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Waste managing alternatives
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| LANDFILLING |
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Waste that can neither be reused nor receive special processing is stored in landfills. Beforehand, some waste may need to be stabilised to prevent pollution leakage.
A landfill requires high technical standards and must conform to strong safety norms in order to protect the environment and local communities. It is very important taking into account:
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The location for the landfill and the surrounding land |
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The design of modular compartments |
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The protection of groundwater |
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The collection, treatment and elimination of leachates |
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The capture, treatment and recovery of biogas |
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The construction of a cover, in order to minimise rainwater penetration |
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Waste is monitored and weighed as it enters the site. Waste with high pollution levels and toxic waste is redirected to a specialist site. Waste is stored in isolated independent cells an then covered with geological screens in the form of layers of impermeable materials (eg clay) topped with watertight and drainage systems. By this way all contact between the waste and the natural environment is prevented. Finally, with the view of revegetation it is added a layer of topsoil.
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Over time, waste, which decomposes produces landfill gas or biogas, a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane. Biogas is collected and then used in cogeneration processes, which produce energy and heat, at the same the emission to the atmosphere of methane, which is a harmful green house gas, is avoided.
Apart from biogas, the decomposition of landfilled waste, along with rainwater infiltration, produces a liquid known as "leachate". Leachates contain heavy metals, salts, nitrogenous compounds and various types of organic matter. Due to its high polluting potential it is needed that this leachate is collected and treated to avoid environment contamination. In this context, the CLONIC treatment would be an innovative process which will improve existing ones.
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