Waste management and renewable energy company, Viridor, has invested £4.5m at its Dimmer Landfill site in Somerset.
9, a:1:{i:0;s:8:”defaults”;}, waste management rotary screening, Waste management and renewable energy company, Viridor, has invested £4.5m at its Dimmer Landfill site in Somerset. Find out more here., Waste management and renewable energy company, Viridor, has invested £4.5m at its Dimmer Landfill site in Somerset. The groundbreaking project will combine multiple cutting-edge treatment technologies with a single leachate management system.
Leachate is a major problem for solid waste landfills, and causes a significant threat to water tables. Leachate is defined as a liquid that passes through a landfill, extracting dissolved and suspended matter from it. It is generated from rainfall on the site, as well as liquid contained in the waste, and the natural surrounding water table.
This initiative will not only meet Environment Agency discharge compliance requirements for the River Cary, but the on-site treatment method will help avoid the 2,000 tanker movements and transport at the Dimmer site every year.
According to LetsRecycle.com, a joint statement from Viridor states that “The new Dimmer Leachate Treatment Plant is the most advanced leachate treatment facility in the UK.” These cutting edge technologies include a biological, chemical, and physical treatment process, incorporating nanofiltration and activated carbon filtration.
During nanofiltration, liquid is screened through pores the size of that close to the thickness of a strand of DNA. The material collected by this sophisticated process is then fed through activated carbon filters, and spent carbon is returned to the manufacturers for reprocessing or reuse.
£1m of the £4.5m project has funded an improved leachate extraction system, creating efficient removal of leachate from the landfill, which can then be processed. A three-hectare willow bed has been catered for, which can be then irrigated by clean and treated leachate during the summer months.
An intelligent monitoring system will be implemented to monitor the willow beds, allowing the plant to check moisture conditions of the soil, and when irrigation is required. It will also monitor the River Cary to check when water levels are high enough to allow discharge.
With the vast reduction in heavy road traffic to and from the landfill site, as well as improved environmental management, and responsible long term care of the landfill site, Viridor is committed to investing in a sustainable future.
Dimmer Landfill Site will be closing to active waste deliveries in early 2020, as Avonmouth Resource Recovery Centre will be taking non-recyclable waste to generate low-carbon electricity. The restoration of the landfill site will be followed by a 60 year aftercare period, and continue to produce up to 25 million litres of leachate a year, responsibly managed by Viridor.
