Landfill gases at an abandoned open dump: a case study at Udapalatha/Gampola site in the Central Province of Sri Lanka

Abstract

There are very limited studies on landfill gas on uncontrolled open dumps in developing countries. In this study, landfill gas samples at 1 m depth from an abandoned open dump (AOD) in the Central Province of Sri Lanka (N 7º 09', E 80º 35') were collected and the typical landfill gas composition such as O2, N2, CH4, CO2, H2, H2S, and N2O were measured. Buried waste samples at 1 m depth were also taken from the site and organic carbon and nitrogen contents in the residue (< 2 mm) were measured. The samples were taken from some marked plots inside the dump with waste ages of around 0.5 and 7 years (AOD0.5 and AOD7) and outside intact (AODint). Measured CH4 concentration for AOD0.5 and AOD7 ranged in 19–58 % and 0–12 %, respectively, suggesting that the dumped waste at 1 m depth was in the process to be the ‘stabilization phase’ at least 7 years after dumping. This is likely to be a much shorter time period to reach the phase after dumping than those in mid-latitude regions (typically in several decades). The carbon contents in the waste residue in AOD0.5 and AOD7 were 151±67 and 29±7 mg g-1, respectively, implying that high waste decomposition and leaching of organic compounds might have been enhanced due to high temperature and precipitation at the site. A further study for the landfill gas and waste quality in the deeper layer is required to judge whether whole of the dumpsite had reached the stabilization phase rapidly.