2024 Kappe Lecturer and Social Gathering

Please join the STL Geo-Institute for the 2024 Kappe Lecturer Craig H. Benson for his presentation on Elevated Temperature Landfills, Causation, Impacts, and Best Management Practices Learned from the Field. 

The lecture will be followed by a social hour sponsored by the STL Geo-Institute. 

1 PDH Available

RSVP today! Limited seats available on a first-come first-serve basis. 

Abstract: 

Elevated temperature landfills (ETLFs) are municipal solid waste landfills (MSW) with waste temperatures substantially in excess of 65 ^oC that persist over a large area for a sustained period of time. Phenomena commonly associated with ETLFs include substantial and rapid settlements; strong leachate with high BOD and COD, high VOC concentrations, and high total suspended solids; landfill gas depleted in methane and rich in carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and very strong odors that often result in strained relationships with the local community. Remedial measures to address ELTFs can cost in the $100Ms. When the first ETLFs were encountered, they were poorly understood and perceived as an “existential threat” to the solid waste industry. The mechanisms responsible for ELTFs were unclear and a subject of intense debate, as were the appropriate remedial actions. Extensive research and field experience derived through industry-academic partnerships over nearly two decades have clarified the mechanisms that cause ETLFs as well as identified appropriate best management practices (BMPs) to address impacts and return the landfill to a stable equilibrium state. BMPs have also been developed for landfill operations, including characterization of heat generating potential of different waste streams, pre-treatment approaches for heat generating wastes, and disposal strategies to manage the accumulation of heat. This presentation will provide the historical evolution of our understanding of ETLFs and illustrate how BMPs developed from field experience result in successful outcomes at actual MSW landfills. Recommendations are provided that are important to current students as well as seasoned professionals.