STUDY OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE FROM METEPEC (MEXICO) AND ITS LEACHATE PRODUCED BY SIMULATED RAIN, IN LABORATORY AND PILOT SCALES

摘要

The county of Metepec (Mexico state), situated in central Mexico, has a 14-million population, dispersed in approximately 125 counties. Solid waste management represents a serious and ongoing pressure to local authorities. The final disposition site ("El Socavon") does not comply with minimum environmental condition as no geomembrane or leachate management infrastructure are available. Consequently, leachate composition or the effect of rain water input on municipal SW degradation are largely unknown. The aim of this work was to monitor the anaerobic degradation of municipal solid waste (MSW), simulating the water addition due to rainfall. The study was carried out using biorreactors in both lab (164.8 g) and pilot scale (5.8 kg). The variation of organic matter and pH was followed in the solid matrix of the MSW. The produced leachate was used to estimate the MSW field capacity, along with pH, COD and BOD. Obtained results produced a first characterization of the leachate in "El Socavon", and they seemed to suggest that the experimentation corresponded only to the acidic phase of the MSW anaerobic fermentation.