This paper presents the preliminary results of field trials conducted to investigate the air permeability of waste at the Braambergen landfill located near the city of Almere, the Netherlands. Pressure variations were monitored in surrounding wells during air extraction tests using differential pressure transducers. The magnitude of the pressure response to gas abstraction indicates suitability of the method to investigate waste permeability and the swiftness of the pressure response indicated good connectivity within the investigated well field. The obtained air permeability values showed a trend where permeability decreased as the distance between two wells increased, suggesting higher permeability in closer proximity to a well. Although the values are comparable to those reported in other landfills, the differences can be explained by the influence of site-specific factors on permeability.@en

This study quantifies the share of aerobically produced carbon (aeration efficiency) during six years of a full scale landfill aeration project using the balance between methane and carbon dioxide in the bulk extracted gas. Aeration was realized by overextraction. Aeration enhanced carbon release in comparison to the anaerobic ‘base case’, as predicted by the Afvalzorg multiphase model, by a factor of 3.7. Aeration efficiency, averaging around 44%, varied seasonally, and was lower in periods of low or no evapotranspiration and hence higher moisture content in the landfill cover soil (winter). Higher aeration efficiencies were observed when evapotranspiration enables increased cover soil permeability (summer). Correspondingly, aeration efficiency was linearly related to the concentration of N2 in the bulk extracted gas. To a lesser extent, condensate and its removal also affected flow and hence the aeration efficiency. Except for the modulation by seasonal effects, the cumulative amount of extracted ‘aerobic carbon’ increased linearly over time, independent of changes in the blower pressure and flow. This suggests that below the cover soil, within the waste body, flow is chanelled in preferential pathways, limiting the intrusion of oxygen into the bulk waste. Aeration can hence only be enhanced by reducing well spacing. The blower efficiency, assessed by the ratio of flow to pressure, decreased markedly over time, likely indicating diminishing waste permeability as a result of waste consolidation.@en