~/. ~C~ fPit,~
iP~estig~"t€td inc~a: 1) increasing tidy = Z) decreasing ' anca tl~a. ~ 3) i~P~~ie~g
~r~arsiort ~~icier?cy. In 1937, n P~taa'S the foi~'avii~ f;'S~~i research ob~~tivas with
rant to these key grating parer; eaters:
~sl°s ~®E~~tv?t~`~t®f~d ~-Z
S~6id5 C~nwntrsti~n in ~ste° 10°/® 20.30®/~
S®i~s ~es~~n~~ Tirvt~ !n ®~~st~r 2S days S days
~n~srsi~n ~i`iici~n~;y 55~®
Tta~ ~srsdd ~t this ase~h is t~ r the G"~st ~d '¢1g e~td'ssr3~ fe~tra ~ast~ ~r QiZi~ 4r~PT'i
~Slenidli~n ~t~ t~ S~sS t4 ~.50iertbddi~n day thh~ yssr 2000 (~?.S}.
s are d~ie~g in td~ d~ved® ~ ~d high-~di~ ~~bi~ c'€~r~ prs~s ~t dNFt sndl
~dshgs~. ~ ~t the ie~tisd sett in this srSS mss ~ i~ dt ~ ~t~' (~53, i~SS}.
Judd°s r~s~ar~h ~n tasting ®rgsea~ ~SStsS and tsrrn rssida~~s by etas ~f deyr tsn'~r~sti~n
indi~st~ad that signet tnethsn~ ~~n etas ~ t~ o! st t~ts# srad ~ ~p t® ~0
g~ ~ESSS~h stall is ~ng®ar st t#~ Ue~s~yy ~b {t~St, t~td
Un~r~rsityy (t~S1), 8h~ l3ni~rs~y ~sd~® (d3S0}, the Urs~r~rsidy ~sir€s (~Sl).
(3ss d~~sr~ Insiitaate ~~dst~ ssiT~ii~ s st s ~3id~- arie~sstst test unit
bcst~ in td'ac~ nay W~~ ~~s~et ~et~x, F 19th h 19~t~, td's ~~~C~d {sad
a~~aretrsti~g} rssr ~?as utidi~~ 4® ~nv~rt s vsta~ty ~ ' ts~steades. ring
r~i;as~~rav~d h.~l {Rt3~, to rra~thsr~~ (~02}.
!n ~ur~, s 4-d~ dpi#~y in dent, ~tt~a ~p~rs3~ 'der -y~~r (1~d~S} usi t ~dv~a {dry
sns~t~dZiC stiff} ass. c~c~ m~ t~~ td~ ~ ~ t ~ t~S ~ q~re~e~fad
l~~~•~ v ~s~ _ ~ . ~ dig~sti®n
t~hea~ 4~r t~~ ire the ~S0 . This ~.ss ~ st ~~~q~i(~ry~/~~p~'y~p sqt® y?~ ~s~gi~n~p~~
~888ss~, ~i$OQQ/pi9 ~ 604J ~~00i .rsW~ 8• .~R• ~ A'M.6/nf.90P fa7 RP 1°~~~e~t
~rsn~ ~sth ~s ~hgtd~s ~t taatireg 100.000 tann~s ~ MSV'J p~ry~sr {0. X12, ~1S}.
~.2 ~~d~d~tot~d~lf ~C~9t~`Td~d~
"fhb d~s~~n ss tatid'~ss ena~r~sgsnisct~ t~ ststiti~~ eft®r next t® ~ sr~yn°aes t~
cstadgygz~w~g~td~{~~~~~J pgp~ss.® ~`F~~p}d®¢tsgilysQcsfj'~~gpr
.fey ss~w p~~t~`~y~~~~gy~[~~ty~dy ~~q°~~y~gtQ~} ~pC~ys~e~~ p~¢e~y~~®f thp~q
®81~v1a. ~A /'+0nv~ Pelt y'Git 7-is?. GQ80./~®t50 Mks iu44O~tY.~O~~.gP t~~ ~'.A"CiT9v.~~LiYG~VOr~ ~ td ~H SX@~r~E~ ~Y4/ii43 J.a .~P t3 a6AAd~~ t1d
pry in than distint~ stags. first stsg~ ~ 4srctst~an. Fdsti~a~ ~h ~ S~~
sdthsr in tP~ pas~nc~ ®r sbs~ra~S ~t ®x}a~~n, and their ~nzys r~ ~a~pd~x rncdi~s~ (P®iYr~
?~-3
' ~ ( ~ a~ • , fatty ,
' 3~i € c~ to ~t° i~ d
. tt~ t~i0~ ~48~ ~ ~ ...ate _li~,$~
X t t~S ~ ~ S~ of ~ t~°SYi,
- ~ ' , a~ tf~~ rtt ~ ~ r~a~ ~aa3, ~r ~ fart a
s~ r ~trf~e {raatr~~. f~ , ems), fir
i _ r~~. ' ~ tat~n a~8~ t3~ ~~d~rt ta~ay ~+~f~ i ~
sat ray rota ti ttages~8as ~rf~n tQ~ r~t~ des teat ~a~ a la4a~~ ~Q ate ~v~, ~
its ~ MSS {010, 271).
