Investigation of landfill gases accumulated in underground (soil/subsoil) nearest municipal waste disposals

Abstract

The purpose of the present paper is to show investigation results performed to identify the landfill gases accumulated in underground (soil/subsoil) in 2 locations (case studies) situated nearest municipal waste disposals. The investigation is focused in situ measurements with a portable gas analyser for landfill gases (methane, oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide). For investigations was applied an intrusive method, respectively a manual drilling with a hand auger equipment and the boreholes were equipped with polypropylene (PP) airtight pipes provided with the gas tap. Drilling within 2-m depth permitted to describe a local lithology and to identify the peculiarity aspects. To obtain more information about possibility of landfill gases to migrate and accumulate ‘off site’ the main sources, the permeability tests was performed in laboratory. The characterization of the landfill gases accumulated in boreholes was performed in multiple campaigns in order to obtain results in different weather conditions (temperature, pressure, precipitations) to establish a temporal evolution of these emissions. The investigations results will be applied in the methodology of risk assessment in areas located in the vicinity of sources of landfill gases in the framework of future developments.