LANDFILLS: ANOTHER LOOK AT COVER DESIGN

摘要

reduction of leachate minimizes wastewater treatment costs thereby reducing potential threats to groundwater, and the barrier prevents direct exposure to the waste. But. the improved understanding of phyto-cover technology and the biodegradation processes that take place within landfills gained over the last decade warrant another look at how landfill covers are designed. Phyto covers are one aspect of the larger field of phytoremediation: the use of plants to remediate contamination. The application of plants, including grasses, shrubs, trees and food and non-food chain crops, for waste treatment technology is not a new concept, dating to at least the early 1970's. The research, development, and use of vegetation for water uptake and remediation of contaminants has increased dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s. This phytoremediation technology is attractive because it is a versatile, low-cost remedial alternative that simultaneously provides remediation and site restoration. It is estimated that phytoremediation has been studied and implemented at hundreds of sites across this country and abroad.