~2,t f~cf
B+tt ireta~2 ~t1&6~r~t99Pt ~ tPi~ aarat~ d ~r1 S i~ tf~ r~$ ~ ~ tt3~ ® Or~ra~
t~~ fir ~ptelataare. ~ir~tt. t4~ aea a ~ ly~~cf. 6
or 1a8 ~acc~ a~ ~ ~8' a€~
~c~r~, Od~ar99SSYiS ~ hy~ra~~ tl°Y~ ~ vse~sy ~ 9y. Tla~3 ~ardg ~a ~r tt~e r~ar~
P - k' ~83t~tT~t~°S phi r ~r1Ct~s ~ar~ '~4~d~. 4$8~ rats ~ tE~
r%aa d~r~ gP' rapes, ~ft's!~ tt~~ Atha as ~ 9 ~r~ 1y (10). 'T® ~
' ~ ~'B tt~l~ (9~fi~P4 °~t~f~5+ ~ ~~~5 a~~F[8°&~
r~l~t ra8, let g~ t~Ft ' ica
o Volal~t ~e~;cry~lB~f ~-~~itaael VS a~ Y a 04 argae ara~' ~ a
peat (10). `T4~ t ~ a ~ a~ ~ ~ ~s3~
ks~ ~ ~a (271). ~ ~ at f~SVY ~ b~r~
~§rq a Ott firs ( ~t~
~~t ~
T.,~c,.dal''`~t, 9t1~cf~P'a~lf, 'iy~~y f9'~a 3P~i~¢ ~~f~~Se$p6p9~d`~~eaA.~?~'~, }~gggy y s ~~p~
I a~~Y ~ ~5$~ ~4 4$i$J6~SaD'9 aG7 ~.Sk+~~9 SEmd88f 'H a4 1 NI
s to ~ ~s ara ~€'e~~t {~fl), to
~~~°.~a~a the ra~~ fa` d' {f$1~). ue~ ~ g a~ e'tt
~p0i9 tP9~ vaf~f ~8~s f~ ~ ~ `ea t~ a rat - ' s1 ~S {271).
a re arm ~~t~re~are ~i Tf~ of ~ r~ at a sear
r~~p~ t - rr~ area a1 ~ 1~ r~ of 60~.
i~yf~ r~ 1 (~f~'T). t t ~r ~ ~ ~ to
say ~ _ ~aAt ~ 1a ~ 1~ r
may. T ogre SATs or9 tf~ arm of 20 a# r~~s~pi~ a~ 5
y;~.,~
Sys ~t t ' t ~ta~s. sob r~tg~a~a t (517 ~ ~ ~ t
. t t spa ~ ~ ass ~
~sst~~ tta~t ~ ! with ~ t~rrr~ ~ ~i€' . ~ r
the r~t~ragi~rt ~ ~rawra~. ~r€r, ~t ~ ~ ~~rry -
~ra~ratr~ta~ca ~tgar gt~ ~ r ~i~ra~ r~quir~d t~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~g
~6S9Af. !d iPa Etta g;~ ~ 'rag tti~ao~d isag ~t ~
~taoet r~4~~tb~t ~rrs~ pitta a ta~ta nor ~ SaSi i~a t 4 terry.
o ^i;~°ra~~ratrra. a~aa i ti`s e~a~~eat ira Y r~®r in ~
~ ita t r~®r a~kra. it raoa~Ai isr~ti ira a
~o~~rat~ ~ ~n ~y~g~ava', t~ re~~~s~r ~ i~~ to
t 70 iii (271). S 50 ram of the a€~4~i s~i
~~rt~ t~s gam. t dig~t~r ~~a~~~ ~i~ tt9 ~ 5 (~71 j. iri t6~
. ®t ~ ~ ~~a~ arum
(~'Tt 8a-~ rates a t® p~r+t~rsii t€€ aa~~
r~s~~r~h ~ wry (~50).
