Diagnostics, mitigation, and extinguishment of fires at non-sanitary landfills

Awareness of environmental conservation has become a critical imperative in today's society, making waste management and pollution control central concerns for every local government. Fires on landfills and open spaces cause severe air contamination, and depending on wind direction and fire size, they can significantly affect air quality even at distances of several tens of kilometers from the source. A particular issue arises from fires on unsanitary landfills, often located near residential areas, where large amounts of improperly disposed waste accumulate without protective and control systems. These fires frequently result from incomplete combustion of waste, due to a lack of compaction and inadequate daily cover, which allows for surface oxygenation and conditions for anaerobic methanogenesis in deeper layers. Methane, a flammable and explosive greenhouse gas, contributes to ozone layer damage 21 times more than carbon dioxide. Installing gas wells (biotubes) on unsanitary landfills is crucial for preventing fires, reducing the risk of methane pocket formation, and enabling landfill monitoring. This paper presents conclusions from the remediation and fire extinguishing project at the unsanitary landfill Mislov do in Nikšić, with a capacity of 450,000 m³, where measures are being implemented to achieve measurable and sustainable results aimed at improving the existing conditions and enhancing environmental protection.