As part of Afvalzorg’s commitment to promote and implement circular economy activities, we try to re-use and recycle as much waste materials as possible in our landfills. Horizontal landfill gas recovery systems require a substantial amount of granular materials which we try to replace by coarse granular waste materials (e.g. bottom ash, C&D waste materials).
At our landfill site Zeeasterweg in The Netherlands, we have performed several tests on the re-use of copper slags as gas drainage material. This is a by-product created during the copper smelting and refining process. During the tests, the slags performed perfectly. Additionally, the slags also have the ability to bind H2S, therefore enhancing odor reduction at the landfill.
The installed horizontal gas drainage layer of copper slags is connected with vertical wells and positioned underneath an immobilisation layer constructed out of bottom ashes. The immobilisation layer allows for recycling and storage activities on top of the landfill cell while also enabling maximal landfill gas recovery, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas mitigation.
