Field Application of Partitioning Gas Tracer Test for Measuring Water in a Bioreactor Landfill

Abstract

Two field-scale partitioning gas tracer tests (PGTTs) were performed to evaluate the utility of the PGTT method for measuring water saturation and moisture content in a full-scale bioreactor landfill, where waste biodegradation resulted in elevated temperatures and significant landfill gas production. The average water saturation and moisture content were measured for waste volumes of approximately 20 m³ and results were compared to gravimetric measurement of moisture content made on samples collected from the landfill. In the center of the landfill, the moisture content estimated from the PGTT was M_c = 0.26 ± 0.03, which was nearly identical to the gravimetric measurement of waste samples taken from the same region (M_c = 0.28). PGTT-estimated moisture contents in a dry area of the landfill were much smaller (M_c = 0.10 ± 0.01) and consistent with available gravimetric measure ments. Biodegradation of tracers and temporal variations in landfill gas production were minimal and did not influence the tests. These field experiments demonstrate the utility of the PGTT method for measuring water saturation and estimating moisture content in bioreactor landfills with active waste degradation and generation of landfill gases. However, use of the PGTT to estimate the in situ moisture content requires estimates of the refuse porosity, dry bulk density, and temperature, which might limit its application.