Fei, X. & Zekkos, D. Géotechnique [https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.16.P.

253]

Coupled experimental assessment of physico-biochemical characteristics

of municipal solid waste undergoing enhanced biodegradation
X. FEI
and D. ZEKKOS†

Seven municipal solid waste (MSW) specimens with variable initial waste compositions were
biodegraded in large (d = 300 mm, h = 600 mm) laboratory landfill simulators under leachate-
recirculation-enhanced anaerobic biodegradation conditions to investigate changes in the
biochemical and physical characteristics of solid waste, leachate and biogas during biodegradation.
The evolution with time of the monitored characteristics of the three phases was presented and the
characteristics empirically correlated. The impact of the initial composition of waste on the
biodegradation process was quantified. Although removal of soluble compounds in leachate, and
methane (CH4) generation from waste was practically completed after around 300 days, changes in
vertical strain, total unit weight and volumetric moisture content of waste continued in decreasing rates
even after 1000 days. Methane generation potential (L0) of the waste was correlated to the percentage of
biodegradable waste prior to degradation expressed by parameter B0. Maximum methane generation
rate (rCH4,max) increased with increasing L0 and maximum soluble chemical oxygen demand in leachate.
Final strain (or settlement) of waste due to anaerobic biodegradation (εB,f ) increased with increasing B0
and L0. The compression ratio was found to vary during the process, although it is commonly assumed
to be constant. The maximum long-term compression ratio increased with increasing εB,f and rCH4,max.
The total unit weight at submerged and field capacity states and volumetric moisture content of waste
were also dependent on the initial composition and compression (quantified by strain) of waste. The
trends presented in this study contribute to the quantitative understanding of coupled processes during
enhanced biodegradation of MSW of variable waste composition.

KEYWORDS: chemical properties; contaminated material; laboratory tests; landfills; settlement

INTRODUCTION to volatile fatty acids (VFAs), hydrogen and carbon dioxide

Municipal solid waste (MSW) disposed of in modern
dry-tomb landfills (also known as Subtitle D landfills,
according to the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA, 2010)) and bioreactor landfills is a unique
geomaterial that degrades with time due to biochemical and
physical processes. Biochemically, the anaerobic biodegrada-
tion of biodegradable solid waste consists of four steps:
disintegration, hydrolysis, fermentation and methanogenesis
(Pohland & Kim, 2000; Batstone et al., 2002). Large
biodegradable waste particles, for example, food, paper and
yard trimmings, are first disintegrated into smaller particles
through physicochemical processes. Food waste contains a
significant amount of readily biodegradable compounds
such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, while paper and
yard trimmings are rich in lignocellulosic compounds, which
have low biodegradation rates (Eleazer et al., 1997; Labatut
et al., 2011). The smaller particles have large surface areas
and complex polymers in the particles are hydrolysed by
microorganisms at appropriate moisture, temperature and
chemical conditions of the surrounding liquid and gas. The
hydrolytic products in leachate are soluble monomers
including sugars and amino acids, which are then fermented
Manuscript received 1 October 2016; revised manuscript accepted
11 January 2018.
Discussion on this paper is welcomed by the editor.

Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center, King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi
Arabia (Orcid:0000-0002-7435-9011).
† Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA (Orcid:0000-0001-9907-3362).
(CO2). The VFAs, hydrogen and carbon dioxide are
eventually consumed by methanogenic archaea to produce
biogas consisting primarily of methane (CH4) and carbon
dioxide (Barlaz et al., 2010).
The characteristics of the three phases of MSW, namely
solid (waste), liquid (leachate) and gas (biogas) phases,
change continually during the biodegradation process. The
characteristics of the solid skeleton of waste change with time
due to mechanical compression and settlement induced by
biodegradation of MSW, that is, biological compression
(Olivier & Gourc, 2007; McDougall, 2011; Bareither et al.,
2012c; Fei & Zekkos, 2013). Mechanical compression of
MSW is primarily induced by change in the vertical stress
from overlaid MSW and is typically completed within days
following stress application, although additional secondary
mechanical compression settlement (creep, ravelling and
particle softening) continues practically indefinitely
(Bareither et al., 2012a; Zekkos et al., 2017). As biodegrad-
able solid waste particles that are part of the solid skeleton of
MSW are broken down due to disintegration and hydrolysis,
additional settlement is observed. Long-term settlement of
MSW, due to secondary mechanical compression and
biodegradation, usually occurs simultaneously. The vertical
strain of waste (ε) can be divided sequentially into immediate
strain (εI) caused by mechanical compression, strain primar-
ily due to biodegradation (εB) and strain primarily due to
mechanical creep (εM) based on the progress of waste
degradation (Bjarngard & Edgers, 1990; Gourc et al., 2010;
McDougall, 2011; Fei & Zekkos, 2013; Bareither et al.,
2013a). Changes in the volume and mass relationships
between the solid, liquid and gas phases of the waste lead
to changes in total unit weight (γt), porosity and volumetric
moisture content (θ) of the waste (McDougall, 2007;

