Experimental studies on coupled mechanical and chemobiological (MC-B) processes in compost biocover

Afshin Khoshand, Mamadou Fall

In the proceedings of: GeoMontréal 2013: 66th Canadian Geotechnical Conference; 11th joint with IAH-CNC

Session: Geoenvironment I

ABSTRACT: Landfill gas (LFG) is produced by the anaerobic biodegradation of the organic fraction of deposited waste in landfills. LFG consists of about 5560% methane (CH4) which is a potent greenhouse gas. The microbial oxidation of CH4 through reactive biological cover soils or biocovers can effectively reduce CH4 emissions into the atmosphere. Previous studies on compost biocovers have mostly focused on their biochemical response and/or the isolated effects of one influencing factor on biocover performance. There is a lack of understanding of the coupled mechanical (M) and chemo-biological (C-B) (MC-B) processes that occur in biocovers. An understanding of these processes is critical for the cost-effective design of biocovers. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive laboratory investigation on a compost biocover medium in long-term column experiments. The results with regard to the interactions between the mechanical and chemo-biological processes that occur within a compost biocover are presented and discussed. The obtained results have allowed us to gain a better understanding on the coupled evolution of CH4 oxidation and geotechnical behavior of compost biocovers.

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