Abstract:
This invention relates to a method to apply waste treatment liquid to a solid waste disposal site by filing a storage tank with waste treatment liquid, connecting the liquid storage tank with a vehicle for solid waste compacting and releasing the waste treatment liquid to a portion of solid waste site in need of moisture. This invention further provided an apparatus for distributing waste treatment liquid over the working face of a solid waste disposal site includes an inflow conduit, a storage tank, an outflow conduit, a control valve that contains a remote-valve control; manifold inlet conduit attached to the control valve, and a manifold to allow the liquid received from the manifold inlet conduit to be distributed evenly over the working face.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/461,262 filed Jan. 15, 2011 under 35 U.S.C. Section 1.119(e) hereby specifically incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to apparatus and method to distribute liquid to solid waste disposal sites for compacting and collecting solid waste. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the solid waste industry typically permitted active landfills are used for the disposal of solid waste. The portion of the landfill where waste is actually being unloaded, placed, and compacted is called the “working face” of the landfill. This working face is where waste is placed and compacted by vehicles. Generally these vehicles are track or cleated/chopper wheel driven. These vehicles not only position the waste for efficient air space utilization of land fill capacity but most importantly compact the waste for maximum utilization of the permitted volume. Sub-portions of this permitted volume are most frequently called a “cell” by field personnel. 
     One of the side effects of this disposal and compacting process is the generation of “leachate”. Leachate is the liquid that is hauled in with the waste or rainwater that has fallen on the site, that has come in contact with solid waste. By regulation most landfills are required to collect, treat, and/or dispose of this liquid. This is an added expense to landfill operations. One very effective means to dispose of this liquid is to redistribute leachate on the working face with the new incoming waste stream. Experience has shown that the compaction rate is improved if the incoming waste stream is damp or moist. This dampness will increase the compaction of waste into a smaller volume, thus using less volume of the cell per ton of waste. Furthermore, with this added moisture a greater waste compaction is achieved with less vehicle time, thus requiring fewer passes of the compaction equipment back and forth across the working face. This translates to greater productivity of these vehicles and the use of less fuel per ton of waste compacted. 
     Landfill leachate is created when precipitation percolates down through the waste deposited at a landfill. Landfill leachate is very high in organics, nitrogen, metals and other toxic materials and is a significant environmental and health concern if released into the environment untreated. 
     Prior art techniques for leachate disposal on the working face have generally been confined to the use of spray nozzles and portable pumps. This technique frequently requires the presence of assigned personnel to control and direct the leachate distribution. Prior art also uses a pressured nozzle (much like a garden or small fire hose) that shoots the liquid leachate into the air in order to get it to the waste being compacted on the working face. Because of the nozzle and pressure pump there is a fairly solid stream of liquid being propelled from it, and the nozzle also causes some of the liquid (leachate) to be turned into a vapor or mist which potentially could be carried by a breeze where it can settle on nearby earth or vegetation. Furthermore, this mist could cause potential health hazard to personnel working nearby. 
     Prior art techniques limit the area that can be covered by the sprayed leachate to that reached by the spraying radius of the nozzle. This will cause an uneven distribution of the leachate over the working face waste leaving dry areas and over saturated areas. This would obviously make the compaction uneven and sporadic. 
     The intended purpose of the present invention is to provide a means to spread a relatively even distribution of liquid (typically site collected leachate) over the entire working face of a solid waste disposal site to improve compaction as well as other benefits. 
     The present invention would substantially minimize or almost eliminate the misting of the leachate and cause the leachate to be much more evenly distributed over the work surface. It will also add additional weight to the working face vehicle which enhances the compaction rate. In addition, keeping the compactor wheels and cleats as well as the tracks of the dozer damp or wet with leachate will greatly reduce clogging and improve the effectiveness of the compacting process. 
     Another benefit of the present invention is to minimize fire hazards on the working face waste. The present invention will also minimize the spread rate of any fire if it should occur. Moist or damp waste will obviously not burn as rapidly as dry waste. 
