Phytocapping of landfills

Abstract

Phytocapping presents a sustainable alternative to the conventional top barrier cover design. It relies on the capacity of a porous substrate (usually of locally available soil) to store water together with the natural processes of surface evaporation and plant transpiration to remove the stored water as a means of controlling water ingress into the landfill. This chapter is based on the Australian experience in researching and implementing phytocaps as final covers for municipal waste landfills. In 2006, the Australian Alternative Cover Assessment Program (A-ACAP) was established to compare the performance (in terms of drainage, landfill gas, and plant growth) of phytocapping against tradit..