THE POTENTIAL OF BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM CHIDAYA

SANITARY LANDFILL LEACHATE IN DODOMA REGION

The University of Dodoma, College of Earth Science

2019

ABSTRACT
This research investigated the potential of biogas production from municipal landfill leachate in
Chidaya, Tanzania. The study involved setting up of an experiment for biogas production from
municipal landfill leachate at Chidaya. The experiment conducted at the University of Dodoma,
College of Earth Science laboratory. Data were collected within 24hours for two weeks and bench
scale experiments were used for setting this experiment.
The result of the experiment setup has shown that biogas can be produced especially when leachate
is in neutral condition. The maximum volume of biogas produced ranges between 76 mils to 124
mils respectively within 14 days
The leachate was characterized according to selected parameters that are Temperature, pH, and
selected heavy metal that are Cupper, Chromium and Lead. Distinctively concentrations of Pb and
Cr in all sample leachate exceeded the level of WHO and TBS. During biogas production, pH was
varied to optimal conditions to favor important bacteria.
Therefore, leachate from municipal landfill can be used for biogas production if some factors will
be controlled based on the quality of leachate.
Background Information
Municipal solid waste (MSW), resulting from rapid urbanization and pollution growth of
developing countries, is generating potential environmental problems, Nevertheless, solid waste
management has been laden with the most serious environmental sanitation problems in urban
areas such as Dodoma, Mwanza, Dar es salaam and Arusha during the past two decades. The
difficulties came in the middle and late of 1990s when only between 5 and 10% of urban areas in
Tanzania were being provided with solid waste management services (Mato et al., 1997).
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) consists of product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing,
bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. The waste managed by
municipalities usually includes household waste and waste from small business, offices, and
restaurants. (Mandes, 2002).
Leachate occur due to filtration of matter during a rain season, extracts solutes, suspended solids
or any other component of the material through which it has passed. It is most commonly used in
the context of land-filling of putrescible (Aktas.o et al., 2001). Leachate from a landfill fluctuates
widely in composition due to age and their type of waste that it contains.
Also, composition of leachate from landfill can vary depending on several factors, including the
degree of compaction, waste composition, climate and moisture content in waste. As a general
rule, leachate is characterized by high values of BOD, COD, pH, ammonia nitrogen and heavy
metals, as well as strong color and bad odor (Warith et al., 1999).
The generation of leachate is caused principally by precipitation percolating through waste
deposited in a landfill. Once in contact with decomposing solid waste, the percolating water
becomes contaminated and if it then flows out of the waste material it is termed leachate
(Alessandros et al., 2008).
Leachate volume is produced during this decomposition of carbonaceous material producing a
wide range of other materials including methane, carbon dioxide and a complex mixture of organic
acids, aldehydes, alcohols and simple sugars.
Biogas is a colorless, flammable gas produced by the biological breaking down of organic matter in
the absence of oxygen. Biogas is produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of
biodegradable materials such as biomass, manure sewage, municipal waste, plant material and
leachate. Primarily biogas comprises methane and carbon dioxide and may have small amounts of
hydrogen sulphide moisture and siloxane (Bhattacharyya et al., 2007)
Landfill technology has evolved from open, burning dumps to highly engineered sites designed to
minimize the impact of contaminants in the waste on the nearby environment. The major
environmental problems experienced at landfills have resulted from the loss of leachate from the
site and the subsequent contamination of surrounding land and water (Kinman et al., 1987; Cureton
et al., 1991)
Improvements in landfill engineering have been aimed primarily at reducing leachate production,
collecting and treating leachate prior to discharge, and limiting leachate discharge to the
surrounding soil. All sanitary landfill operation be "lined" and equipped with leachate collection
systems. A typical liner is composed of layers of clay, gravel, plastic and synthetic material to
prevent leachate from escaping. Lined landfills are also fitted with pipes to collect and drain the
leachate. Collected leachate is treated and discharged, or can be recirculated through the landfill
(RIRRC, 2006).
Also, in order to manage and control landfills in an efficient way, so that environmental loadings
are minimized for short and long time periods, the understanding and prediction of the landfill
behavior is crucial (Fellner and Brunner, 2010) (Kjeldsenet al., 2002; Sormunen et al., 2008).
This research will check for potentiality of producing biogas from leachate in Dodoma
municipality sanitary landfill by characterizing the leachate based on biogas production,
investigating factor that favors methanogenesis bacteria for producing methane.
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