o ~~r~l~~ ~ka~. ~a9•E. l~a~ai aaS~ ~ ~ ~ ~r ~tt~t cxa t
~ a ' a'a ~~y. ~ ~ ~ t r € r~t~ og
tam €®r~. a~~ ~ ~r #
~ ~ t 5.~. t,ira~ t
t~ the ~ Arai ~
' i~~ratfy ~s or ~ tt~ i rar~ra~grt. ice, ~ ~ ~ gr~g~
' ~ og a rag get
Ci695R. ~g~sa r oraiy ®Bi ~ ~
~ g~z~rak ~ direr f®r ~ ~5o~s~€~t~~f ~lSV~! ~ ~n ~y~ ~ ~ t~~a~a~ ~-1
(Ot0). ~€t n i d~c~~ i f~tar tai ~ , ~sira mad
~'~~e4ay, pry, r~~z~ g~~rag.
~ T'8~~
~ -
~arboe~ dioxide
Sewage
sdudgg has
R ~ scrubbir4g ire thane
° rltltPPQntS
c
Stearn for heating
Size Araaerod)ic
MSW reductian Separation
~LtJt=~ dagestsmn aanbustiae~
- Recavery ~esidase Solid
dewatering disp®sad
- _ t~ecycd~
_ _ ~ Laqu~
- disgosat
~Q t9~1. ~t~blc d3fQ~s~9®~ (010)
Ire eard~ tar I~SW ~ d~ iPtt ~a t start ems, ii rest girs8 pr~esssed thraugh see
redu~a~at artd separat~rt t es 8® rr~~ds, Ott, ~d ether ire ~
nQ a retativety
d~ ~ S ~St devaid 6~ ~ ~d tr~~aFlai' ~r9c~a3dirtt,~, ~ pad. . ~a~t~ strYnQ~r~ artd
te~e3ites X271. ~r ~tat~ ' quid et'ab~
in the giddy ~sdeere
tP~ey rxi t digast~r mixer shads artd ailed tBaixirtg actiart by t®r~ting excessive
s~at~ layers (~"4'. ~e ~r ssittg ~eP. ~ i re~v~ry ~ rear
rteatePia saw as tgr~tss aced adtat~t~a, ~ si~tidar t~ the ~ ir~g o~~tiaPts ut~i~®d l~.r rite
Pr~adaJn ~ ~®F, ~ d in rtd~
'The digester ts~ ~ t~er9 bde with rttitriertts artd s~trried h recycled ti3trate, a~ nealceup ~rbier i!
~ necessary. 80 ' ~e 'red s®d'ads cantered teeters beirtq iii into t+va artaerab~ digester where it
r®sir~~ for ate ' ded retetrt tom. Sewage saaadg~ can ~ tz~aix~d wit~a the ~sreparesi ~ast® larch the
both s al ~n ' is~= °ftte digester t is stdrred s~ sty by grSe or rreare ,~ixir~
deeeices (gas Batian, ~ reciala8iart, ~r tearaical agitat~rtp ared ~ ems' with a ld®atir~
~var t® ~a~ Sys8~r8t ai t~rtstartt pr re. Stea~t is gesee~d~ assed to ex~n~t 4he to rata~re
(27t).
