Landfills are repositories of mostly urban waste that we don’t think of until they stop working. Often, we only notice them if and when we drive by one. And while they serve populations, they’re also an environmental concern. Landfills typically pose challenges to communities living close to them due to many risks of decomposing waste materials. One of the primary challenges in landfill management is the accumulation and migration of landfill gases, methane and carbon dioxide, which are byproducts of organic waste decomposition. Without proper venting and detection systems, these gases can lead to explosions, fires, and other hazardous conditions, not to mention contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. This is where the technology of gas venting and leak detection comes into play, ensuring landfills are safer for both the environment and surrounding communities.
The science of landfill gases
As organic waste breaks down anaerobically (without oxygen) in a landfill, it generates landfill gas (LFG). Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, makes up roughly half of this output, depending on what’s in the landfill, with carbon dioxide accounting for the remaining. Methane has three main dangers:
Gas venting is the practice of releasing gases from a confined area. In the context of landfills, which themselves are a source of gas, need specific venting mechanisms which allow gas to pass through the layers of landfill waste. This constitutes a gas collection mechanism, wherein through a series of pipes and vents, gas is collected.
By installing a series of wells and pipes throughout the landfill, engineers capture LFG and either flare it off or, ideally, harness it for energy production. This process not only reduces the volume of methane released into the atmosphere but also transforms a hazardous byproduct into a valuable resource. At Strata Global, we also create a gas leak detection layer to build security into the whole process.
Gas leak detection is crucial in landfills for several key reasons: landfills produce large amounts of methane gas as organic waste decomposes, which is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to climate change and can accumulate in high concentrations in enclosed spaces around landfills, creating an explosion hazard that must be monitored and controlled; uncontrolled methane emissions from landfills have a major negative impact on the environment, so detecting and mitigating these leaks is important for reducing the carbon footprint of landfills; regulations require landfill operators to monitor for and manage methane and other landfill gases to protect worker safety and the environment, and effective leak detection is necessary to comply with these rules; and detecting and repairing gas leaks helps landfill operators maximise the capture and use of methane as an energy source, improving the overall efficiency and sustainability of the facility, with the use of specialised monitoring equipment and techniques being essential for identifying and addressing these leaks.
At Strata Global, we use a hybrid method of layering to ensure venting and leak detections both. Our proprietary product, StrataDrain™, is used in the first few layers, above the regularisation layer. This lining works as a layer for gas collection. The liner system comprises 3 elements of geomembrane, StrataDrain™, and geotextile layers. StrataDrain™ allows the flow of leachate through it and takes it out of the landfill through the drainage system in place which separately collects the fluid. Above it, goes another layer of StrataDrain™ to allow rainwater to pass freely with a geomembrane lining. Using StrataGrid™–our uniaxial geogrid for reinforcement of the soil cover above, finally the landfill has a vegetative cover. This multi-layered approach serves many benefits –right from preventing soil erosion, maintaining permeability of the layers, to providing stability to the overall structure, the landfill remains robust. Additionally, when we add a leachate or liquid collection section, it ensures that the waste liquids don’t contaminate the soil if applied in advance, or at least minimises the damage. By using StrataDrain, we are able to replace approx. 300mm to 600mm gravel layer with a simple 5-7mm thick geocomposite. With this simple shift, there come 3 benefits for each landfill project: cost savings of up to 20%, capacity expansion since the overall site is now thinner, and the inherent ability of these materials to resist high compressive stresses making them resilient for decades to come. Creating a veneer reinforcement with StrataGrid helps to prevent slope erosion, is cheaper compared to quarrying and stone-pitching and needs minimal maintenance post installation. These factors are a key consideration since most landfills today need to also account for adverse weather conditions, and soil compaction under the pressure of the waste itself. If typical and traditional methods are used, we need to compact the soil itself, grade it, and add a layer of vegetation. While this process is simple, it’s incredibly expensive, depending on the size and scale of the site itself. The final layer that we add on is geocells or geosynthetic cellular confinement systems, i.e StrataWeb, which works to constrain the soil, and grow a vegetative fascia on the landfill surface. This not only makes the site a lot more pleasant, but also makes it less of an eyesore while preventing soil erosion –a dual benefit.
While we may dismiss landfills from an architectural standpoint, the reality is that a faulty landfill can be a manmade disaster waiting to happen. Since most landfills today are legacy sites, they also need some clever engineering to extract more space, and capacity from existing sites. Our designers and team of civil engineers work with you to consider soil characteristics, landfill geometry, and the expected volumes of waste to create a layout that optimises gas venting efficiency. Our landfill solutions typically account for broad use cases: capping and drainage through the use of geogrids, and geocells, with geotextiles, and geomembranes, leachate management, expansion of landfills [vertical and horizontal], and development of access roads themselves to the site for dumper trucks to pass easily. With limited spaces for landfills, expanding the existing space, and site capacity is a common challenge that clients come to us with. Right from using our proprietary methods for capacity recovery, airspace utilisation to minimising costs –our landfill expertise spans several geos. With our expansion options, sites almost get a new lease of life. With increased containment capacity/lifetime extension without additional approvals or exorbitant costs –our geosynthetic applications lead to more sustainable solutions for waste management companies. The selection of the right geosynthetic materials depends upon factors such as tensile strength, permeability, and compatibility with landfill contents. This remains as a critical aspect of our work that we undertake when we design a solution for your site specific needs. Reach out to us to learn more about our landfill case studies in India, Spain, and USA.
