Bioreactor landfills are controlled sanitary landfills designed to enhance the microbial process that transform and rapidly stabilize the readily and moderately decomposable organic constituents of the solid waste stream. Leachate re-introduction enhances the fermentation process so that waste is stabilizes with a shorter period of time, thus minimizing the cost of leachate management and also eliminating the potential for long term landfill gas production and ground water pollution.
Design and operation of bioreactor landfill satisfy the following objectives:
- The content of the landfill must be managed so that outputs are released to the environment in a controlled and acceptable way.
- The residues left in the site should not pose an unacceptable risk to the environment.
- Future use of groundwater and other resources should not be compromised.
