This document provides an overview of a project that aims to actively compress landfill waste by achieving maximum compression using activated sludge. It begins with an introduction and overview section describing the various aspects of the project. It then reviews the relevant literature on landfill design and operation, activated sludge processes, and landfill gas recovery. The methodology, soil profile, gas collection system, and observations are also discussed. The conclusion summarizes that the landfill has been designed according to environmental regulations to safely treat waste and protect the environment.

1. ACTIVE LANDFILL BY ACHIEVING MAXIMUM
COMPRESSION USING ACTIVATED SLUDGE
Phase-II / Review IV
BY
Atul Kumar Sahu 1011120097
Arshad Ahmed 1011120116
Prantik Chakraborty 1011120117
Under the Guidance of
Mrs.F.Stellamary
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Civil Engineering
30.04.2015

2. OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT
• Introduction
• Aim of the project
• Literature Review
• Methodology
• Design of landfill
• Soil Profile
• Laying of gas collection system
• Activities of the sludge
• Observations
• Conclusion

3. INTRODUCTION
Definition of a landfill
A landfill site (also known as tip , dump , rubbish dump or dumping
ground and historically as a midden) is a site for the disposal of
waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment.
A landfill may also refer to a ground that has been filled in with
rocks instead of waste materials , so that it can be used for a specific
purpose , such as for building houses. Unless stabilized these areas
may undergo severe shaking or liquefaction of the ground during a
large earthquake.

4. Modern landfills are well-engineered facilities that are located ,
designed , operated ,and monitored to ensure compliance with federal
regulations.
Solid waste landfills must be designed to protect the environment from
contaminants which may be present in the solid waste stream.
The landfill siting plan which prevents the siting of landfills in
environmentally-sensitive area as well as on site monitoring system
which monitors for any groundwater contamination and for landfill
gases.

5. Typical Layout of a landfill

6. • A landfill consists of a hole dug in the ground. This hole is
lined with a clay or advanced liner.
• On the previous slide is shown a typical cross sectional view
of a landfill.
• This is the conventional landfill which is used in the disposal
of solid waste.
• Then the solid waste is sandwiched in between soil layers.
• In bigger landfill sites daily soil cover is provided.
• A final soil cap is given to cover up the mound.
• Landfill gas collection system is also provided to collect the
gas generated in decomposition.
• This landfill gas is generally used to run the incineration
plants nearby the landfill.

7. Activated Sludge
Activated sludge is a semi-solid slurry and can be produced
as sewage sludge from wastewater treatment processes or as a
settled suspension obtained from conventional drinking water
treatment and numerous other industrial processes.
Activated sludge laid out for drying at
sludge pools

8. Dry Sludge
The activated when laid out in sludge bed for 30 days time
period under full sun condition without rain dries out. This
dried sludge becomes cracked and soil like. It is then scooped
up and stored beside the pool.
Sludge dried and collected from
sludge bed

9. AIM OF THE PROJECT
I. In general landfills are constructed to compress large
amount of solid waste and in doing this they take up large
amount of space. Our aim is to reduce the space usage and
compress the system.
II. A general landfill takes long time to decompose and
stabilize the waste. Our aim is to the cut down the time
required for decomposition by sandwiching the solid waste
in between layers of nutrient rich soil and activated sludge.
III. We will be conducting the experiment in a two chambered
tank type design.
IV. We also aim at collecting landfill gases by providing piping
at the top.

10. LITERATURE REVIEW
Landfill Design & Operation
Gregory Richardson
• Implementation of Design Considerations
• Design Considerations for geometry of cell
• Design Considerations for landfill gas collection
• Working of liner system in a landfill
Conclusion:
The landfill thus designed is safe and environment friendly.
SESSION 3 - BIOREACTOR DESIGN and OPERATION
US EPA WORKSHOP ON BIOREACTORS FEBRUARY 27-28, 2003

11. Systems engineering: the design and operation of
municipal solid waste landfills to minimize
contamination of groundwater
R. K. Rowe
• This paper discusses the need to adopt a systems engineering
approach to the design and operation of municipal solid
waste landfills.
• The role of the landfill cap/ cover.
• Leachate collection and control of head on the liner.
• Diffusion through composite liner systems.
Conclusion:
The landfill thus designed is monitored and designed by
engineer.
The design is perfect according to the space requirement.
The cap designed is efficient.
Received 15 July 2011, revised 30 September 2011, accepted 1
October 2011, 1072-6349 # 2011 Thomas Telford Ltd

