Devising the technology for localizing environmental pollution during fires at spontaneous landfills and testing it in the laboratory

Abstract

This paper reports an analysis of current issues related to storing solid household waste, and, specifically, the problem of environmental pollution when unsorted solid household waste (SHW) is ignited. A technology has been developed to improve environmental safety and ensure a reduction in the anthropogenic load on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere in the event of fires at the sites of solid waste storage. The operation of the proposed equipment, taking into consideration all the provided operating modes and additional options, is energy-saving and automated (or semi-automatic), which makes it especially relevant under modern conditions. The technology significantly improves the efficiency of the processes to eliminate the ignition of SHW and localize their environmental consequences for the territories adjacent to landfills. Laboratory tests were carried out, which proved the effectiveness of practical application for the designed equipment of a new environmentally active adsorption mixture for the purpose of cleaning the waste filtrate, as well as its use for the formation of an anti-filtration screen in the mound of SHW. Experiments have shown that the tested sample of the aqueous suspension of the proposed environmentally active mixture adsorbs calcium (by 92 %), overall iron (by 91 %), overall phosphorus (by 75 %), zinc (by 31 %), and ammonium (by 19 %). This leads to a decrease in the overall toxicity of the solution and indicates the possibility of improving the environmental safety of waste fires when operating the proposed technical solution by purifying the filtrate released during fires in landfills. The reported results, specifically, the technology for localizing the environmental consequences of uncontrolled waste ignition could be used in the process of modernizing the technical support for sanitary treatment schemes in urban areas.