The design of a landfill’s gas venting and detection system has to balance efficiency with safety. Our engineers work to ensure that the system is capable of handling the expected gas output over the landfill’s operational lifetime under normal circumstances, and load expectation. This involves calculating the number and placement of gas wells, the sizing of pipes, and the integration of detection systems, all while considering the potential for future site expansion or changes in waste composition. Given that these calculations are done for live sites, the number of checks and balances we undertake are numerous –since they have lasting impact on the ecology of the land.
To this safety aspect is the added lens of monitoring and maintenance which is necessary. And while capacity expansion is often one of the most common reasons why clients come to us, we also work to ensure we’re delivering on the regulatory aspects of landfill management. Many countries have strict regulations regarding LFG emissions, and failure to comply can result in significant fines and legal repercussions. By implementing robust gas management systems, we help landfills minimise their environmental footprint and adhere to legal standards.
The Surface Sealing and Post-Closure Maintenance project at Villena’s MSW Treatment Plant Landfill showcases Strata’ Global’s expertise in delivering innovative environmental solutions. Strata designed and implemented rainwater drainage systems and gas collection using the StrataDrain™ drainage composite range. Additionally, StrataGrid™ reinforced and stabilised slopes.
Strata aimed to effectively close the landfill while adhering to environmental considerations. They faced the significant challenge of designing anchor trenches within a confined space. Strata addressed this by developing a unique installation methodology tailored to the project’s specific needs, effectively managing the space limitations.
Strata’s solutions offered several advantages over conventional methods involving gravels and common geotextiles:
The standout feature of the project was Strata’s ability to adapt the geosynthetic solution to the complex topography of Villena’s landfill, demonstrating the company’s versatility in addressing challenging environmental engineering projects.
The implementation of gas venting and leak detection systems, with strategic use of geotextiles and geogrids, represents our commitment to safety and sustainability in waste management operations. As the waste management industry continues to evolve, the integration of these technologies will remain a key focus for civil engineers dedicated to creating safer, more environmentally friendly landfills. Through continuous innovation and adherence to best practices, the risks associated with landfill gases can be effectively managed, ensuring the protection of both human health and the planet.
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Director, President – Glen Raven Technical Fabrics
Strata/Glen Raven tenure: 10 years/28 years
Total industry experience: 35 years
MBA – Wake Forest University
Directs the strategic direction of Glen Raven’s automotive, protective apparel, military, geogrid, outdoor and logistic businesses.
Director, General Manager, Strata Inc.
Strata/Strata Inc. tenure: 3 years/14 years
Total industry experience: 25 years
MBA – Georgia State University
Led the integration of Strata Inc. business operations into the headquarters of GRTF and transition from USA based to India based manufacturing.
Director
Strata tenure: 17 years
Total industry experience: 47 years
CA – ICA
Played a key role in the establishment of Strata’s India operations. Provides vision for product innovation and leveraging new technology trends.
Global Technical Sales Director
Strata tenure: 7 years
Total industry experience: 32 years
Civil & Geotechnical Engineer (First class)
Provides highly technical and innovative civil engineering solutions in India and around the world. Responsible for the design and execution of large-scale geotechnical projects around the world including Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and South America.
CTO – Chief Technology Officer
Strata tenure: 9 years
Total industry experience: 48 years
BTech (Hons), MTech (Civil) Both IIT Bombay, DMS (Bombay University), FIE, FIGS, Chartered Engineer
Streamlines the designs of Geosynthetics and has brought innovation in geogrid and geocell design application.
COO – Projects and Sales
Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 24 years
MBA – University of Gujarat
Leads the monetization of products and solutions while ensuring highest execution quality and project profitability.
COO – Technical Textiles
Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 33 years
BE (Mechanical) – Nagpur University
Drives excellence in process design, product features and cost effectiveness in production.
CFO – Chief Financial Officer
Strata tenure: 8 years
Total industry experience: 35 years
CA – ICA, ICWA – ICWAI
Leads the finance, accounting, taxation, commercial, legal and IT functions and assisting on all strategic and operational matters.
CDO – Chief Development Officer
Strata tenure: 10 years
Total industry experience: 13 years
MBA – ISB, Hyderabad
Leads diversification of the product portfolio, monetizing the new products and ensuring successful sustained financial growth of the company top line.
CEO – Chief Executive Officer
Strata tenure: 14 years
Total industry experience: 42 years
B Tech (Chemical) – IIT Delhi
Leads day-to-day business operations of the company with focus on capacity expansion, product and process improvement.
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