Parameter Evaluation and Performance Comparison of MSW Settlement Prediction Models in Various Landfill Types

Abstract

Estimation of settlement for municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills is critical to the successful site operation and maintenance as well as to the future development of the sites. In this paper, the six existing settlement prediction models are analyzed according to the three landfill types. 15 MSW landfill sites are classified into three categories, Types I, II, and III depending on their settlement activity levels and fill age. Measured settlement data of each landfill site are plotted as a strain curve on a logarithmic time scale, and the slope of the curve is used to determine a settlement activity level. First, the parameters of each prediction model are evaluated to determine their typical values for each type of the landfills. The results will serve as a basis for engineers to determine if their calculated model parameters are within the typical ranges. Second, each model’s performance of predicting settlement for the landfill sites is analyzed against the measured settlement data to compare the model’s applicability according to the landfill types. The results recommend specific prediction models to be used in a certain landfill type(s).