Abstract
The production process of soluble organic pollutants is studied by using two small scale lysimeters, i.e., the water saturated refuse layer (W. S. L.) and the gravitationally dewatered refuse layer (G. D. L.). The used refuse is an artificial one, i. e., the model for mixed domestic refuse, which contains many components such asgarbage, papers, textiles, eic., The temperature of the lysimeters was controlled atca. 20°C and the anaerobic condition was kept inside the lysimeters. The small amount of digested sewage sludge was injected for promoting methane fermentation.
1) Methane fermentation began at 125th day together with the increase of pH to ca. 5 and decayed at ca. 700th day. The maximum gas production rate of each lysimeterwas respectively ca. 4 (W. S. L.) and 2 (G. D. L.) mol/(m3d). And so the BOD of leachate from both lysimeters was initially ca.10000 mg/l, but rapidly decreased to ca. 10 mg/l by methane fermentation.
2) In the initial stage within 150-200th day, garbage was gradually decomposed in proportion to the undecomposed amount of garbage. It is suggested that cellulose decomposition was occured and this process is limiting in the solubilization of refuse after 200th day. And so the decomposed amount of refuse in each lysimeter attained to ca. thrice (W. S. L.) and twice (G. D. L.) of that of garbage as Carbon content.