12. Guideline—landfill siting, design, operation and
rehabilitation.
This guideline is applicable to operators seeking to develop a
new landfill site, regardless of size, or location.
This guideline covers three broad areas as shown:
• 1. development
• 2. operation
• 3. rehabilitation.
Conclusion:
This guideline covers site selection, development, design,
construction, operation, rehabilitation and aftercare
management of all landfill sites.
Guideline—Landfill siting, design, operation and rehabilitation
Version: 2, Authorized and published by EPA Victoria, 200 Victoria
Street, Carlton

13. Landfill Cover Design and Operation
Beth A. Gross, GeoSyntec Consultants
Component Functions:
Surface Layer
– Resist erosion by wind and water.
– Be maintainable.
– Promote vegetation, if present.
– Satisfy aesthetic, ecological, or end use criteria.
Conclusion:
Minimum criteria to be followed for modern landfill design.
Estimate of leachate generation rate over a given period of
time.
Implementation of the laws laid down by the environmental
protection agency.
ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geo environmental Engineering,
Vol. 139, No. 11, pp. 1849-1863, 2013

14. Landfill manuals & landfill site design
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
• Establishment -The Environmental Protection Agency Act,
1992, was enacted on 23 April, 1992, and under this legislation
the Agency was formally established on 26 July, 1993.
Main agendas:
• advising public authorities.
• the promotion of environmentally sound practices.
• the promotion and co-ordination of environmental research.
• the licensing and regulation of all significant waste disposal.
Conclusion:
Any authority whether bound by government or by public before
and during construction of landfill has to abide by the laws laid
down by Environment protection agency.
Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency
Act,1992. Enacted on 23 April, 1992. ISBN 1 84095 026 9

15. Optimization of the Activated Sludge Process
Andrew Kusiak and Xiupeng Wei
• This paper presents a multi objective model for optimization
of the activated sludge process (ASP) in a wastewater-
treatment plant (WWTP).
• To minimize the energy consumption of the activated sludge
process and maximize the quality of the effluent, three
different objective functions are modeled.
• Dissolved oxygen (DO) is the controlled variable in these
objectives.

16. Conclusion:
• Computation results are reported for three trade-offs between
energy savings and the quality of the effluent.
• A 15% reduction in airflow can be achieved by optimal
settings of dissolved oxygen, provided that energy savings
take precedence over the quality of the effluent.
Optimization of the Activated Sludge Process
• Submitted: 31 January 2012
• Accepted: 06 July 2012
• Published: 14 August 2012
ISSN (print): 0733-9402
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers

17. Physicochemical Properties of Sewage Sludge
Ibrahim Nahhal, Husam Al-Najar, Yasser El-Nahhal
• This study characterized the physicochemical properties of
sewage sludge collected from Gaza wastewater treatment
plant.
• Sludge samples were collected from the drying beds, air-
dried, sieved through 2 mm and stored in plastic bags at room
temperature.
• Sludge density, particle size distribution, water holding
capacity, void volume, pH, EC, total organic carbon and
hydrophobicity were determined.
• Results showed the bulk density is about 1.18 g/cm3 whereas
the real density is 2.12 g/cm3 and void volume is 50%

18. • Particle size distribution showed that the major size of sludge
is sand-like size (630 - 200 µm) and the minor size is silt-like
size (200 - 20 µm) and clay-like size is less than 20 µm.
• These results suggest that sludge application to soil may
change the physicochemical properties of soil.
Conclusion:
• The approach is based on determination of physical, chemical
and biological properties of sludge.
• It can be seen that the bulk density of sludge is nearly low
1.18 ± 0.04 g/cm3 with a high fraction of organic carbon
which is 89.53 ± 0.92.
• The pH value of sludge is slightly in the acidic range which
equals 6.78 ± 0.02 but its application in soil did not make
significant changes in soil pH.
International Journal of Geosciences, 2014, 5, 586-594 Published Online
May 2014 in SciRes

19. Solid Waste Collection and Segregation: A Case
Study of MNIT Campus, Jaipur
Vipin Upadhyay, Jethoo A.S, Poonia M. P
• To characterized the waste generated and source of waste
generation in MNIT Campus.
• To identify the solid waste management practices existing in
campus.
• To examine the current solid waste management system of
campus.
• To suggested about some different practices for better
management of solid waste management in MNIT Campus.