wee ~d~
?lti~ s~~~ r~x$®r (~CS~), s in F'igcar~ ~-20 ~ typt of c~n~~nt~~l ~na~r~b~
d~~s$i~t~ sys$~t~. stirring ~qi~n ®f $tt~ nux~ ~nt~~rs Yh~ ~nt~~ ~t ®tg~a~i~a ~~1~ ih~ l~~d,
pt~vid~s tar~t~r~ity in tam ~rt$~nis. ~ bream tap m end t~itt~~ in~ibil~q ~~it~ns {277 Thy
eit~s~ ~ env®n$i~n~l ~S~`RS tAr the dig~st~rq s~f 1~SVV il=S~ t~rg~ dig~s$~g ~lssrr~ r~air~d
s~ ~t $h~ r~la$i~~ly t~~ susp~d sal' t~ntxr~lra3ti~ns and th r~$~nta~n Sinus. _ _
Thy ~rt~~ru~~ ~ti~ end t~tata$n€~ t$~~ bra ~~n d~~~ $h~ ~rgani~ r~$$~r in $h~
digt~€.1~ na~t end n txid~. g ~ ~t~ar~$ X19 is$~r~ ~ typi~~y 50
~'5 p~r~r~ tit ~ 5t) r~a~t n +~~xid~. Tl~ g~ b~ snreabt~d ita r~v~ n
d~x~~ ~ rat ly th~r~ min r~~~ ~v~ ~gg~st~d ~n t~
~nv~r$~d t~ pli gam. ~SSttaf ~ppii+~n apt ~ press $ta il~~ gas t~~`tttp
mill Ar ~ ~ gas tt~t ~~n b~ -~rtsi ~iif~ €it~ dr'jr r~sidta~ tr~rn $t3~ s~
(~sa).
to tls~ r~~ $r~~$nt~s~ pt~s® ~f ~yst~n~. $ta~ ~~ka~r~ tr~~ dig$~r ~ de~~$~s~d ~ tt~ ~ic~~
®x$~n$ ssibf~, mid tY~ r ~d $~r la5t$ ~S rt~t~,ap $s? tfi~ t~ ~lttrry, ~rls~raaing ta~~t,
$rs~t~ats6 f$y~ ~r~S in+~i€~rn, 1~®~~~ rs t'~v~ stagg~st~d it3~$ $1'~~ ti~~t ~k~. ~t~s~h i~ 25
30 p~r~~~ ~i t~~ tarigin~,! t~ t eve~l~t't~, y ~ ~t# (i! tti~i~ntty d~-~r~t~~d) t~ pr~dc~~
~Yd~f ~!'~.1Qr StS~d7i (~b50). ~~~i$8 l$$ l~ta! ntd$t'it'rtt va}18~. t41~ $'~9r~itSS ~ y ~1s~ tit~d ~ppti~$i~n as a
:~st ~r~atan~s (271).
• cry
~~s
~~~titi~~~
EFF~.1~€~T
~iQtt~ ?~2. ~~ntltlta~tas St1n; ~kank ~~~~ttgr X803)
1 ~ ~ ~ llb~''®~~ 73G5®~ h
e
~ ~233~ET ~QiYS C3ASUE91F145I81~
G~Sica~o,tL .
JOHN TROT'- ~ - ~.s
J, ;k'&a~ zzas
ells ~ ~g.~
>.rt~t
E~~~, F;3
-
finding an iceberg on the cover of a solid the landfill and its contents extends beyond eft
waste magazine might seem a little the mandatary postdosure care period, and Scashr^~, armor ~
strange to some, but we could think of that the ABC Waste Company will be respon-
no better way to cal! attention to a situation sibleforever,butprudencesugge5-tsotherwise.
we fee! screams foe attention...the
trr_^ e
Viand Even if you can find the current landfill owner - ; aiF
~ ~ ~
4 mostly h~dd+~n~ caste of "SSW ' ~ .:^J~ re after 30 years, what is there to suggest tha*. 3m~_ ccuz~tg, ~i. ~~a , , `
~ not opposed to the bulk of Subtatfe Drequire- funds will beavailable to coverthecost of reme- ~~qy ,,.~.~~j - gg,~~.~~~~ 9p 'y -
` A 1 A 7 `'-33e Ii6B4S2~ ya3.~°YBeaWpSS. C Z'yM4 , i~}'~t.
merits. However, then, are severa6 areas we d:aYion when the containment breaks dod,m. ~E€5::£F.. , : ,?~~f;, .