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 2 FEI AND ZEKKOS
Stoltz et al., 2010; Reddy et al., 2011; Bareither et al., 2012b;
Woodman et al., 2014).
In leachate, hydrolytic products produced from biodegra-
dation of biodegradable waste particles are consumed by
microorganisms, resulting in temporal changes in pH and the
concentrations of soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD)
and VFAs. In the gas phase, owing to evolving microbial
activities in leachate, the composition (primarily methane
and carbon dioxide) and amount of generated biogas change
with time. Compared to readily biodegradable waste such as
food, slowly biodegradable compounds in paper and yard
trimmings tend to have a higher impact on leachate chemistry
and biogas generation in the long term, which are critical to
landfill monitoring, operation and closure (Barlaz et al.,
1989; Bareither et al., 2013b; Fei et al., 2015). From the
earlier brief discussion, it is evident that the processes of
generation, conversion and consumption of soluble com-
pounds in leachate and generation of biogas are related
(Staley et al., 2011; Fei et al., 2015). The settlement of the
MSW skeleton due to biodegradation and concurrent
changes to waste structure can be related to biogas generation
as well (McDougall, 2007; Gourc et al., 2010). Also, γt and θ
of waste are both dependent on the vertical strain of waste
and evolve with the MSW biodegradation process
(McDougall, 2007; Stoltz et al., 2010; Reddy et al., 2011;
Bareither et al., 2012b; Woodman et al., 2014).
Despite not entirely mimicking landfill conditions, lab-
oratory experiments remain a widely adopted approach for
studying long-term MSW behaviour in a controlled manner.
However, in investigating these biochemical and physical
processes during MSW degradation, a representative elemen-
tary volume is needed, that is, small-sized specimens may not
be representative of the field conditions. Although consensus
on the size of the representative elementary volume of MSW
has not been reached, it is generally accepted that laboratory
simulators should have dimensions several times larger than
the contained largest waste constituents (Bray et al., 2009).
Athanasopoulos (2011) recommended a minimum container
or simulator diameter of 300 mm for testing mechanical
properties of MSW. Although many studies have been
conducted in an effort to capture various aspects of the
MSW biodegradation process, only a limited number of
studies have utilised large-sized simulators (defined here as
having a diameter 300 mm) to investigate the MSW
biodegradation process (e.g. Gourc et al., 2010; Bareither
et al., 2012c; Bareither et al., 2013b; Fei et al., 2015) or
hydraulic properties of MSW (e.g. Hudson et al., 2008;
Bareither et al., 2012d; Woodman et al., 2013, 2014). The
number of large-sized tests that have closely monitored the
evolution of the characteristics of all three phases is even
more limited, and the effect of initial waste composition on
selected aspects of the MSW biodegradation process has
been quantified in only a few studies so far using laboratory
experiments (Valencia et al., 2009; Brandstatter et al., 2015;
van Turnhout et al., 2016).
The aim of this study is to quantify the interdependences
of the biochemical and physical processes taking place in
biodegrading MSW through a comprehensive laboratory
experimental investigation. Emphasis is placed on the
changes in the physico-biochemical characteristics of the
three phases of waste induced by biological compression,
while the influence of mechanical compression is isolated by
maintaining a low and constant overburden. Seven speci-
mens reconstituted using MSW from four landfills across the
USA and of variable initial waste compositions were
degraded under leachate-recirculation-enhanced biodegrada-
tion conditions in laboratory large-sized landfill simulators.
The evolution of the characteristics of the three phases
during MSW degradation was studied. Empirical
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correlations were established between the initial waste
composition of the specimens and the time-dependent
characteristics of solid waste, biogas and leachate during
degradation. Insights regarding the mechanisms of the
processes of MSW degradation and complex interdependen-
cies between them were discussed. The results of this study
represent a unique experimental data set that can be used for
numerical model development with the intent to reliably and
realistically capture the evolving characteristics of MSW
degradation process.
METHODOLOGY
Waste sampling and characterisation
The MSW was collected from pits excavated at the surface
of four dry-tomb landfills in the USA, namely, Los Reales
landfill in Arizona (AZ), Lamb Canyon landfill in California
(CA), Sauk Trail Hills landfill in Michigan (MI) and Austin
Community landfill in Texas (TX) (Sahadewa et al., 2014,
2015; Zekkos et al., 2014). Collected MSW samples were
shipped promptly to the laboratory in sealed drums. Waste
was tested from two locations in the CA landfill and one
location in each of the AZ, TX and MI landfills. The ages of
the waste when sampled in the field varied between 6 and
15 months according to landfill records.
The field composition for each waste sample was charac-
terised in the laboratory according to the procedures
described by Zekkos et al. (2010). The waste was first
separated into a finer fraction that passed through a 20 mm
sieve (,20 mm fraction) and a .20 mm fraction. The
,20 mm fraction of each sample was soil-like and was
characterised according to the Unified Soil Classification
System (ASTM, 2011). The .20 mm fraction was manually
segregated based on waste constituent type. The three
primary constituents of the .20 mm fraction by weight for
all samples were paper, soft plastic and wood. Other minor
constituents included hard plastic, metal, rubber, textile, rock
and miscellaneous objects. No distinguishable food waste
was found in any sample, as such a readily biodegradable
constituent was likely to have degraded within a short period
of time following disposal. The degree of anaerobic biode-
gradation of paper was considered to be minimal based on
visual inspection of the appearance and moisture content of
the paper.
The segregated waste constituents from each sample were
weighed and the corresponding percentages on a wet weight
basis were calculated. The moisture content on a dry weight
basis of the three primary .20 mm constituents and
,20 mm fraction of each sample was measured by heating
approximately 1 kg of each constituent at 70°C to avoid
vaporising the organic compounds in the waste. The content
of volatile solids (VS) of each dried waste constituent was
evaluated by heating the 70°C-dried waste at 550°C. The
segregated waste constituents were stored in sealed plastic
bags at room temperature. Since the average moisture content
of the as-received waste (wc,ave) on a dry weight basis was
relatively low for microbial activities, as shown in Table 1,
biodegradation of the waste constituents during storage is
considered to be minimal.
Waste specimen preparation
Specimens of 300 mm dia. to be tested in laboratory
simulators were prepared at the recovered field composition,
but only including the four major constituents, that is,
,20 mm fraction, paper, soft plastic and wood, as the
remaining constituents were considered minor from a volume
and mass perspective. The .20 mm constituents were not
shredded, but the material was screened so that the largest
 PHYSICO-BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MSW DEGRADATION 3
Table 1. Test duration, specimen composition, moisture content and volatile solids for seven MSW specimens tested in this study

Specimen Test ,20 mm Paper: Soft plastic: Wood: % Wt,0: kg wc,ave: % Ws,0: kg VS in VS in
time: particles : % % ,20 mm paper:
days % and soil fraction: g/g
classification g/g
TX1 1136 79·1 SM 10·6 6·0 4·3 30·02 34·6 22·31 0·070 0·610
TX2 1500 79·1 SM 10·7 5·9 4·3 29·31 37·7 21·75 0·070 0·610
AZ 850 67·9 SP 21·4 8·5 2·1 21·69 32·7 16·75 0·128 0·806
CA2 885 68·3 SP-SM 4·6 3·9 5·8 29·02* 28·1 23·03 0·086 0·436
CA1 980 50·8 SP-SM 17·0 11·9 20·2 19·88 39·5 14·38 0·089 0·436
MI1 1460† 80·0 SP 10·0 5·7 4·3 21·36 43·6 14·80 0·218 0·398
MI2 980 22·8 SP 33·7 19·8 23·7 13·52 53·0 8·77 0·252 0·398

*Included 4·2 kg of hard plastic, metal and cobbles.

