Alternative use of MULTIMED model for subtitle D landfill applications

Jon M. Ritterling, John S. Stansbury

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

To justify a performance-based landfill design or suspension of ground-water monitoring requirements under the federal criteria for municipal solid waste landfills, the characteristics, generation, and migration of landfill leachate must be assessed and/or predicted. In this study, alternative use of the Multimedia Exposure Assessment Model (MULTIMED) model for Subtitle D landfill applications is investigated. The primary objective is to develop a useable transient source term alternative to the standard steady-state assumption. To accomplish this objective, a hypothetical scenario is developed, using values for model input from statistical databases and other referneces. The hypothetical scenario is then used to conduct steady-state, transient, and unsaturated zone analyses. An alternate source term boundary condition, consisting of a combination of a pulse source and exponentially decreasing source, was found to be a reasonable alternative to the steady-state source term assumption. A supplementary finding was that consideration of the effects of the unsaturated zone can result in significant attenuation of leachate migration, particularly for those cases involving transport decay, and can be used to help evaluate ground-water monitoring requirements for a solid waste landfill.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)172-182
Number of pages11
JournalPractice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management
Volume2
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1998

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Engineering
  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

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