20. Results:
• Waste generation rates works out to be 0.40 Kg per capita per
day.
• Approximately 700 kg/day waste is generated from the
residential area.
• From mess activities, 700 kg from hostel and 300 kg from
academic region which contribute to the total 2000 kg solid
waste.
Conclusion:
• The solid waste management in MNIT appears to be
inadequate and needs up gradation.
• The solid waste has to be disposed of scientifically through
sanitary landfill and recyclable portion of the waste should be
salvaged.
International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT)
Volume 1, Issue 3, March 2012. ISSN: 2277-3754.

21. Landfill gas recovery and its utilization in India
Faisal Zia Siddiqui and Mohd Emran Khan
• The methane emissions from landfills in India are ranked
second next only to coal mining.
• The estimation of methane emissions from landfills is
important in order to evaluate measures for reduction these
greenhouse gases.
• The main objective of this research was to evaluate the
energy potential of methane from selected urban landfill sites
in India.
• The paper also examined the current status, future prospects
and various barriers for landfill gas (LFG) recovery and
utilization in India.

22. Conclusion:
• The study concludes that there is significant energy
utilization potential from existing urban landfills in India.
• There is an urgent need to examine potential uses for LFG
including on-site use for small processes.
• The construction of regional landfills in place of scattered
open dumps is required to properly manage the
environmental impacts of LFG.
• The health impacts of old landfills, and the economic benefits
of LFG to energy projects and closure of old landfills should
be included in the government policy.
ISSN No: 0975-7384 CODEN(USA): JCPRC5
J. Chem. Pharm. Res., 2011, 3(5):174-183.

23. METHODOLOGY
Site Selection
Levelling of
site
Excavation of
site
Soil and
water sample
collection

24. Using rubbish to
provide first cover
Sealing of lower
layer using
concrete
Using bricks and
mortar to form
two chambers
Mixing soil with
activated sludge

25. Repeating the
same process
for 2 layers
Laying of pvc
pipe for
collection of
LFG
Layering of
solid waste
Laying soil and
activated sludge
layers

26. Final sealing of
upper layer
using fresh soil
Leave site
undisturbed for
periodic
observations
Observations
are made on the
basis of
settlement of
the pvc pipe

27. TYPE OF SLUDGE DESCRIPTION
Primary Sludge • Consisting largely of faecal solids and will also contain paper, sanitary
and medical products, kitchen wastes, grit and other mineral matter.
• A typical domestic primary sludge will contain approximately 5.0-
6.0% dry solids and does not normally require thickening prior to
further treatment.
Humus Sludge • Humus sludge is the product of settlement of effluent from biological
filters, submerged aerated filters, etc. and is mainly bacterial and
fungal material sloughed from the filter media.
• A typical humus sludge contains 0.5-2.0% dry solids and is not easily
thickened/dewatered alone.
Surplus Activated Sludge • To maintain an optimum level of mixed liquor suspended solids a
portion of sludge is removed at regular intervals and is known as
surplus activated sludge.
• The sludge will consist mainly of flocculated and synthesized solids
and micro-organisms.
Tertiary Sludge • Tertiary sludge is derived from tertiary treatment processes and
comprises the fraction of secondary sludge that remains in the effluent
from the secondary clarifier that is removed by the tertiary treatment
filters.

28. DESIGN OF LANDFILL
The land where construction is to be done is first cleared of
debris.
Land is then prepared by marking it. The dimensions of the
land is taken as 6*6ft.
Land is dug using a hydraulic excavator (JCB). Digging is done
till 8ft depth.
The land is left untouched for one day observation.
JCB being used for
excavation

29. On the next day sample of water and soil is collected and kept in
sealed container for testing.
Now the ground is prepared by layering it with rubbish
(Constructional Waste) and tamping it.
Now bricks recovered from the rubbish is used by laying them in
layer of five each.
Small stone chips are used to form a thin layer of stone chips
sheet to prepare the brick layer for concrete laying.
Now M25 grade concrete is prepared by mixing cement, coarse
aggregate, sand and water in design ratio.
The concrete is laid on the prepared stone chips bed.

