Sudogwon Landfill Site Authority Introduces First Domestic Leachate Recirculation Facility at Landfill Site

Leachate 3200t External Zero Discharge... Environmental and Economic Win-Win

Sudokwon Landfill Leachate Treatment Plant
Photo by Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corporation

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] A facility that recirculates leachate generated at waste landfills back into the landfill without discharging it externally will be introduced for the first time in Korea.

The Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corporation announced on the 29th that it has completed the first phase of the leachate landfill facility reduction purification system and will begin full-scale operation of the facility.

The reduction purification system is a facility concept defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the name "bioreactor," and several countries including the U.S. and Europe are actively developing related technologies.

Since 2006, the Ministry of Environment, centered on the Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corporation, has conducted long-term research and established detailed installation and management standards through the revision of the Waste Management Act Enforcement Rules in 2016, leading to the first actual introduction of the facility this time.

The reduction purification system is a facility that recirculates up to 3,200 tons of leachate generated daily at the landfill into 8 inner blocks out of 24 blocks in the second landfill.

The Landfill Site Management Corporation plans to additionally install a second phase facility that recirculates up to 2,600 tons of leachate daily into the remaining 16 blocks of the second landfill, establishing a zero-leachate discharge system that does not release any leachate generated at the landfill externally.

The corporation expects that the introduction of this facility will not only improve the surrounding environment but also bring economic benefits such as early stabilization of the landfill and additional power generation.

The leachate recirculation pipeline, composed of a double pipe, simultaneously performs leachate injection and landfill gas collection functions, minimizing the emission of landfill gas, which is an odor-causing substance, and reducing environmental impact on surrounding areas, as well as significantly decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Also, by increasing the moisture content within the landfill through leachate recirculation (from 26% to a maximum of 40%), the decomposition of organic matter in the waste is promoted, greatly shortening the post-management period of the second landfill and reducing management costs by approximately 101.5 billion KRW.

By promoting organic matter decomposition, the generation of landfill gas used as fuel for a 50MW power plant will also increase, potentially producing additional electricity worth about 78.8 billion KRW.

Won Jongcheol, Director of Water Environment at the Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corporation, said, "Through this facility, the Sudokwon Landfill Site is expected to take a step closer to realizing a low-carbon landfill site as well as a '3-no (無)' landfill site with no odor, dust, or leachate discharge."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.