Soil mechanical properties of MBT waste from Luxembourg, Germany and Thailand

Abstract

Mechanical and biological treatments (MBT) of waste have become well known in Europe and Asia. The maximum particle size of waste is reduced by the removal of larger plastic materials from municipal solid waste during mechanical processing. The mechanical properties of the MBT waste are significantly changed by this process. An effective treatment system can lead to a better quality of output materials which do not cause environmental problems. This paper shows the comparative mechanical properties of MBT wastes from Luxembourg, Germany and Thailand. This research focused on the smaller 10 mm-fraction of MBT samples, in order to describe and evaluate the potential application of the small size material as a cover liner in landfill sites. Therefore the smaller 10 mm-fraction of MBT samples were tested for geotechnical properties. The small size waste particles were analysed in laboratory tests in order to determine their particle size, particle shape, compaction, permeability, shear strength, porosity and water absorption capacity, including comparison with the properties of soil material. The results showed that reduced particles were likely to act as a compact, low permeable material with a high potential for water absorption. The amount of remaining fibre and foil components in the materials cause different mechanical and hydraulic behaviours in the samples. The leachate of MBT samples showed very low concentrations of chemical oxygen demand, ammonium, and heavy metals, compared to the landfill leachate of untreated waste.

Keywords

• MBT waste
• soil mechanical properties
• municipal solid waste treatment
• MBT technology
• landfill