fee! need redress-including those having to the solid waste-manager of amid-sizedcity - - s
do wit?t monitoring, ~nng' a care and- shared with me his frustration at being at the ~ ~
vial respons~ -a!1 to which we will be pay- mercy of just such a situation. 'We're the deep- ~~`R~' Y'~ •j~~~
ing close attention in this and subsequent est packet in the area so I know we're on the t~r't ~a~
issu . Particularly, I ~"aou~ liketo call youraiten- hook forever," he lamented. "Not only do I not ~
tion to the article entitled "C to ing
end- have a due as to what's gone into tfie site, but c~if~~ria ~~n
fiiis_ttsatPsoxestP~e by I'm totally out of Lhe loonountilthe postclosure- ~aa rase
Drs. G. Fred Lee and P,nne tones-Lee that, in -car~s.up~ Worse stilt, when he tn',ed to y€~ sir
essence, amounts to our firing a warning shot explain to his city council the nature and mag- ?~3F~ , ~a _
over the bow. In the future-to carry the anal- nitude of the present threat (n the hope they
ogy a step further~+ty~ unlimber the main would see that the safest course for the future -
batteries and fire for effect at notions such as ~ay in taking eontro! of the entire process fmm = ; ~ vQSg ,a,~tag~,~. ~s~:-v
that a dry tomb environment can be main- cel!edion to disposal), they_went ahead. and ~ ~ ,
tained forever, or drat we should be passing re~ignec~withthesameoutfitasbeforeatanoth- ;tea
on an open-ended !iabil'~ty to generation "x" er of its landfills. ~"£'`r~~~'~~~~
There are those who fee! that Subtitle D Thus the cover. We thinkthat toda~ls tom-
was drafted for the aid and comfort of a few, ~~ti~ue
tio~inz ~~s are scaled to that portion ~ `
- ~ l~aer'~
large, private-sector waste managementcorn- cf en icebergyouu.ran see. You may riot want gene
ponies. The argument is put forth that not only to think-about ~srhat lurks beneath the surface, _ c::~ ~ s ~
did design and consUuction requiremerrts pro- but your_de_s_cendants wll hold you_ in higher ~a~~m~9 PeB, ~
vide them with increased business opportuni- regard if ~o~ da. - ~ ~g -
ties by diving smaller fandfi[Is out of business, _ors~g . -
but that the 34-year limit to financial respon- ,
sibility offered these owners the opportunity ~Il
(with a bit of paper shuffling) to walk away Timothy Boos is cofounder and a principal of ~ ~aa~ Sa~3~, J-~-
~ !sue
sY~aat famtna~s€en~ atr ?€rs
~ clean, ef€ectively sticki e_~ulz~ic w~~ Weaver Boos Consultants, trio. of Chicago, .L Y3,~ ,t ~ g
~~ritundbi .:';lhile we do not subscribe A graduate of Purdue ~
to this cynical view, we agree with the conclu- University in 1986 with I 3~~ ~k;rreaec, c~.~•
Sion 4hdt the public is at risk of becoming the a SSE in Geological En- " ~
uatf4 A~ia4i~m of'~ar~~s Asia.
"snackee"when containment eventually_brQaks ~;neering, Beos` fetus - s.t~ sgs€~z~,
d~~an.UUhetherthistakespface3l or310years for the last 12 years
after closure is beside tt~~e point, which is that has been cn design FIb~3~~ Tg~"~ray
those who getto pay for the cleanup-you and permitting, and open- ` I+ ~;aq ~e€r~
~~,t~ S~Ec~s
your kids-are not going to be as concerned ations of solid waste ! rtry ~ 6sbosY, s°c
ever how they got into the mess as to where facilities. He also has I ;~u~e~e ~'3~n,~, ).n.
the money's going to come from. extensive experience Pzesidemc
Already we're hearing from managers who ~ in design of hazardous waste landfills, treat- L• T~m~. t:.:~ci~ss~
are getting nervous because their waste has ~ merit technologies for RCRA listed wastes, ~ '°'°u'~ aiE~`' ~
j gene into privately-owned (and now closed)' and groundwrater statistics. Bees is the ore- ~ ~i.C. v~sa~ni. P,B.'
landflls in which the 3(7-year clock is already i ject manager for the Elkhart Town Landfill, i c~'u~~~~F
running. It may comfort some to hope that i the 1996 SWANA Goid Award for Landfill ~ ~a€a~res~lid~ ~'?~ixiry
i courts in the future wit! decid€ that liability for ; Excellence recipient. F~~
~ ~
~A3
It's ti~ae to review the rode of ~ertnitting at~thorrties
i~ gaaor®nte~in~ th®t tas~ permits ~dcir~ss rrr®ny of
the si~raificont !®rt~-t~r°m ch®llenges fcac2cf by ov~r~-
ers of .Scebtitle D !®r'1~fifls.
