iDS-CN is a project which investigates accelerated waste stabilisation through aeration and leachate recirculation. The project builds on direct field measurements at three Dutch pilot landfills – Braambergen and Wieringermeer under aeration, and Kragge under leachate recirculation – as a well as controlled laboratory experiments.
Due to strict limitations of leachate nitrogen (N) concentrations as prerequisite for release from aftercare, the landfills’ nitrogen balance is of particular interest. Full-site N balances showed that aerated pilots release a significant share of N through the gas phase by denitrification, but that on occasion also N uptake (fixation) is observed (Yi et al., 2025). N fixation appears particularly prominent in the recirculation pilot. Wastes from all sites further showed a high extent of adsorbed ammonium (NH4+) which, next to N fixation, further contributes to delayed decrease in leachate N concentrations (Meza Ramos, 2026).
The current project iDS-CN will continue the landfill simulation reactor study by Quist et al. (2026) to investigate N transformation and NH4+ fate under controlled anaerobic to aerobic transitions, with particular attention to the factors controlling the balance between N removal, fixation and retention, and their links to carbon degradation and waste characteristics.
Contact: Dr. Mónica Moreno Brush
Funding: iDS-CN is funded by the Dutch Foundation for Sustainable Landfilling (Stichting Duurzaam Storten (SDS))