     An additional benefit of the present invention is the accelerated rate of decomposition of the compacted waste. This will lead to a more rapid generation of methane gas which could be used as a potential energy source. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention provides an apparatus for distributing waste treatment liquid over the working face of a solid waste disposal site. This apparatus includes: an inflow conduit to receive inflow liquid; a storage tank for the liquid received from the inflow conduit; an outflow conduit for the liquid to flow out of the said storage tank; a control valve that contains a remote-valve control, a manifold inlet conduit attached to the control valve to allow liquid to flow through when the control valve opens, and a manifold to allow the liquid received from the manifold inlet conduit to be distributed over the working face of a solid waste disposal site. 
     This apparatus is used to apply waste treatment liquid to a solid waste disposal site by providing a vehicle for solid waste compacting with a connected liquid storage tank; filling the storage tank with waste treatment liquid; and releasing the waste treatment liquid from the tank to a portion of the site in need of moisture. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an apparatus of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an apparatus of the present invention showing attachment means. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an system of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a system of the present invention installed in various positions of a track driven machine. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the system of the present invention including a wheel driven vehicle that has three positions on which the apparatus can be installed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the invention. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. Also, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes one particular value and/or the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ordinarily skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. 
     Referring now to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of an apparatus  101  for distributing waste treatment liquid over the working face of a solid waste disposal site includes an inflow conduit  11  and/or a vent tube  11 - 1  on top of a storage tank  12 . Liquid flows into the storage tank  12  through inflow conduit  11  and air could flow out through vent tube  11 - 1  during the storage tank  12  filling. An outflow conduit  13 , a remote valve control  14 , a control valve  15 , a manifold inlet conduit  16 , a manifold  17 , and a plurality of liquid discharge openings  18  are shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The storage tank  12  typically receives the liquid from an inflow conduit  11  at an inlet end  20  and is sized in relation to the various locations of the installation areas as shown in  FIGS. 3-5 . On the side of the storage tank  12 , located substantially near the bottom, an outlet opening  22  is positioned to allow liquid, such as leachate, to gravity feed through an outflow conduit  13 . The outflow conduit  13  is attached to a remote valve control  14  which is controlled by a control valve  15  to regulate the outflow of liquid, such as leachate, to a manifold  17  through a manifold inlet conduit  16 . The remote valve control  14  can be operated from inside the cab of a vehicle for solid waste compacting or it can be remotely controlled by an infrared sensor  41  coupled to the remote valve control  14 . When the control valve  15  is switched on, a liquid, such as leachate, can travel past the valve  15  and is carried by a manifold inlet conduit  16  to a manifold  17 . The manifold  17 , in one embodiment, is located on the bottom or back side of the storage tank  12 . 
     Next, the liquid flows from the manifold inlet conduit  16  to a distribution head  23 . The distribution head  23  distributes the liquid over the solid waste working face  51  through the liquid discharge openings  18 . The manifold  17  has liquid discharge openings  18  that allow the leachate to be discharged along the length of the manifold  17 . In a preferred embodiment, the manifold liquid discharge openings  18  are configured such that when the control valve  15  is opened the leachate will flow by gravity into the manifold  17  and drain out through the discharge openings  18 . In an alternative embodiment, a pump (not shown) can be used in place of gravity feed to move liquid thought the apparatus  101 . The storage tank  12  could be equipped with a pump  42  that could be used to pressurize the manifold  17 . Alternatively, storage tank  12  could be pressurized using a compressed gas to force the liquid such as leachate into manifold  17  for distribution. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the liquid discharge openings  18  are placed such that leachate is distributed over the length of the manifold  17 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the liquid is applied intermittently and repeatedly. In one embodiment, the manifold  17  is built to the approximate width of the vehicle for solid waste compacting as shown on  FIGS. 3-5 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an apparatus  101  that can be connected to a working face vehicle. This embodiment functions, for example, as the blade of a bulldozer  202  and  301  as shown on  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , respectively. The apparatus  101  can be directly attached to different vehicles through a plurality of connectors  25 , such as a lift cylinder connector positioned on the back side surface  26  of storage tank  12 . The front side surface  27  as shown on  FIG. 5  of storage tank  12  is configured to form a blade that can be curved at the lower edge. The vehicles  202  and  301  include a plurality of attachment. means  35  to reversibly connect with the connector  25 . An example of an attachment means  35  is a push bar  31 . 