ypically, new orexpandedMSW landfills are sited. designed, While these permits must comply witt't minimum state and feder-
operated, closed, and receive post-closure care equivalent al requirements, tahey may be more protective of the interests of
eo the minimum required under current EPA Subtitle D the community...andmanyare.However,incomeatmanyland-
regulations. Critical review of the characteristics of fills is not sufficiene to cover potential liability claims arising
MSW and the properties of the landfill containment from ~oundwater contamination, and regulations do not
and monitoring systems in use, however, shows the ensure that fiends necessary to address long-te.°'rn prob-
process to be unsuitable ~~+here usable groundwaters are lems of groundwater pollution. will be available foilow-
hydraulicallyconnected tothe base of the landfill. While ing the inevitable toss of containment integrity.
these landfill sites typacally are investigated to demon-
strate that the natural Qeology of the area provides ~ ~
inadequate protection of the groundwaterresources Per'eralandstatea
bullationsdonotalwaysaddt~ss
from pollution by land "nil teachate, most sites are alts protection of a~iasent property againstodats,
notadequatelyinvestagatedtodefinehowrapid- dust, and litter releases from MSW landfalls.
ly pollution of the underlying aquifer will From a review of such problems, it's appar-
occuronceleachatepenetratesthelinersys- enttlaatabuffer atmanylandfillsextend-
tem. Usually it is only a matter of time ing at least one mile---between the edge
once the liner system fails until offsite of disposal areas and adjacent proper-
groundwater pollution occurs. ties is required. Thus, prospective
Under current federal and state applicants should allow for ade-
regulations, aminimum Subtitle D quate buf€erlar:ds during theirsite
landfiilcanbepermittedatalnost se$eeti®ts process. The cost of
any location despite potential the buffer lands should be fac-
impacts of odors, dust, litter, toad into the cost of devel-
LFG, and leachate on the surrounding area. In many parts of the oping the landfill. Use permits should stipulate that if odors, dust,
US, elected officials must approve siting of such facilities asland- litter, etc. reach adjacent property, landfill owners must develop
fills, establishing conditions for their development and operation. operating approaches, including curtailment of operations at
certain times. Permitiin;
~y authorities should require
'Cs~~l u~ti~l~ ~ ~ compensation for prcperry
owners adversely impacted
¦ Groundwater and Surface Water Quality Impairment: public health, economics, aesthetics by the landfill at no less than
¦ Migration of lliiethane and VOCs: public health, explosions, toxicity to plants and animal, the fair market value forthe
• !!legal Roadside Dumping and litter near Landfill: aesthetics, public health, econemics property in the absence of
¦ Truck TrafFc: highway Safety a landfill. plus compensa-
¦ Noise: nuisance, public health tion for expenses and ttard-
¦ Odors: nuisance, public health ships incurred.
¦ Dust: nuisance, public health Pest ImpaeLs. While some
• ~~ndblewn Litter. aesthetics, public health people may call odorous.
¦ Vectors, Insects, Rodents, Birds: nuisance, public health dusty. or littered conditions
• Condemnation of Adjacent Properties for Many Future Uses on adiacent properties an 7,es-
¦ Impaired View thetic problem, these ccndi-
• Decreased PreGerty Values lions also can pose signi:icant
1/
where fl~dents. baa~ds. and/or insects are to the area. Sflma- the eased to extend the post~losuse care ftflrtdflng until adl
lady, off'site dust tnigtation wash the operataon rasa be a !rave stnbili~-- it~ninate period of toflfl~e if co ~
source of PMt~ particles, which are known to print zerspiaatory raaaintained. As it ~stds, laalaaiaty ft~ sire site rests with tt~ jflaris-
atad other Iae~aiWY daction ibis fs~r its dcvel meat or
'Ta~k'I`a°aii~ ls~pat.l~ie rase pertnitshould wire WaatWieland- ear 31 after closure, with lithe ii~elihood that~g ls$girning
~l Y ~#equate income
fill owner contaa;ai Wte 8~e tauck tta~ac to the laraslfill so that it remains to continue post-closaaae care funding. It is iareportasflt that
does not interfere wiWa :aormai tr~t`fic of the ease. rua~t4aer. the land- the perrraitting auut4atseities recogaaize the situation and snake provi-
fiil owner should be t~uired to upgrade and maintaan those gads sions foe' the contiaagency art the body of the use permit_
to handle the iaacreased traffac. Gzsr°ral. Whale Subtit$e D ar~taiaess that L.PG anis-
Sua~aee Wad fnl~ac3s< Direct starters water aanpacts associated sions be controlled thaough :lee developarent of a collecton systerra,
wide stormwater tunot~' from the Iandfall cast be a tossers of vaster ~I- tlaeaie is no assaaraaace that such a system veil! be maintained for ~
lutarflts. In addition to the potential for diaa°ct surface t9;uto~ from the
Iaafldfi&1, them is a potential for ' etof waste to thevaateas.
