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Modern technology has allowed people to innovate ways to manage landfills. Today, we will take a look at several landfill technologies that help save nature.
Sanitary Landfill System
In the past, a landfill was nothing more than a dump. It was a breeding ground for pests like rats, flies and mosquitoes. In addition to that, gases and different chemicals piled up, both of which harmed the environment.
Today, many landfills use a system called sanitary landfill. In this technology, water is separated from the garbage. Gas is also collected as the garbage decomposes. The gas is then converted into electricity to keep it out of the atmosphere.
Here are some important things to know how it works:
- Liner system – the bottom of the landfill has a liner that prevents liquid from getting into the soil. The management collects the liquid and treats it to ensure it is environment-safe.
- Drainage system – this drainage collects liquid from the garbage as it decomposes. Rain and snow can carry this liquid, so there has to be separate drainage for this liquid. The collection bin is called leachate, and it has pipes that carry the liquid to treatment facilities.
- Gas collection system – finally, methane and other gases that the garbage produces goes to an extraction pipe.
The trash in the landfill is compacted. This allows for more room for the next batches of garbage. People who manage the landfill also cover the trash with soil, as this prevents the odour from seeping out. It also prevents pests from scavenging.
Precious Metal Recycling
Another technology that we use today to manage landfills is called plasma arc recycling. This is pretty much reserved for precious metals. In a landfill, people look for precious metals that can be recycled. These things are expensive, and yet they are really useful. Some examples of these are palladium, iridium and platinum.
Metals like these that come from landfills go to recycling companies. Plasma arc technology is a torch that is super-hot. Metals from landfills go through a smelting process which allows the operators to recover precious metals.
What this process does to the environment is that it prevents raw materials from getting depleted. Instead of mining new raw materials, we just have to recycle these precious metals.
PCB Landfills
Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Waste, commonly referred to as PCB, is a type of chemical waste. It comes from factories. It does not go to the same landfills as your typical garbage does.
This type of landfill houses toxic chemicals. Although PCB will degrade naturally over time, the length of time it takes to degrade is not the same with each type of PCB. The decomposition process also depends on the types of microorganisms that are in the environment.
Here are some sources of PCBs:
- Capacitors
- Circuit breakers
- Light ballasts
- Transformers
Since it is a toxic material, companies cannot dispose of it in nature. They have a special management process. There are two things that people do to manage PCBs. The first one is to store them. The second one is to destroy them with a special kind of technology. Because it is a toxic waste, it requires a different kind of processing.
Apart from the destruction technology, the organization that processes it requires a special permit. The government is involved in this process, making sure that the landfill and management operator complies with the government standards.
Bioreactor Landfill
One promising future of the landfill is to have a bioreactor. Instead of a nuclear reactor, this reactor draws power from biodegradable waste.
Landfills have liquid, solid and gas components. In this technology, the bioreactor hastens the decomposition process. When waste breaks down at a faster rate, it is easier to collect waste that we can turn into energy. As an after effect, it will also become easier for us to fill the land with soil, compact it and then plant vegetation on top of it. Trees have better chances of surviving since we have removed the toxic materials already.
As we continue to learn more about our environment, we will develop technologies that we can classify as green. Even companies like Vulkanvegas Casino can participate. They can use servers that depend on 100% renewable energy sources. All individuals can do something to ease the burden of garbage. What we all need to do is to stop using plastics unless we really have to. We also have to start recycling—this is the only way to go to save the earth.
