The behavior of compression and degradation for municipal solid waste and combined settlement calculation method

• The methods for distinguishing the primary and secondary compressions and determining the secondary compression coefficient as well as the ending time of the primary compression were proposed.
• A combined compression calculation method of MSW for all three parts of compressions including considering organics degradation was proposed.
• The relationship between the degradation ratio and time was obtained.
• The relationship between the parameter L0 of LandGEM model and degradation compression index was also discussed.

The total compression of municipal solid waste (MSW) consists of primary, secondary, and decomposition compressions. It is usually difficult to distinguish between the three parts of compressions. In this study, the odeometer test was used to distinguish between the primary and secondary compressions to determine the primary and secondary compression coefficient. In addition, the ending time of the primary compressions were proposed based on municipal solid waste compression tests in a degradation-inhibited condition by adding vinegar. The amount of the secondary compression occurring in the primary compression stage has a relatively high percentage to either the total compression or the total secondary compression. The relationship between the degradation ratio and time was obtained from the tests independently. Furthermore, a combined compression calculation method of municipal solid waste for all three parts of compressions including considering organics degradation is proposed based on a one-dimensional compression method. The relationship between the methane generation potential L0 of LandGEM model and degradation compression index was also discussed in the paper. A special column compression apparatus system, which can be used to simulate the whole compression process of municipal solid waste in China, was designed. According to the results obtained from 197-day column compression test, the new combined calculation method for municipal solid waste compression was analyzed. The degradation compression is the main part of the compression of MSW in the medium test period.