~lhaletherearet,TSl~Astorsnwateraasnoffar~nttorangfl~ ~ rs '~~IJ~~~~/ I~ /,S ~3f7~~ ~1 i~~'~'~1" ~1
for laatdfilLs, it has bra found that traaaay regulatory agencies are not
tarxessarily fl~quiring verified, tr~nitoeing. ~~~f 531'3'1 ~i~
'I°he use permit should require that a snore comprehensive Bur l1t7~11
face water monitoring progeaan be caaried out during the active life
seed post-closure case psriadathan is nortnafliy conducted at manic- ~1~~~
ipal landfills. `Phis should itac.ude comprehensive tnonatoring of the f
potsntia! fosairboratetrastspottofwaste-~rivedconstituentstonear-
by surface waters. long as the wastes can prodwce gas. In older landfills with -
able soil covering, I, pavzductaon place for 30 to ~0 yew
~ in wet cliataates grad fs9r iong~ an acid climates.
EPA's Subtitle D baseline landfill is a dry-tomb erflclosaaa~ steads of In day-tomb Qatadfills, (.~G production as governed by Wee
plastic sheeting and cornpaciedsoil shat intheory will keep the wastes amount of moisture enteeing during open
~atioras. D~oliowing instal-
dry forever (oe ag least for as song as they are a threat to she soul- lesion of Wee (anal coves, there vvilI tae a period of same in which
ronrnent). regulations rt:quifl~ owners to provide assured funding gas production is limited by a lac9e of tnoasture.With the ittevitabie
foe post.elasure foronly 30 years wash the added proviso that deterioration of ehe low-petzafleabiltcy cover. gas production will
shit period traay be extended if necessary. Pew, however. question returns. Accordangiy, petravits should require owners to establish
a.o f=-~~
p ~~dedicated fiends derived frotaa disposal fees that aa~e sufficient to at some In its Criteaia foe ilrtunicapal Solid Waste
ensues operation and flaaaintenance of gas collection, taaonitoring, L.atbdfilJs (July 1958), EiaA concludes, "Qs'tace the unit is closed,
and ananagearaeaat systems for as long as its wastes sera generate btstcoan layer of tree vain de~eior over tinter , coesse-
gas. As wawa leachate, there should be no lin>flt to she rinse such gflaendy, tact pent leaches taansport Dais of ~ unit,"
funds are avaiflable. While in the isle 191~As z~ iandfillang held uses just beginning
IYegulations covering LAG emissions-especially the hazardous zA undeastand she deficiencies of a sangfle composite liaier systerai ire
compcanents----aze deicierat cotnpaaed to the t~gulation of steers same protecting groundwateas fa~tra !rashers, today tla~e deficieaacies are
coanponents its other sources. Until aaaore stringent rules are in place, well un Stall only eight states (or thereof) have is~-
however. local aegulatory agen~es are obdagaaed to prratect flee pub- ogaized taxis peoblean said singular double coniessite--hated systems,
lac iaaterest by rt:quirittg izacorlsoaation of state-of-the-art 1,..ECr moo- l0+loreover, vvhile geo~ra~posite clay liners are allowed by taiany
ieoeing and Weans t systems. 'ons should require owaaers a~gialatoey agencies, the potential for !sneer failure bey of aniaaor
sti
atcuata4 strevsses anises questisstas aboaat their reliability. 'Y~ae
ii~l1°St~ ~l~~t~ b~~~ ~II~~1" ~I1 ~ pose of the s~ond coanposita< lines taaades a !reek detection systeara
as to seflve as rtes base fog tlpas leak detection system. 'The peiaiaaay
1_~~~~~ ~ X11 containrnentiinerwouldstillbstheflnaniaaauanSatstit3eDliaier.~lhle
~t° Ill Orion of a g~synWaetic clay syster:~ to the uppermost liner is to
~~~J~ feel be etacoufl~ed, it should not be viewed as a repiacerraent for trairai-
tnurra requirements. Sevres! years ago the State of t~lichigan tec-
~~~•~~~°~?t3~l~,0 ognized ttaz unreliability of tr~latBOnal ~undwater monitoring
being used for Subtitle Iatadrails, grad adopter the double corra-
posite-lined systetra foe its landfills as of improving rise tnotii~
to monitor L~'G Hares and other eombusoion prveesses foe hazardous toning of liner leakage. `Dais is the appt~ach t.+ias should be used at
components, and if excessive cenceneantaons are found, r~uare them a rr:;pased landfill. .
