University of Sydney Faculty of Engineering and IT School of Civil Engineering

CIVL 5351 GeoEnvironmental Engineering Semester 1, 2012

Quiz 2
June 2012

90 minutes closed book exam attempt all questions

Name:____________________________________ SID_____________________________________

Question 1 (30%) A landfill it is expected to start receiving waste in 2015. In that year: waste generated per year is w0=950 kg/(capita.year). population is: p0=150,000 landfilling proportion: r0=75% (ie proportion of generated waste that is landfilled) The yearly growth of w0 is iw=2%. The yearly growth of population: ip=5%. The average density of the waste is dw=800 kg/m3. The citys environmental authority is pursuing a policy of diversion from landfills; as a result the landfilling proportion is declining at a yearly rate of ir=10% (i.e. rn= 0.9rn-1 where n is a given year). Assume that density of the waste does not change during the lifetime of the landfill. The landfill will be h=30m high from the bottom of the liner (top of the attenuation layer) to the top of the final cover. Assume: fc=30% daily cover, liner and final cover factor (ratio of volume of daily cover fill, the liner and final cover to volume of waste); fs=10% settlement factor (ratio of volume gained from settlement to volume of waste); fi=20% infrastructure factor (ratio of surface area required for servicing the landfill to surface area for the actual waste burial ground).

1. How much waste per year in mega tonnes is generated 20 years after the beginning of operations? [hint: use the identity 1+x+x2++xk=(xk+1-1)/(x-1)] (7.5%). 2. How much land in hectares is needed in order to serve the community for 20 years? (7.5%) 3. If 7 ha of land is available, what is the maximum number of years over which the landfill can serve the city? (10%) 4. How deep would the landfill have to be (ie, what value of h) in order for the 7 ha to be able to absorb the waste for 20 years? (5%) Solution: 1. mT=w0p0r0+w0(1+iw)p0(1+ip)r0(1-ir)+w0(1+iw)2p0(1+ip)2r0 (1-ir)2++ w0(1+iw)n-1p0(1+ip)n-1r0(1-ir) n-1 mT= w0p0r0+w0p0r0(1+iw)(1+ip)(1-ir)+w0p0r0(1+iw)2(1+ip)2(1-ir)2++w0p0r0(1+iw)n-1(1+ip)n-1(1-ir)n-1 mT= w0p0r0 + w0p0r0z + w0p0r0z2 + + w0p0r0zn-1 where z=(1+iw)(1+ip)(1-ir) mT= w0p0r0 (1+z+z2++zn-1) mT= w0p0r0 (zn-1)/z-1)

z=1.02x1.05x0.9=0.9639 (zn-1)/z-1)= 14.42 mT=0.75x950x150000x14.42x10-9 mT=1.54 Mtonnes 2. vW=mT/dw

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vT=vW+v daily cover+liner and cover-vsettlment vT= vW+fcvW -fsvW vT= vW(fc-fs) A=(1+fi)vT/h A= vW(1+fc -fs)(1+fi)/h A= mT (1+fc-fs)(1+fi)/(hdw) A= mT (1+fc-fs)(1+fi)/(hdw) (1+fc-fs)(1+fi)=1.2x1.2= 1.44 A= 9.24 ha 3.

n ln (0.9639)= ln (0.61) n= -0.5/-0.038 n= 13.2 years ie. 13 years maximum 4. A= mT (1+fc-fs)(1+fi)/(hdw) h= mT (1+fc-fs)(1+fi)/(Adw) h= 1.54x109x1.2x1.2/(70000x800) h= 39.6 m

Name:____________________________________ SID_____________________________________

Question 2 (15%) a. How many tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) are required to produce 5 million m3 of methane? Assume that 50% of MSW is dry biomass, that standard temperature and pressure (STP) prevail and that all dry biomass is converted into methane according to: C6H10O4 +1.5H2O 3.25CH4+2.75CO2 where C6H10O4 is the dry biomass in the waste with a molar mass of 146g. CH4 has a molar mass of 16g. The volume of one mole of ideal gas at STP is 22.4 litres or 0.0224m3 (10%). b. How much methane (in tonnes) can be extracted from the above volume, if the extraction efficiency is 60%? (5%) Solution: a. 1 mole of C6H10O4 weighs 6x12+10x1+4x16=146g 1 kg of MSW contains 500g of C6H10O4 ie 500/146= 3.42moles of C6H10O4 1 kg of MSW therefore generates 3.25x3.42=11.11 moles of CH4 1 kg of MSW therefore generates at STP: 0.0224x11.11=0.249m3 CH4 Hence, 5x106x1/0.249=2x107 kg of MSW are required b. Molar mass of CH4 is 16g. 16gx11.11moles/kgx2x107kg= 3555 tons will of methane

