Nick Yafrate and Scott Luettich (Massachusetts) will have a paper published in the Air & Waste Management Association's (A&WMA) EM Magazine in March 2017.

The article is entitled "Elevated Temperature Landfills (ETLFs) - Challenges Facing the Solid Waste Community." It considers the uncommon but costly problem of high temperatures in landfills resulting not from subsurface fires but from abnormal biological or chemical reactions within the landfill.

Nick and Scott describe how elevated temperatures (ETs) have been measured in some municipal solid waste landfills and the issue is now receiving increased and widespread attention. These temperatures, sometimes greater than 300 F, can result in significant difficulties with gas and leachate management and are of concern to landfill owners, designers, and regulators alike. Although the overall percentage of ETLFs is small compared to all landfills in North America, the operational and capital expenditures resulting from assessing and controlling ETs can far surpass those of a normal landfill.

They also discuss how research has focused on identifying the symptoms or characteristics of ETLFs, possible causes, and methods to mitigate and prevent them. The research is focused on understanding the interaction of biological and abiotic reactions in creating exothermic conditions, and testing the effects of certain conditions such as pressure and vapor (gas) extraction pyrolytic reactions. The research is proceeding along the following sequence of activities: (1) developing temperature and pressure monitoring instrumentation, (2) laboratory testing of the waste, and (3) BMPs for ETLF mitigation and prevention.

If you are an A&WMA member, you have three ways to access the full-length issue of EM:

1. Via the A&WMA App: http://www.awma.org/em App-friendly interactive content, such as hyperlinks, pop-up windows, animations, and slideshows, will only be available via the app version.
2. Via the .pdf flipbook: http://www.awma.org/emcurrentissue
3. Via the full-issue .pdf that can be downloaded to your desktop: http://www.awma.org/emcurrentissue

A&WMA also offers readers and contributors an easy option for print-on-demand through the online publisher Blurb.com. Visit the A&WMA Storefront at http://www.blurb.com/user/AWMA and click on an issue of EM to order your personal printed copy that is delivered directly to your door.

More Information
For more information regarding the A&WMA, visit: www.awma.org
For more information about the paper or ETLFs, contact Nick at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Scott at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To learn more about Nick see his profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-yafrate-phd-pe-18814b15/
To learn more about Scott see his profile at: http://www.geosyntec.com/people/scott-luettich