†The temperature of MI1 was increased from 22 to 40°C after 450 days of degradation, and the data after 450 days are not shown.

dimension of wood remained less than one-sixth of the
specimen diameter. For paper and soft plastic that are flexible
and foldable the largest dimension was about half of the
specimen diameter, with the majority of them being
significantly smaller in size. Seven MSW specimens were
reconstituted and the initial total mass (Wt,0) was recorded.
The percentages of the major constituents by mass (%) of the
specimens were calculated on a dry weight basis, and the
initial dry mass (Ws,0) was calculated subsequently. These
data are shown in Table 1. The average moisture content of
the waste specimens was always significantly below their field
capacity; that is, no free-flowing moisture was present. Two
replicate specimens with identical waste composition and
total unit weight were prepared using the sample from Texas
(TX1 and TX2), two specimens with different composition
were prepared using the sample from Michigan (MI1 and
MI2) and one specimen was prepared using each sample
from the other three locations in Arizona and California
(AZ, CA1 and CA2).
The amount of biodegradable waste in each specimen is
quantified in this study by two parameters shown in Table 2:
the percentage of biodegradable waste prior to biodegrada-
tion (B0, dry mass/dry mass %) is defined as the proportion
by dry mass of food, wood and paper plus the mass of VS in
,20 mm fraction of the entire dry waste mass (Fei et al.,
2015). Similarly, the percentage of VS prior to biodegrada-
tion (VSB0, dry mass/dry mass %) is calculated as the
percentage by mass of VS in food, wood, paper and
,20 mm fraction of the dry waste mass, while the VS in
plastic is excluded (Fei, 2016).
Simulators set-up and operation
A large-sized laboratory simulator system was designed
and seven such systems were constructed to conduct long-
term MSW biodegradation experiments in controlled and
closely monitored conditions. The set-up and operation of
the system were described in detail by Fei et al. (2014, 2015).
Briefly, as shown in Fig. 1, the waste column was made of
poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and has a diameter of
300 mm, a height of 600 mm and a volume of 42 l. The
column was connected to a biogas collection system, and a
leachate collection and recirculation system. Generated
biogas from the waste was stored in expandable biogas
collection bags, thus no excess gas pressure built up in the
system. A biogas sampling port was installed on the top cap
of the column and the pneumatic pressure of the simulator
was monitored by a gas pressure gauge. Four drainage valves
were installed on the perforated bottom cap to allow for
uniform drainage of the leachate after submersion of the
waste. The drained leachate was stored in a sealed storage
tank. The leachate was mixed by a magnetic stirrer before
being recirculated by a peristaltic pump to a leachate
distribution plate. The plate was placed on the top of the
specimen to facilitate uniform dispensing of the leachate, and
it settled with the waste mass. The headspace of the column
and leachate tank was connected as a close-loop system, thus
the pneumatic pressure of the system was balanced internally
during leachate recirculation and drainage while no atmos-
pheric gas was introduced and no water evaporated. The
temperature of the column was controlled by a heating
blanket wrapped around it with a temperature fluctuation of
±3°C of target temperature. The total mass of each waste
specimen, initially between 13 and 30 kg depending on the
respective initial waste composition, was measured with time
using a floor scale (accuracy = ±0·01 kg) placed underneath
the column. A stainless steel rod was allowed to move
through the top cap without friction and gas leakage by using
a membrane sealing system, and was attached to the leachate
distribution plate. The settlement of each specimen was
recorded automatically with time using a linear cable
extension transducer attached to the stainless steel rod.

Table 2. Percentage of biodegradable waste, percentage of biodegradable volatile solids, and dry and total unit weight for seven MSW specimens
tested in this study

Specimen B0 : % VSB0: % γt,0: kN/m3 γt,fc,0: kN/m3 γt,sub,0: kN/m3 γd,0: kN/m3 γd,I: kN/m3

TX1 16·1 12·0 7·90 9·35 12·62 5·87 5·93

TX2 16·4 12·2 7·83 9·35 12·22 5·81 5·85
AZ 30·6 26·4 5·38 7·28 11·54 4·16 4·57
CA2 10·3 7·7 7·20 9·52 12·26 5·72 6·26
CA1 21·7 12·0 4·96 6·97 10·58 3·59 3·86
MI1 27·4 17·4 5·77 n. a.* n. a.* 4·02 4·12
MI2 48·1 22·4 3·52 4·69 9·67 2·28 2·35

*n. a., not available.