to conerol releases below levels posing thanes to public health and I: og Ad~£soan~ P'rot~ta®aa. i~eraasitting autlaoritaes sl~aaid
the environment. tequireownerstodedacatetrustft~stdsofsufftcaenttnagnieude(bpi
Ge~oaasadavatea• Pollaatiora. ~fl promulgating Subtitle ®flegulations. on aneicipated revenues frorrfl dasposai teas) to provide for all plata-
EPA'sSolad Waste®isposalCr~.teraa(August30. l9S8)stated." least, Bible worse-case scenario failures that could oceut:~t the propcsesf
even the best 1'aner seed le~hate collection system quill uitiaiiately fail sires. itflcludang the tip for waste ~:xhumataon aaid proper waste
due to natural deteraoratiorg, seed cecesat iflaiprovercaerats in laaidfiil con- residue casanagemesat. res plaaflraing purposes, the period of the trarst
tainrnent technologies suggest that n_leases may be delayed by many fund should be assurrae~t to be infinite. T'liese dedicated funds sticuld ~
be used in pare to monitor for leakage work could be done under contract with pri- eliminate the need for the landfill owner attd
through she uppermost composite liner. vats consulting firms that would not have a the regulatory agencies to conduct the caaB=
When such leakage is found, funds should conflict of interest arising from working for rent, at least minimum, monitoring require-
be available to restca,e the dry-tomb char- landfill applicants. Part of the funds set aside manta set forth in Subtitle D and any other
after of she landfill. in the dedicated wst could be allocated to applicable regulations.
Pa~tRCl~aaae Use of l~u~ea° I.~ds. It would this purpose.
be practical to use the one-mile buffer lands Q~Q
for other purgsoses after the landfill is closed. ~ ~ ~ ~ l~i~~ Court decisions limiting the ability of waste
Caution should be exercisdd, h®wever. about In order to protect the public interest, the per- authorities to practice vaaste flow control ha
the development of residences and nearby rnitting ut<horityshouldrequireindegendent increasedcompetitionamonglandfills.This,
structures because of the LAG migration third-peaty monitoring to be supported bythe in conjunction with increased rail and long-
problem. Further, it would not be advisable landfill applicant. Foraproposed landfill, the haul activity has forced many local andsmall
to construct wells within this bufferarea. This coaanty board of supervisors should require to sold-size regional landfills to lower tip-
could change the hydraulic gradient and that the landfill applicant develop a dedicat- ping fees, exacerbating problems already
accelerate the transpoat of !sachets-pollut- ed mast fund from disposal fees. Ideally this associatedwith below-veal-costgar~bage dis-
ed groundwatersshould tlaeabove-described would generate sufficient income in perpe- pose!. Under such condations, many iarad-
landfill containment grad monitoring sys- tufty to ensure that there are adequate funds fillslacktheabilitytoroverlegallyanandated
tams fail to funcfion as expected. for those potentially impacted by the land- closure and post-closure care costs, rzauch
fill to have a team of experts conduct lode- less establish trust funds to ensure adequate
~ ~ pendentmonitotingofthelandfilloperaeions gong-term care. Since it appears unlikely
Local agencies charged with use pemritcom- for as long as the wastes represent a ttareat_ that P.ow control will be reinsiatedan the near
pliance oversight--often local-healthdepart- `T'his would requiae several hundred thousand future, permitting authoa~ties should care-
ments--typically are limited in their ability dollars per year income from the toast. This fully evaluate the availability of adequate
to address detailed Subtitle D landfill issues. independent monitoring, while paid for by funds to close an exiseing landfill in accor-
Since local authorities ca~snot rely on state the landfill applicant, would be conducted dance with regulatory requirements.
agencies to protect their interests, they should by individuals who would report directly to
require applicants to provide adequate funds a committee representing the potentially G. Fred I.ee and Asasae,~®nes-I.ee are Prig
for acquisition of staff with the necessary impacted public and local regulatory agen- cfpafs in G. Fred L.ee aaad Associates drr LI
expertise foe proper oversight. Much of this cies. This monitoring, however, would not Macero. Ca.