Mark Hudgins

TL;DR: In this article, it was demonstrated that the aerobic degradation of municipal solid waste (MSW) within a landfill can significantly increase the rate of waste decomposition and settlement, decrease the methane production and leachate leaving the system, and potentially increase the operational life of the site.

TL;DR: In this paper, a method of decomposing municipal solid waste (MSW) within a landfill by converting the landfill to aerobic degradation in the following manner: injecting air via the landfill leachate collection system.

TL;DR: Readingily integrated into the existing landfill infrastructure, this approach can safely and cost-effectively convert a MSW landfill from anaerobic to aerobic degradation processes, thereby effectively composting much of the organic portions of the waste.

Abstract: Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfills world-wide are experiencing the consequences of conventional landfilling techniques, whereby anaerobic conditions are created within the landfill waste. Under anaerobic conditions, slow stabilisation of the waste mass occurs, producing methane, (an explosive, 'greenhouse' gas) and toxic leachate over long periods of time. As a potential solution, it was demonstrated that the aerobic degradation of MSW within a landfill can significantly increase the rate of waste decomposition and settlement, decrease the production of methane gas, reduce the level of toxic organics in the leachate and decrease quantities of landfill leachate that need treatment. This paper summarises the successful results of two separate aerobic landfill projects located in Georgia (USA) and discusses the potential economic and environmental impacts to world-wide solid waste management.