ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHY IMAGING OF LEACHATE RECIRCULATION IN ORCHARD HILLS LANDFILL

Abstract

Bioreactor landfill technology offers a sustainable way to achieve higher rates of waste degradation and a rapid increase in landfill volumetric capacity. This technology involves leachate recirculation in order to create the uniform and optimal water content in the waste. This study presents the monitoring of leachate recirculation in Orchard Hills landfill located in Davis Junction, Illinois, USA, using a comprehensive electrical resistivity tomography. The electrical resistivity tomography along and across two horizontal leachate injection trenches allowed to determine the efficiency of the injection system. The zone of influence was inferred by the decreasing resistivity variations around the leachate injection trenches. Overall, this study shows that the electrical resistivity tomography has great potential to serve as valuable monitoring tool to optimize the leachate recirculation operations.