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 4 FEI AND ZEKKOS
Leachate flow
Biogas flow
Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of a pair of laboratory landfill simulators
The waste constituents were randomly mixed and manu-
ally placed at a loose state into a column on day 1 without
significant compaction. The simulator was then sealed from
the atmosphere by clamping it with the top and bottom caps
using threaded rods. The headspace in each simulator was
minimal on day 1 and residual oxygen in the specimen was
consumed quickly, thus an anaerobic condition in the
simulator was established promptly, as in a landfill cell
with interim cover. The as-prepared total and dry unit
weights of the specimen (γt,0 and γd,0, respectively) were
calculated and are listed in Table 2. Besides the vertical load
from the leachate distribution plate and stainless steel rod
that impose ,1 kPa vertical stress, no additional vertical
stress was applied to the specimens so that the influence
of mechanical compression on specimen settlement could
be eliminated.
Testing durations of the simulators varied between 850 and
1500 days (2·3 and 4·1 years) for each specimen to allow
sufficient time for long-term MSW degradation. No moisture
was added to AZ, CA1, CA2 and MI2 until day 4, and to
MI1, TX1 and TX2 until day 12. On day 4 or day 12, the
temperature of the simulators was raised by the heating
blanket from laboratory temperature of 22°C to 40°C, which
is considered ideal for methane generation (Barlaz et al.,
2010). On the same day, drainage valves were closed and
deionised water was added to the simulators from the top to
completely submerge the specimens up to the top of the waste
mass. Waste submersion in leachate was confirmed visually
through the PMMA column. The specimens remained
submerged for 10 min before the drainage valves were
opened and the leachate drained by gravity to the leachate
storage tank. The same leachate was recirculated to com-
pletely submerge the specimens for 10 min three times a
week; thus the specimens were maintained at field capacity
moisture content (i.e. residual moisture content when
liquids are drained through gravity) in-between leachate
submersion.
Note that MI1 was the first experiment that was used to
finalise the experimental design of the remaining simulators.
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Biogas collection bag
Rubber collar
Linear cable extension transducer Gasket
Membrane
Stainless steel rod
Gasket
Biogas sampling port Plastic collar
Top cap
Leachate
distribution plate
Temperature indicator
Heating blanket
Column MSW specimen
Bottom cap
Peristaltic pump Plastic mesh filter
and leachate collection plate
Drainage valves
Leachate
storage tank
Leachate
sampling port
Magnetic stirrer
Floor scale
It was the only simulator that was maintained at laboratory
temperature of 22°C until day 450, whereas the leachate
recirculation and drainage procedure was identical to the
other simulators. This simulator test had, on various
occasions, gas leakage and thus the volume of generated
biogas was not accurately measured. The pH of the leachate,
concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide, and the total
volume and total weight of the specimen were measured at
larger intervals than the others.
Leachate measurements
Leachate was sampled from the storage tank after each
recirculation event and the pH and concentrations of
sCOD (g oxygen (O2)/l) (APHA, 2005) and VFAs (converted
to equivalent COD in g O2/l per Smith et al. (2013)) in the
leachate were measured. The masses of sCOD and VFAs
present in the leachate (grammes of oxygen) were calculated
by multiplying the respective concentration by the total
volume of liquid in contact with the specimen, that is, the
sum of the added deionised water and initial moisture of the
specimen on day 1 (prior to recirculation). The maximum
measured masses of sCOD and VFAs (sCODmax and
VFAmax, respectively) were normalised by the initial dry
mass of the specimen to obtain sCODmax/Ws,0 and
VFAmax/Ws,0 (g O2/kg dry waste). The time until the
sCODmax and rise of pH (tsCODmax and tpH,rise, respectively)
was recorded, starting with the day of the first submersion
(day 4 or day 12 depending on the test).
Biogas measurements
The volume of collected biogas was measured with time
using a gas thermal mass flow meter and the concentrations
of methane and carbon dioxide were measured using gas
chromatography with a thermal conductivity detector and
nitrogen as carrier gas. The volume of generated methane was
calculated by multiplying the volume of biogas by the
measured concentration of methane after each measurement.
 PHYSICO-BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MSW DEGRADATION
The cumulative volume (VCH4 ) and generation rate (rCH4 ) of
methane with time were then calculated. The value of VCH4
when methane generation practically stopped was divided by
Ws,0 to obtain the ‘as-tested’ methane generation potential of
the specimen (L0, l CH4/kg dry waste). The time until the
initiation of methane generation and when maximum rCH4
(rCH4max ) was achieved, that is, trCH4;0 and trCH4;max , respectively,
were recorded starting with the day of the first submersion
(day 4 or day 12).
Solid waste measurements
The recorded settlement of each specimen with time was
divided by the initial height of the specimen to calculate the
vertical strain of the waste. In this study, the settlement of the
specimen from the time it was loaded (day 1) until one day
after the specimen’s first submersion and leachate drainage
event was used to calculate immediate strain (εI). The
additional settlement observed afterwards, until methane
generation stopped, was calculated as biodegradation-
dominant strain (εB). Additional subsequent strain after
methane generation was largely attributed to mechanical
creep (εM), which is caused by long-term change in waste
structure under constant stress (Gourc et al., 2010; Fei &
Zekkos, 2013). The long-term compression ratio of waste
(CLT), a term equivalent to the secondary compression ratio
(Cαe), was calculated according to equation (1) for each
10 day period (Fei & Zekkos, 2013) to evaluate the change in
settlement rate
Δε
CLT ¼
Δ logðtimeÞ
The total weight of the specimen when submerged by
leachate and at field capacity (i.e. after leachate drainage,
Wt,fc) was measured and the corresponding total unit weight
was calculated (γt,sub and γt,fc, respectively). The drainable
volumetric moisture content (θdrain, volume/volume %) of
the specimen was calculated by dividing the volume of
recirculated leachate needed to submerge the specimen by the
total volume of the specimen.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
TX1, TX2, AZ and CA2 were degraded for 1136, 1500,
850 and 885 days, respectively, and CA1 and MI2 were
degraded for 980 days. MI1 was degraded for 1460 days,
but only the data for the first 450 days are shown before
the temperature was raised from laboratory temperature
to 40°C.
The changes in the evolving characteristics of solid
waste, leachate and biogas with time for the seven specimens
are illustrated in Fig. 2. The trends in each characteristic for
all specimens were similar, indicating that the observed
processes during biodegradation of MSW are similar. As
shown subsequently, the differences in the values of each
measured characteristic among specimens are primarily
caused by differences in the initial waste composition and
unit weight of the specimens, as all other operation
conditions are identical. The average B0 of discarded waste
in the USA after recycling and composting and prior to
landfilling is approximately 45% and is contributed signifi-
cantly by lignocellulose-rich waste such as paper and yard
trimmings (EPA, 2014). The average B0 of landfilled waste
with intermixed cover soil should be significantly lower than
45%. Therefore, the B0 values of the specimens in this study,
ranging between 10 and 48% (Table 2), should be typical
values for modern landfills.
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5
Chemical characteristics of leachate
The concentrations of VFAs and sCOD in the leachate
increased after water was first recirculated through the
waste mass and reached their maximum values, VFAmax
and sCODmax, respectively, within 40 days. They then
decreased to stable low values after around 100 days
(Figs 2(a) and 2(b)). The changes in the concentrations are
attributed to generation and consumption of soluble organic
compounds in the leachate by microorganisms (Barlaz et al.,
1989; Fei et al., 2015). VFAs are microbial fermentative
products from hydrolysed solid waste particles and serve as
the soluble substrates for subsequent acetogenesis (acetate
generation) and methanogenesis, while sCOD measures, in
addition to VFAs, other inorganic oxidisable and organic
recalcitrant compounds in leachate. Therefore, for each
specimen, the concentration of sCOD was higher than the
concentration of VFAs at any given time. Both values of
VFAmax/Ws,0 and sCODmax/Ws,0 are correlated to theoretical
methane generation potential (Labatut et al., 2011). The
values of VFAmax/Ws,0 are approximately 70% of the
sCODmax/Ws,0 for all specimens (Fig. 3(a), equation (2),
R 2 = 0·99), suggesting that sCOD, a more readily measurable
parameter and often regulated for leachate monitoring
(Barlaz et al., 2002), is a good indicator of the concentration
of soluble substrates for methanogenesis in leachate. The 0·70
multiplier is applicable to the leachate of biodegrading waste
consisting of primarily lignocellulosic biodegradable
compounds.
   
