Wednesday, March 23, 2022
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM (CDT)
Landfill Leachate Evaporation Utilizing Wood Waste Combustion
Kansas City Convention Center - Room 2103 AB

One method for reducing the volume of landfill leachate that is coming into common use is evaporation of water from the leachate. Evaporation is accomplished in a system that uses heat input to evaporate the water contained in the leachate, thus reducing the volume requiring further treatment or disposal. Supplying a source of heat input for a leachate evaporation system can be prohibitively expensive if a fuel, such as natural gas, fuel oil or propane is used. Use of landfill gas can be a viable option. However, at most landfills, landfill gas is extracted for sale, or is not generated in significant quantities proportional to leachate production. Landfills typically receive large volumes of tree wood (trunks, branches, stumps), as well as construction and demolition wood and wooden pallets. Combustion of a mixture of all types of wood waste as the heat input to a leachate evaporation system can be a viable, cost effective option. A further benefit of utilizing wood waste combustion would be the reduction of wood waste at the landfill, adding the benefit of wood waste disposal through volume reduction. By burning wood waste in an enclosed combustor and directing the heat of combustion directly to a leachate evaporator, a number of positive benefits can be realized. Along with the obvious benefits of leachate and wood waste volume reduction, emission controls on the wood waste combustor would be minimized since the combustion gases would pass through a tank of leachate which would act as a scrubber for the gases. Any flyash from the wood waste combustion would be contained in the residual leachate and be disposed with the residual leachate. Bottom ash from the wood waste combustion would be quenched in a leachate filled quench tank, with the resulting residue being mixed with the residual leachate for eventual disposal, usually in the same landfill.

Joseph Curro
.75