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35 BIOLOGICAL-MECHANICAL WASTE TREATMENT TESTS AT A LANDFILL IN EAST GERMANY Joris Wotte, Professor and Director Joachim Brummack, Silke Paar, and Bombard Gemende Dresden University of Technology Process and Environmental Engineering Institute D-01062 Dresden, Germany INTRODUCTION There have been tremendous innovations in the waste treatment field in the last ten years. This is true for both the thermal as well as the biological treatment methods. Reasons for that are the increasing public awareness and the enormous pressure of the society upon all parts of the waste management system. Whereas several, and sometimes conflicting requirements, have to be met, the amount of waste generated is too large, both relative per capita as well as absolute figures. We have been accustomed to living with waste, especially in the industrialized world. Politicians are continuously developing laws or setting waste diversion and recycling goals. Scientists and technicians are searching for new solutions. The public seems to be ready to contribute. However, the reality differs a lot from that picture. SPECIAL SITUATION IN EAST GERMANY Poor East-German Landfill Standard Especially in Germany, but obviously also in other smaller industrialized countries, disposal space is lacking. German landfills are packed and offer disposal volume only for very limited terms. Search for new disposal sites seems to be almost hopeless. Under the present conditions, waste export has to be refused, both ecologically and morally. At least as equally pressing as the problem of waste amounts (or disposal space) is the problem of parameters and dangers of the disposed residues. That problem is reflecting the long-term risks caused by disposals. The extremely far-reaching requirements of the new waste act amendments in Germany'-2 are unambiguously addressing those risks especially. It has been widely conceived that waste disposal does not mean annihilating (or eliminating), but only removing from sight. This is much more dangerous, because establishing a disposal in fact represents the installation of a huge long-term bioreactor into the environment. Many of the landfills operated in the past and still partly in operation until now, cause a wide variety of problems. Most of these have their origin in the anaerobic degradation of organic waste components in the landfill. Characteristic intermediate and end products of this process are organic acids and methane. Primary consequences of the anaerobic degradation are emissions of methane-containing disposal gas and leaching water contaminated with organics as well as settlements of the landfill body. Secondary consequences, e.g., the mobilization of heavy metals caused by the decreasing pH values, are not as easy to describe. The emission problem of landfills is extremely aggravated in East Germany, where practically no landfill has systems for leaching water and disposal gas collection. To counter the mentioned problems, the anaerobically degradable components of the waste have to be "rendered harmless" prior to disposal. 50th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1995. Ann Arbor Press, Inc.. Chelsea. Michigan 48118. Printed in U.S.A. 319
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | ETRIWC199535 |
Title | Biological-mechanical waste treatment tests at a landfill in East Germany |
Author |
Wotte, Joris Brummack, Joachim Paar, Silke Gemende, Bernhard |
Date of Original | 1995 |
Conference Title | Proceedings of the 50th Industrial Waste Conference |
Conference Front Matter (copy and paste) | http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/u?/engext,45474 |
Extent of Original | p. 319-328 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Date Digitized | 2009-11-24 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
Description
Title | page 319 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Transcript | 35 BIOLOGICAL-MECHANICAL WASTE TREATMENT TESTS AT A LANDFILL IN EAST GERMANY Joris Wotte, Professor and Director Joachim Brummack, Silke Paar, and Bombard Gemende Dresden University of Technology Process and Environmental Engineering Institute D-01062 Dresden, Germany INTRODUCTION There have been tremendous innovations in the waste treatment field in the last ten years. This is true for both the thermal as well as the biological treatment methods. Reasons for that are the increasing public awareness and the enormous pressure of the society upon all parts of the waste management system. Whereas several, and sometimes conflicting requirements, have to be met, the amount of waste generated is too large, both relative per capita as well as absolute figures. We have been accustomed to living with waste, especially in the industrialized world. Politicians are continuously developing laws or setting waste diversion and recycling goals. Scientists and technicians are searching for new solutions. The public seems to be ready to contribute. However, the reality differs a lot from that picture. SPECIAL SITUATION IN EAST GERMANY Poor East-German Landfill Standard Especially in Germany, but obviously also in other smaller industrialized countries, disposal space is lacking. German landfills are packed and offer disposal volume only for very limited terms. Search for new disposal sites seems to be almost hopeless. Under the present conditions, waste export has to be refused, both ecologically and morally. At least as equally pressing as the problem of waste amounts (or disposal space) is the problem of parameters and dangers of the disposed residues. That problem is reflecting the long-term risks caused by disposals. The extremely far-reaching requirements of the new waste act amendments in Germany'-2 are unambiguously addressing those risks especially. It has been widely conceived that waste disposal does not mean annihilating (or eliminating), but only removing from sight. This is much more dangerous, because establishing a disposal in fact represents the installation of a huge long-term bioreactor into the environment. Many of the landfills operated in the past and still partly in operation until now, cause a wide variety of problems. Most of these have their origin in the anaerobic degradation of organic waste components in the landfill. Characteristic intermediate and end products of this process are organic acids and methane. Primary consequences of the anaerobic degradation are emissions of methane-containing disposal gas and leaching water contaminated with organics as well as settlements of the landfill body. Secondary consequences, e.g., the mobilization of heavy metals caused by the decreasing pH values, are not as easy to describe. The emission problem of landfills is extremely aggravated in East Germany, where practically no landfill has systems for leaching water and disposal gas collection. To counter the mentioned problems, the anaerobically degradable components of the waste have to be "rendered harmless" prior to disposal. 50th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1995. Ann Arbor Press, Inc.. Chelsea. Michigan 48118. Printed in U.S.A. 319 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
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