The APERG program is funded by the Reuben and Alice Wasser A.P.C. Education and Research Charitable Remainder Unitrust.
2005 APERG Scholar:
Byunghyun Han
University of Delaware
Project Title: Intelligent Bioreactor Management Information System (IBM-IS) for Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Sequestration
Abstract
In order to develop an intelligent system for operating bioreactor landfills, methods are needed to measure water in situ, since water often limits waste degradation and must be added to landfills. In addition, models are needed to describe the simultaneous movement of gas and water through refuse. These two topics are the focus of my work. In order to develop models for the simultaneous movement of gas and water through refuse, the influence of gas on water flow and water on gas flow must be described. The relative permeability-water saturation-capillary pressure relationship is proposed to describe these influences and will be measured for refuse at different degrees of waste compaction. While such measurements are common for soils, to the best of our knowledge these measurements will be the first of their kind for refuse. Once mathematical descriptions are developed to fit these data, these equations will be incorporated into computer models for describing the movement of gas and water in bioreactor landfills.
