Effects of "soil-like" particle size on gas transport and water retention properties in aged municipal solid waste from a Sri Lankan open dumpsite

Open dumps constitute a major source of greenhouse gases (GHGs), predominantly methane and carbon dioxide, in developing countries. In an aged dump, typical waste composition is dominated by the "soil-like" fraction of which physical, hydraulic and gas transport characteristics markedly affect GHG emissions. This study characterized soil-gas diffusivity (D-p/D-0), soil-water characteristics (SWC), and particle size distribution in "soil-like" fractions of aged solid waste retrieved at 2.5-5 m depth from an old open dumpsite situated at Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. The "soil-like" fraction was proportioned into three groups based on particle size (0-4.75, 4.75-9.5, and 9.5-25 mm) to investigate the particle size effect on D-p/D-0 and SWC. The simulated methane concentration profiles in different size groups were also examined using the transport simulator TOUGH2-EOS7CA based on the multiphase flow of multicomponent gas mixture (methane, water vapour and air) under dry and half-saturation conditions across a predefined temperature gradient. The results highlighted distinct two-region characteristics (i.e., inter-aggregate and intra-aggregate pore regions) in all three size fractions which could be adequately parameterized with existing and modified bimodal functions. We proposed a useful practical tool for estimating D-p/D-0 for known mean particle size and volumetric water content in the absence of direct measurements. The results further revealed that D-p/D-0 is particle-size dependent; however, D-p/D-0 remained invariant across all size fractions at the volumetric water content of similar to 0.22-0.25 cm(3) cm(-3). Numerical results further showed a pronounced effect of particle size and soil moisture on gas transport properties.