     The apparatus  101  is connected to a working face vehicle in the followings ways. The apparatus  101  can be made as an integral part of the working face vehicle, connected by attachment means, or mounted on a trailer and connected to the working face vehicle by a hitch or other means. 
     In one preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a apparatus  101  is located on the back end of a working face vehicle, such as a track driven vehicle  202  i.e. dozer. The track driven vehicle  202  is connected by connectors  43  to the side surface  26  of storage tank  12  of apparatus  101  and the attachment means which are counter weight attachment points (not shown). Alternatively, as shown above, an apparatus  101  is located on the front end of the working face vehicle  202  and the apparatus  101  is attached to the vehicle through attachment means  35 . 
     In another embodiment of the invention,  FIG. 4  shows the apparatus  101  installed on various locations of a dozer  301 . The apparatus  101  is installed in the front  302  and back  303  of a dozer  301 . 
     In yet another embodiment of the invention,  FIG. 5  shows the apparatus  101  on various locations of a wheel driven vehicle  401 . The apparatus  101  is installed in the front  405 , middle  402 , and back  403  of track driven vehicle  401 . 
     Once the present invention is connected on a working face vehicle, the method of distributing waste treatment liquid over solid waste disposal site and compacting solid waste in a landfill may be followed by the steps below. 
     Step One: fill the storage tank  12  with liquid such as leachate from an inflow conduit  11  located on the top of the storage tank  12  through an inlet end  20 . This could be handled by pumping a liquid, such as leachate, into the storage tank  12  or filling the storage tank  12  from an elevated source of liquid (like a dust control tank). 
     Step Two: once the storage tank  12  is full then the vehicle, such as compactor  301  or track driven vehicle  401 , would move out into the working face area  51 . The vehicle operator will determine what area of the working face is in need of more moisture for a number of different reasons. 
     Step Three: after the operator determines an area that needs the moisture, he will move the vehicle over the area. Then he would use the control valve  15  through a control system  14  that is able to be operated from inside the cab of the vehicle to release liquid, such as leachate, from manifold  17  to moisturize the solid waste. The rate of discharge will be controlled by the operator as needed. 
     Step Four: once the working area needing moisture is as saturated as determined by the operator, the operator would be able to close the control valve  15  through a control system  14  and hold the remaining liquid in storage tank  12 . 
     Step Five: the operator(s) will continue to add layers of waste and then go back to Step Three. 
     Step Six: once the on storage tank  12  is empty, the operator will return to the loading location and start back at Step One. 
     This process would be repeated several times throughout the working shift/day. On days of heavy rain or extreme cold weather it would be sufficient to just complete Step One and leave the on storage tank  12  loaded for the extra weight on the compaction vehicles as needed. 
     It is anticipated that the increased compaction rates obtainable with this invention will yield extra revenues in the same air space. The amount of increased compaction and savings can be seen in Table 1 to Table 6. 
     The following tables incorporate a couple of different variables of landfill airspace utilization (tons per day and a possible change in pounds per cubic yard compaction) and shows the financial effect on the landfill with small improvements in the compaction ratios that this invention might provide. In describing the present invention some terms referred in the tables are defined as follows: 
     Depletion: In the landfill industry this is considered the recognition of the cost of landfill development and construction. It is generally based on a per ton rate, which means if a landfill is considered to hold 500 tons of waste and the development and construction cost was $1,000 then the depletion rate would be $2.00 per ton. 
     Closure/Post Closure: In the landfill industry this is considered to be the setting aside a determined amount of funds to properly close the landfill once it is full and to take care of the landfill facility for a term of approx. 30 years after it is closed. Meaning if it is determined that the closure will cost $1 million and 30 years of care will cost $500,000 then the total fund needed would be $1.5 million. Now if it is determined that the landfill would hold a grand total of 750,000 tons then the landfill company would be required to set aside $2.00 from every ton to cover these expenses. 
     Gate Rate: In the landfill industry this is considered the publicly published rate for disposal. It could be by the ton, by the cubic yard, or by the load. 
     EBITDA: In the landfill industry this means “Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depletion Amortization.” 
     Airspace: In the landfill industry this is a term that is used to describe useable volumetric capacity of landfill space for the disposal of waste. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Assumptions 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1,400 
                 Pounds per cubic yard currently 
               
