Intelligent control of bioreactor landfills

Abstract

One booming concept that has recently gained significant attention in waste management is the “bioreactor landfill”. Despite the potential benefits of operating landfills as bioreactors, there are no standardized operational guidelines and procedures for the system due to the numerous processes and site-specific variables involved. This paper introduces an innovative technology that employs automated monitoring and expert control in the operation of bioreactor landfills. The proposed control system combines multiple interacting hardware and software components, and is coined as SMART (Sensor-based Monitoring and Remote-control Technology). SMART features a fuzzy logic decision engine that mimics the control actions of an experienced human operator. This technology aims to provide optimum conditions for the biodegradation of municipal solid waste, and also, to improve the profitability of the bioreactor landfill in terms of biogas production and space recovery.