VFAmax g O2 sCODmax g O2
¼ 070  ð2Þ
Ws;0 kg Ws;0 kg
ð1Þ
The pH of the leachate dropped to between 5·5 and 6·5
within 10 days after the initial leachate recirculation event
and increased to stable values of between 6·5 and 7 after
10–40 days (Fig. 2(c)). The time necessary for the pH of the
leachate to rise (tpH,rise) is related to the sCODmax/Ws,0, since
higher sCODmax/Ws,0 indicates a higher level of VFA
accumulation, which resulted in a longer period of initial
inhibition (Fig. 3(b)). Except for AZ, which had a
sCODmax/Ws,0 value of around 60 g O2/kg and a tpH,rise of
30 days, the other simulators recovered from initial inhibition
within 10 days after leachate recirculation. Therefore, the
initial inhibition of MSW biodegradation due to the acidic
condition in the leachate and solid waste caused by the
accumulation of VFAs was temporary. Biodegradation and
methane generation of MSW in the laboratory experiments
initiated without external intervention within 30 days under
leachate-recirculation-enhanced conditions.
Physicochemical characteristics of biogas
The methane concentration in generated biogas increased
to between 50 and 55% shortly after the specimens were first
submerged and the values remained stable afterward with
carbon dioxide being the predominant complementary gas
species (Fei et al., 2014). The cumulative volume of generated
methane increased following a sigmoidal trend and
approached the final value asymptotically, which is typical
for methane generation from MSW (Fig. 2(d)) (Eleazer et al.,
1997; Fei et al., 2016). Methane generation from the
specimens practically stopped after 250–300 days, by which
time anaerobic biodegradation of MSW was considered
practically complete.
The value of methane generation potential (L0) is
controlled by the initial composition of waste. As illustrated
in Fig. 4(a), L0 increases with increasing B0 of the specimens,
with 1% of biodegradable constituent in 1 kg of dry waste
yielding approximately 1·50 l of methane (equation (3),
 6 FEI AND ZEKKOS
10 30 0
(a) MI1 unavailable AZ (g) Day 300

sCOD: g O2/l
MI1

sCOD: g O2/l
10
MI2 20

ε: %
5 AZ scale shown TX1
in the right axis TX2 20
CA1 10

Settlement
CA2
0
0 0
6 (b) MI1 unavailable 20 0·3 (h) Immediate
VFAs: g O2/l

compression

VFAs: g O2/l
Leachate

CLT
4 AZ scale shown 0·2
in the right axis 10
2 0·1

0 0 0
(c) 40 (i)
7

Total weight
Wt, fc: kg
30
pH

20

6 10

0
1200 (d) MI1 unavailable 12 (j)

kN/m3
VCH : l

800
4

γt, fc:
MI1
400 Unit weight
Biogas

4
0
(e) MI1 unavailable (k)
20
kN/m3

12
rCH : l/day

γt, sub:

MI1
4

10 10

0 8
0 Day 300
60 (l)
Settlement

θdrain: %
Moisture
εB: %

content

10 40

20
20
(f)
0
0 100 200 300 1 10 100 1000
Elapsed time: days Elapsed time: days

Fig. 2. Evolution of biodegradation process of MSW in experimental simulators: (a) concentration of sCOD; (b) total concentration of VFAs;
(c) pH for leachate; (d) cumulative volume of generated methane (VCH4 ); (e) generation rate of methane (rCH4 ); (f) biodegradation strain (εB);
(g) total strain (ε); (h) long-term compression ratio (CLT); (i) total weight at field capacity (Wt,fc); ( j) total unit weight at field capacity moisture
content (γt,fc); (k) total unit weight at submerged state (γt,sub); (l) drainable volumetric moisture content (θdrain)

R 2 = 0·94). This correlation can be used as a first-order Thus the L0 values reported in this study are near the
estimate of L0 for lignocellulose-rich waste based on lower-bound values compared to L0 values reported in
information on waste composition. the literature (Eleazer et al., 1997; Fei et al., 2016).
    Nevertheless, these values are informative for long-term
litre CH4 litre CH4
L0 ¼150 methane collection in landfills, as in most cases landfill gas
kg kg biodegradable collection systems are installed several months to years after
  ð3Þ
kg biodegradable waste emplacement (EPA, 1996) when readily biodegradable
 B0 in % waste has been degraded and only slowly biodegradable
kg
waste continues to degrade (Fei et al., 2016).
Note that AZ and MI2 have different B0 but comparable The correlation between the L0 and VSB0 of the specimens
L0, because they consisted of different percentages of gives a higher coefficient of determination of 0·97 (Fig. 4(b))
,20 mm fraction and paper (Table 1), which have different compared to the B0 parameter. This is intuitive as VSB0 is a
individual methane generation potential (Eleazer et al., direct measurement of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin,
1997). The biodegradable waste constituents included in which are primary substrates for methane generation in
the specimens of this study, that is, paper and biodegradable lignocellulose-rich waste (Eleazer et al., 1997; Kelly et al.,
constituents in the ,20 mm fraction, tend to yield less 2006). However, according to the regression equation, when
methane than other readily biodegradable waste constituents VSB0 is lower than 5% practically no methane is generated.
such as food that is expected to have already been degraded This suggests that some types of volatile waste are non-
by the time the material was collected from the landfill. biodegradable, for example, synthetic chemicals and

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 PHYSICO-BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MSW DEGRADATION 7
80

40

VFAmax/Ws,0=
60
VFAmax/Ws,0: g O2/kg

30 0·70 × sCODmax/Ws,0
L0 = 1·50 × B0
R2 = 0·99

L0: l CH4/kg
R2 = 0·94
AZ 40 AZ
20 MI2
MI2
TX1 TX1
20 TX2
10 TX2
CA1
CA1
CA2
CA2
0 0
0 20 40 60 0 10 20 30 40 50
B0: %
(a)
(a)
30 80

60
20 R2 = 0·85 L0 = 3·36 × VSB0–17
tpH,rise: days

R2 = 0·97

L0: l CH4/kg
40

10

20

0 20 40 60 0
0 10 20 30
sCODmax/Ws,0: g O2/kg
VSB0: %
(b) (b)

Fig. 3. Correlations between biochemical characteristics of leachate: Fig. 4. Relationships between characteristics of biogas and initial
(a) normalised maximum VFAs (VFAmax/Ws,0) and normalised composition of the specimens: (a) methane generation potential (L0)
maximum sCOD (sCODmax/Ws,0); (b) time until pH increase and percentage of biodegradable waste (B0); (b) L0 and percentage of
(tpH,rise) and sCODmax/Ws,0 biodegradable volatile solids (VSB0)

recalcitrant organic waste. In addition, assessing VSB0 for
waste in the field may be more difficult, whereas B0 can be
more easily estimated using available information from waste
characterisation studies and equation (3) (Staley & Barlaz,
2009; Zekkos et al., 2010; EPA, 2014).
Methane generation (recorded as trCH4;0 ) did not start
immediately, but after a few days following the first
recirculation. Once started, under these enhanced biodegra-
dation conditions, rCH4 increased to rCH4;max within the
following 30 days. The rCH4;max was maintained for a few
days and decreased to practically zero after 250–300 days
(Fig. 2(e)). The normalised rCH4;max (rCH4;max =Ws;0 ) is pro-
portional to L0, as shown in Fig. 5(a), demonstrating that
methane generation from waste is a first-order decay process
(De la Cruz & Barlaz, 2010). As shown in equation (4)
(R 2 = 0·99) and Fig. 5(a), the rCH4;max =Ws;0 is found to be
equal to 2% of the corresponding L0. Consequently, given an
L0 value estimated from waste composition or leachate
characteristics, the corresponding peak methane generation
rate (rCH4;max ) can be estimated using a single multiplier of
0·02 assuming enhanced biodegradation conditions.
     