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Question 3 (25%) A landfill will receive R=300,000 tonnes of waste per year for T1=15 years, after which it will be capped. Assume extraction efficiency of e=70%, proportion of methane in the landfill gas of p=45%, and a generation rate k=0.22 year-1. Use a value of L0=0.2m3 LFG/kg MSW for this part. Use the following expression for the per-annum landfill gas generation: LG= L0R(e-kc-e-kt) where LG: volume of landfill gas generated in a given year; L0: total landfill gas yield per kilogram of MSW; R: MSW filling rate; k: annual rate of landfill gas generation; t: time since landfill opening; c: time since landfill closure (with c=0 prior to closure). i. Estimate the volume of methane that can be extracted per year at T 2=20 years after it begins to receive waste (5%). j. How long, since the landfills opening and before its closure, will it take yearly methane volume extraction to reach 75% of its maximum yearly capacity represented by epL0R? (10%) k. How long, after the landfill's closure, will it take yearly methane volume extraction to drop to 50% of its value at closure? (10%)
Solution: i. Volume of methane extracted V=epLG (2%) V=epLG = epL0R(e-kc-e-kt)= 0.7x0.45x0.2x3x108x(e-0.22x5-e-0.22x20) V=6.06 million m3 ii. LG= L0R(1-e-kt) epLG/epL0R=0.75=1-e-kt e-kt=0.25 kt=1.386 t=6.3 years iii. At closure: epLG= epL0R(1-e-kT1) After closure: epLG=epL0R(e-kc-e-kt)= epL0R(e-kc-e-k(c+T1)) =epL0R e-kc(1-e-kT1) (2)=0.5x (1) epL0R e-kc(1-e-kT1)=0.5xepL0R(1-e-kT1) e-kc=0.5 kc=0.693 c=3.15 years (1) (2)

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Question 4 (30%). Circle the best answer to the questions below. Choose only one answer. Each correct answer adds 3 points to your mark. Each wrong answer reduces your mark by 1 point. If a question is unanswered, no points are added or deducted. (The lowest possible mark for this question is 0). 1. An artesian landfills works by: a. ensuring that no diffusion of contaminants takes place b. ensuring that no vertical water flow takes place c. ensuring that only upward diffusion of contaminants occurs (i.e. from aquifer to liner) d. ensuring that only upward water flow occurs (i.e. from aquifer to liner) e. none of the above 2. In a bioreactor, water needs to be added in order to: a. wash away all the microorganisms in the waste for optimum performance b. ensure high water pressure on top of the liner for optimum performance c. ensure adequate conditions for optimal biodegradation of waste d. dissolve contaminants to make it easier to capture them later e. none of the above 3. In a dry tomb landfill: a. no leachate is generated by the landfill b. the leachate that is generated by the landfill contains almost no pollutants c. the leachate that is generated by the landfill is diverted into treatment ponds d. the leachate these generated by the landfill is stored underground e. none of the above 4. In choosing the water content at which compacted clay liners are compacted, the following factors are considered: a. hydraulic conductivity b. shear strength c. shrinkage d. all of the above e. none of the above 5. The water content at which compacted clay liners are compacted is usually: a. a few percents dry of optimum b. at least 25% dry of optimum c. a few percents wet of optimum d. at least 25% wet of optimum e. none of the above 6. Geomembranes are usually placed on top of clay liners, rather than vice versa, because: a. they exhibit stronger chemical resistance to the leachate b. they have higher stiffness

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c. they are thinner d. they have a tendency to form wrinkles e. they can be crushed by clay on top 7. the equivalent height of leachate Hf for a given contaminant reflects: a. the total volume or mass of leachate water present in the landfill b. the total volume or mass of rainwater entering the landfill c. the total volume or mass of the contaminant present in the landfill d. the concentration of the contaminant present in the landfill e. the initial concentration of contaminant present in the landfill 8. In performance-based design of landfill liners: a. the regulators design is adopted as it is b. it is up to the landfill designer to prove that the liner will achieve the desired environmental outcomes c. it is up to the insurance firm to prove that the liner will achieve the desired environmental outcomes d. it is up to the regulator to prove that the liner will achieve the desired environmental outcomes e. a and d 9. Which of the following is untrue? a. GCLs usually have a lower hydraulic conductivity than CCLs b. GCLs are usually easier to put in place than CCLs c. GCLs are usually thinner than CCLs d. the CCL technology has been around for longer than GCLs e. none of the above 10. Which of the following is true about methane? a. it is flammable and a good source of energy b. It is not a greenhouse gas c. it has a strong odour, similar to the smell of a gas leak from stove d. it is synthesised by microbes that thrive in aerobic environments e. none of the above