               
                 $4.00 
                 Per ton for Depletion and Closure/Post Closure 
               
               
                 $15.00 
                 Per ton gate rate for revenue 
               
               
                 1,000 
                 Tons per day Monday through Friday 
               
               
                 260,000 
                 Tons per year 
               
               
                 50 
                 Pounds per cubic yard: Increased compaction using 
               
               
                   
                 present invention 
               
               
                 1,450 
                 Pounds per cubic yard New Compaction Rate 
               
               
                 371,429 
                 Current cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 358,621 
                 New cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 12,808 
                 Cubic yards saved per year 
               
               
                 9,286 
                 Extra Tons available in the same airspace. 
               
               
                 $37,143 
                 Depletion and Closure/Post Closure savings per year 
               
               
                 $139,286 
                 Extra Revenue in the Same Airspace 
               
               
                 50% 
                 Average EBITDA of Landfill Airspace 
               
               
                 $69,642.86 
                 EBITDA Savings per year 
               
               
                 $50,000.00 
                 Assumed cost of present invention 
               
               
                 8.7 
                 Pay Back Rate in months 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Assumptions 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1,400 
                 Pounds per cubic yard currently 
               
               
                 $4.00 
                 Per ton for Depletion and Closure/Post Closure 
               
               
                 $15.00 
                 Per ton gate rate for revenue 
               
               
                 1,000 
                 Tons per day Monday through Friday 
               
               
                 260,000 
                 Tons per year 
               
               
                 100 
                 Pounds per cubic yard: Increased compaction using 
               
               
                   
                 present invention 
               
               
                 1,500 
                 Pounds per cubic yard New Compaction Rate 
               
               
                 371,429 
                 Current cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 346,667 
                 New cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 24,762 
                 Cubic yards saved per year 
               
               
                 18,571 
                 Extra Tons available in the same airspace. 
               
               
                 $74,286 
                 Depletion and Closure/Post Closure savings per year 
               
               
                 $278,571 
                 Extra Revenue in the Same Airspace 
               
               
                 50% 
                 Average EBITDA of Landfill Airspace 
               
               
                 $139,286 
                 EBITDA Savings per year 
               
               
                 $50,000 
                 Assumed cost of present invention 
               
               
                 4.4 
                 Pay Back Rate in months 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Assumptions 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1,400 
                 Pounds per cubic yard currently 
               
               
                 $4.00 
                 Per ton for Depletion and Closure/Post Closure 
               
               
                 $15.00 
                 Per ton gate rate for revenue 
               
               
                 1,000 
                 Tons per day Monday through Friday 
               
               
                 260,000 
                 Tons per year 
               
               
                 150 
                 Pounds per cubic yard: Increased compaction using 
               
               
                   
                 present invention 
               
               
                 1,550 
                 Pounds per cubic yard New Compaction Rate 
               
               
                 371,429 
                 Current cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 335,484 
                 New cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 35,945 
                 Cubic yards saved per year 
               
               
                 27,857 
                 Extra Tons available in the same airspace. 
               