rCH4;max litre CH4 1 litre CH4
¼ 0020  L0
Ws;0 day kg day kg
ð4Þ
The trCH4;max increases with increasing trCH4;0 (Fig. 5(b)),
and the regression shown in Fig. 5(b) implies that trCH 4;max
is equal to 18 days when trCH4;0 is zero, suggesting that 18 days
is likely the shortest delay time between the initiation and
maximum rate of methane generation for these testing
conditions. The delay time can be related to biodegradation
conditions and ranges between a few days calculated for
idealised conditions (Rittmann & McCarty, 2001), a few tens
of days observed in other laboratory tests (Eleazer et al.,
1997; Bareither et al., 2013b; Fei et al., 2016) and hundreds
of days in landfills (Fei et al., 2016). Note that other factors
not investigated in this study, for example, the presence of
readily biodegradable waste, moisture distribution, tempera-
ture and waste structure, could affect the characteristic
parameters of the methane generation process as well
(Staley et al., 2011; Fei et al., 2016).
Settlement of degrading MSW
The biodegradation-dominant strain of the specimens (εB)
increased rapidly in the first 100 days and asymptotically
approached the final biodegradation-dominant strain (εB,f )
in about 300 days (Fig. 2(f)), whereas subsequent strain at a
significantly slower pace that is more associated with
mechanical and physical processes (commonly referred to
as creep) continued until the tests were concluded
(.1000 days) (Fig. 2(g)). Since the increment of ε after
about 700 days was not significant compared to the total ε,
the last measured ε of each specimen was defined as the
final ε (εf ). The values of εf obtained in this study are

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 8 FEI AND ZEKKOS
1·5
/Ws,0: l CH4/day/kg
rCH
4,max
/Ws,0 = 0·020 × L0
1·0 R2 = 0·99
4,max
0·5
rCH
0 εB,f and waste composition and methane generation potential
0 20
L0: l CH4/kg
(a)
30
: days
20
tr = 0·70 × tr
CH4,max
CH4,max
R2 = 0·87
tr
10
0 CLT,max as well under the same operations conditions. These
0 10
tr : days
CH4,0
(b)
Fig. 5. Correlations between characteristics of biogas: (a) normalised
maximum methane generation rate (rCH4;max =W s;0 ) and L0; (b) time
until rCH4;max (trCH4;max ) and time until initiation of methane generation
(trCH4;0 )
comparable to those measured in landfills, where under
sub-optimal biodegradation conditions, the strain of waste
contributed by biodegradation of slowly biodegradable
compounds and secondary mechanical compression could
increase at very low rate over a period of years to decades
before achieving εf (Bjarngard & Edgers, 1990; Bareither
et al., 2010).
The evolution of strain for all specimens was divided into
εI, εB and εM, as shown in Figs 6(a)–6(c). For these
experiments, the final εI (εI,f ) ranged between 1·5 and
10·9%, and the final εM (εM,f ) ranged between 1·4 and
2·9%. The values of εI,f are considerable due to the loose
placement of the waste material in the simulator and due to
changes in volume owing to softening associated with
moistening, waste structure adjustment and particle move-
ment, particularly during the first few recirculation events.
The values of εB,f are between 5·2 and 20·0%, representing
33–78% of the εf, highlighting the importance of
biodegradation-dominant strain. As shown in Fig. 6(d) and
equation (5) (R 2 = 0·95), εB,f increases with increasing B0 with
a ratio of 0·51, indicating that removal of biodegradable solid
waste constituents can be quantitatively correlated to
biodegradation-dominant settlement of waste. The ratio
should also be dependent on waste compaction effort,
vertical stress and the type of ,20 mm material that is
included in the specimen, but these factors were not further
investigated in this study.
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kg %
εB;f ð%Þ ¼051
kg biodegradable
  ð5Þ
kg biodegradable
 B0 in %
kg
In contrast, significantly higher variability is observed in
AZ the correlation between total strain, εf, and B0 (Fig. 6(e)),
MI2 because εI,f and εM,f which are included in εf are not directly
TX1 influenced by B0. Therefore, it is recommended that the
settlement of waste undergoing biodegradation should be
TX2
CA1 evaluated separately for the εI,f, εB,f and εM,f to achieve a
CA2
more reliable estimate of settlements. Correlations between
40 60 are presented in this study, while approaches to estimate εI,f
and εM,f have been demonstrated in other studies (Bareither
et al., 2013a; Zekkos et al., 2017).
As shown in Fig. 2(h), the long-term compression ratio
(CLT) values observed in the first 10 days were between 0·01
and 0·34 and are associated with physical processes, that is,
waste compression and waste structure changes due to the
first few recirculation events. Following the initial com-
pression, the maximum values of CLT (CLT,max) were between
0·04 and 0·32 and were measured between day 40 and day 80
when MSW biodegradation was intensive. The CLT
+ 18·2
CH4,0 decreased to 0·02–0·04 after around 500 days, that is,
values 2–10 times lower than the CLT,max, which are also
comparable to the reported secondary compression ratio
(Cαe) of waste (McDougall, 2011; Zekkos et al., 2017). As
shown in Fig. 6(f), CLT,max is correlated to εB,f, indicating that
specimens with higher B0 and εB,f are expected to have higher
20
observations highlight that CLT for degrading MSW is both
time- and composition-dependent, and thus a constant Cαe
value to characterise biodegradation settlement of MSW, as
commonly assumed in practice, may be inappropriate.
Evolution of unit weight and volumetric moisture
content of MSW
The moisture content of the specimens was increased to
field capacity after the specimens were first submerged and
the leachate was drained for the first time. Subsequently, the
total weight of waste at the field capacity state (Wt,fc)
remained relatively stable (Fig. 2(i)) whereas the total unit
weight at the field capacity state (γt,fc) increased with time due
to biodegradation and densification of waste (Fig. 2( j)). The
total unit weight at the submerged state (γt,sub) originally
appeared to decrease until between 10 and 50 days as the
waste skeleton readjusted during the first few recirculation
events and the volume of voids available for water saturation
reduced. It slowly increased afterwards because of gradual
biodegradation and densification in the solid phase
(Fig. 2(k)). As methane generation had already stopped
and ε did not increase appreciably after 700 days, the γt,fc and
γt,sub did not change significantly beyond that time, thus the
last measurements of γt,fc and γt,sub were considered as the
final values (γt,fc,f and γt,sub,f, respectively). It is noted that, as
shown in Fig. 2(k), for these specimens that were placed
intentionally loose in the simulator, the γt,sub,f could be lower
than, equal to or higher than the initial γt,sub. As shown in
Figs 7(a) and 7(b), higher initial γt,fc (γt,fc,0) is correlated with
higher γt,fc,f and γt,sub,f, and thus the initial compaction state
of the waste influences the γt,fc and γt,sub of waste after
degradation. Overall, the waste specimens at field capacity at
the end of the test (γt,fc,f ) were densified to 1·1–1·3 times the
initial density at field capacity (γt,fc,0) after biodegradation
under minimal vertical stress.
 PHYSICO-BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MSW DEGRADATION 9
0

