| MISSION: Collect general information on landfill gas generation (seasonal? composition? Does it change? Is it specific to each landfill?) |
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| When the organic waste at a landfill decomposes it includes an anaerobic bacteria which can be viewed as the landfill gas. This gas includes carbon dioxide and methane as well as nonmethane organic compounds (NMOCs). "The methane potential of landfills can be estimated from mass balance using knowledge of the chemical composition of refuse buried in a landfill. Based on cellulose, the methane potential is approximately 350 litres per dry kg. Assuming a moisture content of 30% and a 40% dry weight cellulose content, the estimated annual methane generation at New Zealand Landfills is 156000 Mg." [1] In a New Zealand Country Report they stated that the carbon emissions through Landfill Gas Generation is minimized: "In practice, the methane potential is well below this as (1) the degradable organic carbon may be surrounded by recalcitrant materials such as plastics or lignins; and (2) the buried refuse is not exposed uniformly to moisture and microorganisms. Other criticisms of this approach are that their is no time factor for the onset of methane generation allowed and there is no consideration of methane oxidation." [2] The EcoSecurities NovaGerar Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project reported that the way that they will reduce the polution is by the "Utilization of the landfill gas [that] will convert the methane content to less potent carbon dioxide."" |
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| REFERENCE 1 |
| REFERENCE 2 |