               
                 $111,429 
                 Depletion and Closure/Post Closure savings per year 
               
               
                 $417,857 
                 Extra Revenue in the Same Airspace 
               
               
                 50% 
                 Average EBITDA of Landfill Airspace 
               
               
                 $208,929 
                 EBITDA Savings per year 
               
               
                 $50,000 
                 Assumed cost of present invention 
               
               
                 2.9 
                 Pay Back Rate in months 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 4 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Assumptions 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1,400 
                 Pounds per cubic yard currently 
               
               
                 $4.00 
                 Per ton for Depletion and Closure/Post Closure 
               
               
                 $15.00 
                 Per ton gate rate for revenue 
               
               
                 1,500 
                 Tons per day Monday through Friday 
               
               
                 390,000 
                 Tons per year 
               
               
                 50 
                 Pounds per cubic yard: Increased compaction using 
               
               
                   
                 present invention 
               
               
                 1,450 
                 Pounds per cubic yard New Compaction Rate 
               
               
                 557,143 
                 Current cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 537,931 
                 New cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 19,212 
                 Cubic yards saved per year 
               
               
                 13,929 
                 Extra Tons available in the same airspace. 
               
               
                 $55,714 
                 Depletion and Closure/Post Closure savings per year 
               
               
                 $208,929 
                 Extra Revenue in the Same Airspace 
               
               
                 50.00% 
                 Average EBITDA of Landfill Airspace 
               
               
                 $104,464 
                 EBITDA Savings per year 
               
               
                 $50,000 
                 Assumed cost of present invention 
               
               
                 5.8 
                 Pay Back Rate in months 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 5 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Assumptions 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1,400 
                 Pounds per cubic yard currently 
               
               
                 $4.00 
                 Per ton for Depletion and Closure/Post Closure 
               
               
                 $15.00 
                 Per ton gate rate for revenue 
               
               
                 1,500 
                 Tons per day Monday through Friday 
               
               
                 390,000 
                 Tons per year 
               
               
                 100 
                 Pounds per cubic yard: Increased compaction using 
               
               
                   
                 present invention 
               
               
                 1,500 
                 Pounds per cubic yard New Compaction Rate 
               
               
                 557,143 
                 Current cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 520,000 
                 New cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 37,143 
                 Cubic yards saved per year 
               
               
                 27,857 
                 Extra Tons available in the same airspace. 
               
               
                 $111,429 
                 Depletion and Closure/Post Closure savings per year 
               
               
                 $417,857 
                 Extra Revenue in the Same Airspace 
               
               
                 50.00% 
                 Average EBITDA of Landfill Airspace 
               
               
                 $208,929 
                 EBITDA Savings per year 
               
               
                 $50,000 
                 Assumed cost of present invention 
               
               
                 2.9 
                 Pay Back Rate in months 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 6 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Assumptions 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1,400 
                 Pounds per cubic yard currently 
               
               
                 $4.00 
                 Per ton for depletion and closure/post closure 
               
               
                 $15.00 
                 Per ton gate rate for revenue 
               
               
                 1,500 
                 Tons per day Monday through Friday 
               
               
                 390,000 
                 Tons per year 
               
               
                 150 
                 Pounds per cubic yard: Increased compaction using 
               
               
                   
                 present invention 
               
               
                 1,550 
                 Pounds per cubic yard New Compaction Rate 
               
               
                 557,143 
                 Current cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 503,226 
                 New cubic yards consumed per year 
               
               
                 53,917 
                 Cubic yards saved per year 
               
               
                 41,786 
                 Extra Tons available in the same airspace. 
               
               
                 $167,143 
                 Depletion and Closure/Post Closure savings per year 
               
               
                 $626,786 
                 Extra Revenue in the Same Airspace 
               
               
                 50.00% 
                 Average EBITDA of Landfill Airspace 
               
               
                 $313,393 
                 EBITDA Savings per year 
               
               
                 $50,000 
                 Assumed cost of present invention 
               
               
                 1.9 
                 Pay Back Rate in months 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     It is intended that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present invention and that the present invention be limited only by the hereinafter appended claims.