30. The cement is left to dry and cure for four days. The cement is
watered in the middle.
Small size
stone chips
and brick
layering
Laying of Rubbish to form first
layer
Finished concrete foundation

31. With the help of labor wall has been raised up to a height of
4ft.
Wall are on both sides of the pit and a double layered wall is
provided in the middle.
The wall in the middle acts as a partition for the two chambers.
Walls on both side and the
middle after completion

32. Activated sludge and dry sludge has been collected from the
Nesapakkam sewage treatment plant on (27.2.2015).
The sludge has been transported to the site with the help of
Tata Ace.
Freshly laid sludge bed for dry
sludge manufacture
Activated sludge and dry sludge
being loaded

33. Test Report
Water test has been received and analysis has been inferred.
The test shows that the soil dug up is in neutral pH condition
with pH value 7.
The mineral records present in the soil has been shown in the
report.
As per report the Magnesium content is more in soil about
0.054mg as compared to any other mineral.
PH is on the alkaline side which will aid in active decomposition.
Sulphate contents also show 0.052mg value which will help in
the production of biogas.

34. SOIL PROFILE
• Soil as tested at 2.50 m depth is Brown in color with traces of
silt , clayey gravel and sand.
• Soil retains a moisture content of 27.04%.
• A proper grain size distribution is done which shows that fine
aggregate has a dominant presence.
• 33% of the total soil content consist of silt.
• 19% of the total soil content consist of clay so it has less
chance of becoming clayey.
• The dry density of the sample tested is 1.7 t/m³.
• The soil has low plasticity and low free swell values.

35. The soil sample collected at a depth of 2.50m from the existing ground level at Ramapuram campus
is given soil analysis
Depth(m)
TypeofSoil
ISSoilClassification
NaturalMoisture%
Atterberg Limits
%
FreeSwellIndex(%)
Grain size Distribution %
Gravel(>4.75mm)
Sand
Fines <
0.075MM
LL PL PI
Coarse(4.75to
2.00mm)
Medium(2.00
to0.425mm)
Fine(0.425to
0.075mm)
Silt Clay
2.50
Brown silty ,
clayey sand , trace
gravel
SC-CL 27.04 29 15 14 26 12 4 15 17 33 19
Note: The soil is brown silty clayey sand with traces of gravel having low plasticity and low free swell
values. The dry density is 1.7 t/m³.The soil is less compressible and low permeable.

36. TEST REPORT
Sample Ref No : 052/02 Report No : 024/02
Sample Description : Water Sample
Drawn By/ Date :EES/12.2.15
Dated on 12.2.15
Received On : 12.2.15
Commenced On : 12.2.15
Completed On : 12.2.15
SI.No Parameters Units Results
As per IS 10500:2012 PROTOCOL
:
APHA 22ND
Edition 2012
Requirement
(Acceptable limit)
Permissible
limit in the
absence of
alternate
source
1. pH value
at 25°C
_ 7.37 6.5-8.5 6.5-8.5 4500H+B

37. Soil layer in both the chambers has been provided by sieving the
soil.
Only sieved fine soil is used to ensure evenness in layers.
Fine soil will ensure maximum air and moisture entrapment.
Soil is being layered by the use of
shovels
Soil is being sieved to be laid in
the pit

38. Initial layer of vegetables and decomposable matter is dropped
in the main experiment pit.
Soil cover has been given on top.
Vegetable leftovers After filling and levelling

39. Mixing of solid waste and sludge
Covering of the layer after
mixing has been done

40. TYPES OF
WASTES
AMOUNT IN (KG) PARTICULARS
VEGETABLE
WASTE
200 CAULI
FLOWER,MUSHROOM,BEANS,CARROT,
CABBAGE,TOMATOE,POTATOE
FRUIT WASTE 60 BANANA,ORANGE,WATERMELON,SWEET
LIME,LEMON,PINE APPLE
FOOD WASTE 30 BIRYANI RICE,CHICKEN BONES,CHICKEN
FEATHER
TOTAL 290

41. CLIP OF SOLID WASTE BEING DUMPED

42. Laying of gas collection system
• PVC pipes of size 12ft were cut into three parts. Two of
length 3ft and one of 6ft.
• The PVC of 6ft length was cut from the middle to make two
equal halves.
• The PVC of length 3ft was laid in the right pit with the base
uplifted using bricks.
• This created a gap between the pipe bottom and the soil layer.