MI1
20
εB,f = 0·51 × B0
10

εB,f: %
R2 = 0·95 AZ
ε: %

MI1
MI2
20 10
MI2 TX1
εI AZ TX2
εB CA1
30 CA2
εM 0
0 (d)
(a) 30

εB,f: %
20 R2 = 0·46
ε: %

TX2

10 10
TX1

15 0
0 20 40 60
B0: %
0
(b) (e)

0·3
ε: %

10
CA2 R2 = 0·64
CLT, max

0·2

20 CA1
0·1

1 10 100 1000 1500 0

0 5 10 15 20 25
Elapsed time: days εB,f: %
(c) (f)

Fig. 6. Immediate compression strain (εI), biodegradation strain (εB) and mechanical creep strain (εM) for (a) AZ, MI1 and MI2; (b) TX1 and
TX2; (c) CA1 and CA2; and relationships between percentage of biodegradable waste (B0) and (d) final biodegradation strain (εB,f ); (e) final total
strain (εf ); (f) relationship between maximum long-term compression ratio (CLT,max) and εB,f

The drainable volumetric moisture content of MSW
(θdrain) is the difference between the maximum (submerged)
and residual (field capacity) volumetric moisture content of a
specimen (Woodman et al., 2014). It is indicative of the void
size and distribution as well as the hydrological properties of
waste. The initial values of θdrain were calculated after the
specimens were submerged for the first time, and were
between 50 and 65%. The θdrain of the specimens decreased
sharply afterwards, indicating a reduction in void space and
the amount of leachate needed to submerge the specimens
and maintain enhanced biodegradation conditions.
Specimens were maintained at field capacity moisture
content between recirculation events. About 10–20 days
after leachate recirculation started, the change in θdrain
slowed down. The θdrain of the specimens slowly decreased
further to values of 5–25% (Fig. 2(l)).
Empirical coupling of soluble compounds in leachate with
methane generation
For the biodegrading waste in the large-size simulators of
this study, the observed coupled processes are empirically
correlated to explore their interactions and underlying
mechanisms. The biochemical characteristics in leachate
and biogas are found to be interrelated. As shown in
Fig. 8(a), normalised maximum methane generation rate
(rCH4;max =Ws;0 ) increases with increasing normalised
maximum mass of sCOD (sCODmax/Ws,0) in the leachate,
as both parameters are indicative of the intensity of microbial
activities. Therefore, monitoring sCOD in leachate during
waste biodegradation is informative for estimating the rate of
methane generation (Fei et al., 2015). Despite the observed
strong trend, it is important to note that the sCODmax/Ws,0 of
AZ was about two times higher than that of MI2, whereas the
corresponding rCH4;max =Ws;0 values were similar. Although
more experimental data are needed for a definitive con-
clusion, this may be attributed to methanogenesis being the
rate-limiting step during active MSW biodegradation (Barlaz
et al., 2010), and an upper-bound rCH4;max =Ws;0 may exist for
these specific biodegradation conditions (Fei et al., 2015).
Therefore accumulation of excess soluble biodegradable
compounds in leachate beyond a certain value may not
further increase rCH4 , and instead the waste may experience
initial inhibition of biodegradation (Fig. 3(b)).

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 10 FEI AND ZEKKOS
4 1·5

/Ws,0: litres CH4/day/kg

R2 = 0·98
1·0
γt,fc,f: kN/m3

R2 = 0·95
AZ
4 AZ MI2
MI2
TX1
TX1 0·5

4, max
TX2
TX2

rCH
CA1
CA1
CA2
CA2
0
4 0 20 40 60
(a) sCODmax/Ws,0: g O2/kg
(a)
12

20
γt,sub,f: kN/m3

R2 = 0·76
8 R2 = 0·99

: days
CH4,0
10

tr
4
4 6 8 10
γt,fc,0: kN/m3
0
(b) 0 10 20 30
tpH,rise: days
Fig. 7. Correlations between initial total unit weight at field capacity
(b)
moisture content (γt,fc,0) and (a) final total unit weight at field capacity
moisture content (γt,fc,f ); (b) final total unit weight at submerged state
(γt,sub,f )
30

A linear relationship is also found between the time until

R2 = 0·85
: days

the initiation of methane generation and rise of pH (trCH4;0 20

and tpH,rise, respectively) (Fig. 8(b)). Therefore, monitoring
CH4,max

pH in leachate is informative to estimate the initiation of

methane generation. For all specimens tested, the time
tr

necessary to achieve sCODmax (tsCODmax ) is always shorter 10

than the time necessary to achieve rCH4;max (trCH4;max )
(Fig. 8(c)), suggesting that intensive hydrolysis, quantified
by the measured sCODmax, precedes intensive methanogen- 0
esis. The observation indicates that hydrolysis is the initial 0 10 20 30
rate-limiting step of MSW biodegradation when fermenta- tsCOD,max: days
tion and hydrolysis are intensive, and then methanogenesis (c)
becomes rate-limiting when soluble substrates become
abundant and fermentation and hydrolysis have been Fig. 8. Correlations between characteristics of leachate and biogas of
largely completed (Barlaz et al., 2010). Overall, all charac- the specimens: (a) normalised maximum methane generation rate in
biogas (rCH4;max =W s;0 ) and normalised maximum sCOD in leachate
teristic times show systematic trends and are correlated, (sCODmax/Ws,0); (b) time until initiation of methane generation in
demonstrating that evolutions of the characteristics of biogas (trCH4;0 ) and time until pH rise in leachate (tpH,rise); (c) time
biodegrading waste are predictable despite the varying until rCH4;max in biogas (trCH4;max ) and time until sCODmax in leachate
initial waste composition. (tsCODmax)

