Modeling municipal solid waste landfill settlement

A good prediction of solid waste landfill settlement is important for landfill design and rehabilitation. A one-dimensional model which accounts for mechanical settlement and biodegradation processes is developed to simulate the settlement behavior of municipal solid waste landfill. The derivation of analytical solutions for specific conditions is introduced. The numerical approach, capable of coping with more general conditions, is also presented to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of landfill settlement. The proposed model can simulate typical features of short- and long-term landfill settlement behaviors. With proper selection of parameter values, field measurements are well simulated by this model. The effects of some design parameters on the settlement behavior of municipal solid waste landfills are also examined with the help of this model.