43. • The other pit was directly laid with the 3ft PVC pipe and the
projection is taken out of the ground.
• Cardboards are used to differentiate levels of upper layer soil
and lower layer soil.
• The pit is then left open for 2 week observation time to
obtain the initial setting depth.
• After 2 week it is measured by using scale and the pit is
covered by pouring soil over the cardboard.
Top view (LFG)

44. Activities of the sludge
• The activated sludge being used in the project acts as a
catalyst rapidifying the process of decomposition.
• When the sludge is introduced in the pit along with the waste
materials it immediately starts to breakdown the waste using
microbes.
• Since the activated sludge is used in water treatment plants so
it is highly active in bacteria and other micro organisms.
• On pouring the dry sludge the action gets vigorous making
the waste unstable and shrink in volume.
• This shrinkage occurs by reduction in moisture content in the
waste.
• The activated sludge has a property of drying under dry
condition so it needs to be moistened often.

45. • Thus it was watered daily and a close watch was kept on the
moisture content of the soil.
• The initial setting is obtained within 2weeks and the reading
is taken by observing the scale.
• After that the cardboards are laid carefully and soil cover is
given over it.
• Gas collection system is embedded within the pipes itself.
• In case if there is any gas formation then it will escape
through the pipes.
• The moisture level is maintained by pouring water through
the pipes.
• Then final observation is taken at 28th day.
• Burning splinter test is carried out to check for the gas
production.

46. OBSERVATIONS
Date Settlement Inference
16/03/2015 0 cm Fresh cover provided.
30/03/2015 68 cm from
ground level
Initial settling has taken place.
14/04/2015 60cm from
the ground
level
Final settlement has started
21/04/2015 55cm from
the ground
level
Final settlement continued

47. Soil cover of 28cm
Fresh soil cover of 16cm
Waste + freshly mixed soil
47cm from the first layer
Waste + freshly mixed soil
30cm from the base
Dry sludge layer of 1cm
Longitudinal cross sectional view of the landfill

48. Settlements
• The pit was closed on 16.03.2015 and left without top cover
to obtain the initial settlement.
• The next observation was taken on 30.03.2015.
• The layer of soil and solid waste mixture had settled down.
• Reading was taken using a tube light and later measured
using measuring tape.
• Reading showed a depreciation of 68cm.
• Approximately 2feet of soil had depreciated.
• Now the pit was re watered and cardboard laid on each
segment to prepare for top cover and proceed for 28 days
reading.
• Pipes were introduced by making holes in the cardboard and
taken down until the dried layer.

49. The results hence derived from the initial settlement are:
1) In case of regular landfill where it shows an initial settling
of 30-35cm we have achieved and excess settling of 30cm.
2) Thus the sludge used in order to decompose the waste
starts working and on controlling the moisture content it
rapidly breaks down the solid waste.
3) There is no issue regarding smell. The solid waste on being
treated in nature has no foul smell thus it creates no foul
smell.
4) No physical change was observed in the soil which was
enclosing the interior of the pit.
5) The weather of Chennai being very has been a
disadvantage in case of water retention.
6) No bacterial growth was observed.

50. CONCLUSION
• The initial settling obtained was 68cm from the ground level.
• The activated sludge had broken down the waste as expected.
• After 2 weeks the reading showed comparably more
depreciation as compared to that obtained in a normal
landfill.
• In case of normal landfill average depreciation at 2 weeks is
seen to be 30cm but in case of our experiment the
depreciation is more than that of the normal landfill.
• The final setting was noted on 14.04.2015 and a further
depreciation of 8 cm was observed.
• The final setting of the waste layer had started.
• The continuation of the final setting was also noted on
21.04.2015 and a depreciation of 5cm was noted.
• No gas was seen to be emitted.

51. THANK YOU