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U.S. EPA Contaminated Site Cleanup Information (CLU-IN)


U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. EPA Technology Innovation and Field Services Division

Bioreactor Landfills

Additional Resources

Bioreactor.org...The Future of Waste Disposal

This website is sponsored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its mission is to provide information on this form of waste management to the world by linking global bioreactor projects and providing information to countries around the world.

Burlington County Bioreactor Landfill Publications
Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

Adobe PDF LogoEmerging Technologies for the Management and Utilization of Landfill Gas
Roe, S.; J. Reisman; R. Strait; M. Doorn, Pechan (E.H.) and Associates, Inc., Rancho Cordova, CA.
Report No: EPA 600-R-98-021, 78 pp, Feb 1998

The report gives information on emerging technologies that are considered to be commercially available (Tier 1), currently undergoing research and development (Tier 2), or considered as potentially applicable (Tier 3), for the management of landfill gas (LFG) emissions or for the utilization of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from LFG. The emerging technologies that are considered to be Tier 1 are phosphoric acid fuel cells, processes for converting CH4 from LFG to compressed LFG for vehicle fuel or other fuel uses, and use of LFG as a fuel source for leachate evaporation systems. The Tier 2 technologies covered in the report are (1) operation of landfills as anaerobic bioreactors, (2) operation of landfills are aerobic bioreactors, (3) production of ethanol from LFG, (4) production of commercial CO2 from LFG, and (5) use of LFG to provide fuel for heat and CO2 enhancement in greenhouses. Tier 3 technologies, considered as potentially applicable for LFG. include Stirling and Organic Rankine Cycle engines.

EPA Workshop on Bioreactor Landfills, 27-28 February 2003

Adobe PDF LogoGuidance Note on Recuperation of Landfill Gas from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills
Johannessen, Lars Mikkel.
The World Bank, Washington, DC. Urban & Local Government Working Paper Series No. 4, 29 pp, Sep 1999

This note helps guide task team leaders and members to prepare projects involving the landfilling of municipal solid waste, landfill gas (LFG) recovery, and introduces the option of an enhanced bioreactor landfill. Guidelines of conducting a baseline feasibility study are included in this note, along with an overview of the construction, operation, and training requirements for the implementation of LFG recovery. Costs and benefits of LFG recovery are illustrated together with a comparison of the economics of LFG recovery from a traditional landfill and from an enhanced bioreactor landfill.

Quantifying Uncontrolled Landfill Gas Emissions from Two Florida Landfills
U.S. EPA, National Risk Management and Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC.
EPA 600-R-09-046, 128 pp, 2009

A study was conducted to evaluate fugitive loss from two different municipal landfills reported to be operating as a bioreactor (wet) landfill. Each site had an area where no additional liquid was added that could be treated as a control. Fugitive methane emissions were measured at both sites for the wet and control cells using optical remote sensing technology. The results will allow a better understanding of the amount of uncontrolled landfill gas and potential differences in fugitive loss between wet versus traditional landfill design and operation.

Events and Media

CLU-IN Archived Webinars

FRTR Spring 2020 Meeting, Session 2: Bioremediation Advances - New Strategies, Optimization, and Performance Monitoring
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR)
June 5, 2020, 2 Hours, 30 Minutes

Community Engagement Activities for Safe Drinking Water
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Superfund Research Program
April 14, 2011, 2 Hours

MTBE and TBA Cleanup-New Research Perspectives
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Superfund Research Program
June 24, 2010, 1 Hour, 30 Minutes

ITRC Characterization, Design, Construction and Monitoring of Bioreactor Landfills
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
April 10, 2008, 2 Hours, 15 Minutes

ITRC Design, Installation and Monitoring of Alternative Final Landfill Covers
Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
May 13, 2004, 2 Hours, 15 Minutes