Empirical coupling of methane generation with R 2 = 0·94). This correlation can be used to evaluate εB of
biodegradation-dominant strain of MSW waste given methane generation measurements and vice
The methane generation and settlement due to biodegra- versa
dation of waste are of practical interest and are also coupled.    
The final biodegradation-dominant strain (εB,f ) increases kg % litre CH4
with increasing methane generation potential (L0) of the εB;f ð%Þ ¼ 034  L0 ð6Þ
litre CH4 kg
specimens, highlighting that conversion of biodegradable
solid waste to biogas and biodegradation-dominant strain, The rates of methane generation and settlement of
which are both dependent on waste composition, can be biodegrading waste are also correlated, as CLT,max increases
directly coupled for the current testing conditions and with increasing rCH4;max =Ws;0 (Fig. 9(b)). The good corre-
lignocellulosic-rich waste (Fig. 9(a) and equation (6), lations between the strain, methane generation potential and

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 PHYSICO-BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MSW DEGRADATION 11
(θdrain) of waste continued in decreasing rates, even after
20 1000 days.
εB,f = 0·34 × L0
The characteristics for biochemical and physical processes
R2 = 0·94 occurring during MSW degradation are composition-
dependent and coupled. The concentration of VFAs in
leachate is proportional to the concentration of sCOD.
εB,f: %

Methane generation potential (L0) is dependent on the

10 AZ
initial amount of biodegradable waste that can be quantified
MI2
by the percentage of biodegradable waste (B0) and percentage
TX1
TX2
of volatile solids (VSB0). Normalised maximum methane
CA1 generation rate (rCH4;max =Ws;0 ) is correlated with L0, normal-
CA2 ised maximum mass of sCOD (sCODmax/Ws,0) and
0 maximum long-term compression ratio (CLT,max). The time
0 20 40 60 80
for pH rise in the leachate, methane generation initiation,
L0: l CH4/kg maximum rate of methane generation and maximum sCOD
(a) in the leachate are correlated. The settlement of waste in
terms of strain can be separated into εI, εB and εM. The final
strain due to biodegradation-dominant settlement (εB,f ) is
0·3
dependent on B0 and correlates well with L0. Long-term
compression ratio (CLT) for degrading MSW is both
R2 = 0·78 time- and composition-dependent, its maximum value
(CLT,max) increases with increasing εB,f and is up to ten
CLT,max

0·2
times higher than the typical secondary compression ratios
for soils.
0·1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was partially supported by the National
0
0 0·5 1·0 1·5 Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Civil and
Mechanical Systems under grant no. CMMI-1041566,
rCH /Ws,0: l CH4/day/kg
4,max Division of Computer and Communication Foundations
(b)
under grant no. 1442773 and by fellowships from the
Fig. 9. Correlations between characteristics of biogas and settlement Geosynthetic Institute (GI) and the Environmental
of the specimens: (a) final biodegradation strain (εB,f ) and methane Research and Education Foundation (EREF). ConeTec
generation potential (L0); (b) maximum long-term compression ratio Investigations Ltd and the ConeTec Education Foundation
(CLT,max) and normalised maximum methane generation rate (ConeTec) are acknowledged for their support to the
(rCH4;max =Ws;0 ) Geotechnical Engineering Laboratories at the University of
Michigan. Any opinions, findings, conclusions and rec-
ommendations expressed in this paper are those of the
their rates again demonstrate that the coupled processes are authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF,
systematic and the characteristics of engineering importance GI, EREF or ConeTec. The authors thank Jane Gregg,
are predictable. It is, however, important to highlight that Renee Gering, Paro Sen and Mehul Kulkarni for their
biodegradation and operation conditions in landfills are assistance in monitoring simulators and conducting
different and thus the value of the presented data is in the measurements.
development and validation of holistic biodegradation
models that can be subsequently calibrated for field
conditions.
NOTATION
B0 percentage of biodegradable waste prior
to biodegradation
CONCLUSIONS CLT long-term compression ratio
A comprehensive experimental investigation of long-term CLT,max maximum long-term compression ratio
degradation of MSW specimens having different initial waste L0 methane generation potential
compositions under enhanced biodegradation conditions in rCH4 rate of methane generation
300 mm dia. laboratory landfill simulators was conducted. rCH4;max maximum rate of methane generation
rCH4;max =Ws;0 normalised maximum rate of methane generation
The physical and biochemical characteristics of the liquid, sCODmax maximum mass of soluble chemical
gas and solid phases of MSW were measured with time and oxygen demand
systematic and repeatable trends were observed. Although sCODmax/Ws,0 normalised maximum mass of soluble chemical
the characteristics of the processes were empirically corre- oxygen demand
lated in this contribution, the experimental data set presented tpH,rise time until rise of pH is recorded
provides the opportunity to validate and improve existing trCH4;0 time until initiation of methane generation
comprehensive models of the biodegradation process that trCH4;max time until rCH4;max is recorded
can then be used to form the basis for optimising energy tsCODmax time until sCODmax is recorded
generation in landfills. VCH4 cumulative volume of generated methane
VFAmax maximum mass of volatile fatty acid
Experiments were conducted for up to 1500 days. Soluble
VFAmax/Ws,0 normalised maximum mass of volatile fatty acid
compounds in leachate were depleted after 100 days and VSB0 percentage of volatile solids prior to
methane generation and biodegradation of waste was largely biodegradation
completed after around 300 days. Changes in vertical strain Ws,0 initial dry mass
(ε), total unit weight at field capacity and at submerged states Wt,0 initial total mass
(γt,fc and γt,sub) and drainable volumetric moisture content Wt,fc total mass at field capacity state

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 12 FEI AND ZEKKOS
wc,ave average moisture content
γd,0 as-prepared dry unit weight
γd,I dry unit weight after immediate compression
γt total unit weight
γt,0 as-prepared total unit weight
γt,fc total unit weight at field capacity state
γt,fc,0 initial total unit weight at field capacity state
γt,fc,f final total unit weight at field capacity state
γt,sub total unit weight at submerged state
γt,sub,0 initial total unit weight at submerged state
γt,sub,f final total unit weight at submerged state
ε vertical strain
εB biodegradation vertical strain
εB,f final biodegradation vertical strain
εf final vertical strain
εI immediate vertical strain
εM mechanical creep vertical strain
θ volumetric moisture content
θdrain drainable volumetric moisture content
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