General
National Id
Slovenia_05
Site name
Ormoz, Dobrava
Summary
The project sought to apply an eco-remediation methodology at the landfill site of Dobrava, in the agricultural lowland of Pannonia (Municipality of Ormoz)
Slovenia. The project aimed to demonstrate a successful “green technology” to reduce the environmental impact of landfill sites through a closed hydrological
and pollution cycle to complement and exceed existing legislation in the promotion of sustainable landfilling technologies. The methodology consists in
establishing dense woodland as a water barrier and in constructing a wetland for leachate treatment aiming to provide efficient water protection to reduce the risk of surface and groundwater contamination.
Slovenia. The project aimed to demonstrate a successful “green technology” to reduce the environmental impact of landfill sites through a closed hydrological
and pollution cycle to complement and exceed existing legislation in the promotion of sustainable landfilling technologies. The methodology consists in
establishing dense woodland as a water barrier and in constructing a wetland for leachate treatment aiming to provide efficient water protection to reduce the risk of surface and groundwater contamination.
Light or indepth?
Light
NUTS Code
Vzhodna Slovenija
RBD code
SI_RBD_1
Transboundary
0
Data provider
REC
Source(s)
NWRM(s) implemented in the case study
Longitude
16.146
Latitude
46.4127
Site information
Climate zone
cool temperate dry
Mean rainfall
800
Mean rainfall unit
mm/year
Average temperature
10
Type
Case Study Info
Monitoring maintenance
Monitoring impacts effects
1
Monitoring location
Unknown
Monitoring parameters
The performance of a prototype was monitored throughout a two and a half year period. Monitoring of leachate composition was performed and the contribution of constructed wetland to leachate purification was evaluated. The accumulation of leachate contaminants was followed in all of the subunits of the remediation system; in plant and soil material.
Performance
Performance impact estimation method
Edge of Field/Plot
Performance impact estimation information
Laboratory analyses of the samples, Soil samples preparation, BOD analysis of leachate, ICP-MS analiysis of leachate and soil samples
Design & implementations
Application scale
Field Scale
Installation date
2006-10
Lifespan
50
Age
8
Performance timescale
1 - 4 years
Area subject to Land use change or Management/Practice change (ha)
4
Size
4
Size unit
ha
Design capacity description
The construction of the prototype of the landfill site rehabilitation comprised complete reconstruction of 4 ha of the landfill with the leachate recirculation to the landfill vegetative cover, with soil layers permitting infiltration of water into the landfill body. The pre-treatment of the leachate took place in a constructed wetland of 1,000 m2, from where water was pumped through an underground irrigation system to the covered part of the landfill.
Constraints
N/A
Favourable preconditions
The LIMNOTOP project demonstrates an innovative technique of landfill rehabilitation which enables further waste degradation after the landfill closure, thus attaining stabilization of waste before the end of the useful life of liner materials. A closed hydraulic and pollution cycle was applied in the system of the landfill. The rehabilitation process includes natural systems which enable leachate treatment with stabilization and detoxification of pollutants, as well as extraction of residual nutrients in leachate for the growth of the wood biomass.
Design contractual arrangement
| Arrangement type | Responsibility | Role | Comments | Name |
|---|
Design consultation activity
| Activity stage | Key issues | Name | Comments |
|---|
Design land use change
| Land use change type |
|---|
Design authority
| Authority type | Role | Responsibility | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lessons, risks, implications...
Key lessons
There are numerous possibilities for the application and transferability of the approach demonstrated in Slovenia in other areas with similar climatic regimes.
Success factor(s)
| Success factor type | Success factor role | Comments |
|---|---|---|
|
Existing staff and consultant knowledge
|
main factor
|
Financing
| Financing type | Comments |
|---|---|
|
EU-funds: LIFE+
|
Driver
| Driver type | Driver role | Comments |
|---|---|---|
|
Legal obligations
|
main driver
|
Financing share
| Financing share type | Share | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|
Policy, general governance and design targets
Policy description
Land-filling is still the most common form of final waste disposal. The permanent control of emission of leachate and biogas presents a major environmental problem of the landfills. The common approach toward elimination of the negative emissions from landfills on the environment is the use of physical barriers (mineral, synthetic liners), which prevents the formation of landfill leachate and gasses. Surface isolation of the deposited wastes at the same time prevents their further degradation and disables their final stabilization. As the duration of the isolation materials is limited, in spite of their high quality, the long-term solution of these existing techniques is environmentally questionable.
Quantified objectives
The demonstrated approach allows a landfill site to become a bioreactor by permitting controlled infiltration and consequently further decomposition of the degradable part of the waste. This results in a quicker stabilization of a landfill site as the water in the bioreactor stimulates anaerobic microbes to mineralise organic waste. Fast growing trees with high evapotranspiration are used, which additionally contributes to leachate treatment and evapotranspiration of excess water to the atmosphere. Due to the closed hydrological and pollution cycle, the negative impact on the environment is reduced and the landfill site is lastingly rehabilitated.
Part of wider plan
1
Policy target
| Target purpose |
|---|
|
Pollutants Removal
|
|
Oher Societal Benefits
|
Policy pressure
| Pressure directive | Relevant pressure |
|---|
Policy area
| Policy area type | Policy area focus | Name | Comments |
|---|
Policy impact
| Impact directive | Relevant impact |
|---|
Policy wider plan
| Wider plan type | Wider plan focus | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The need for the reclamation of landfill sites to avoid long-term contamination is widely recognized in the EU countries. According to Slovene and EU Directives, old landfill sites have to be rehabilitated and there is a strong need for the protection of drinking water sources near landfill sites.
|
Policy requirement directive
| Requirement directive | Specification |
|---|
Socio-economic
Direct benefits information
The project results suggest savings are as high as 51% compared to leachate treatment systems and 31% for the final cover of landfill sites with synthetic layers.
Costs total
594721
Costs total information
Total budget for the project.
Information on Ecosystem improved biodiversity
This new method of landfill management enables the secondary use of revitalized landfill sites improving biodiversity and increasing their public acceptance.
Information on Ecosystem provisioning services
N/A info
Ecosystem impact climate regulation
Not relevant for the specific application
Information on Ecosystem impact GHG soil carbon
Offensive odors are eliminated and the emission of greenhouse gases reduced through a gas drainage system and the increased assimilation of CO2 and the oxidation of methane by the vegetative growth.
Biophysical impacts
Information on retained water
not relevant for this application
Information on increased water storage
not relevant for this application
Information on runoff reduction
not relevant for this application
Water quality overall improvements
Positive impact-WQ improvement
Information on Water quality overall improvements
Reduction of the contamination of surrounding waters with nutrients and toxic compounds, elimination of offensive odors, reduction of uncontrolled emission of gasses, final degradation of wastes with controlled infiltration of water into the landfill body.
Water quality Improvements Phosphorus (P)
80
Water quality Improvements (P) unit
% reduction pf pollutant
Water quality Improvements Nitrogen (N)
80
Wq Improvements n unit
% reduction pf pollutant
Soil quality overall soil improvements
N/A info