Literature Review Methane
Methane Recovery from Landfills
Utilization as a Potential Energy Source and Impact on Reduction of Green House Gasses
According to The Conference Board of Canada, current Canadian municipal solid waste (MSW) generation levels are approximately 30 million tonnes per year, with a rate of 894 kg per capita, 67 percent of which is landfilled. (Jones L. et al. 2002) Sanitary landfills burry MSW under soil, sanctioning a complex series of reactions to occur, where anaerobic microorganisms decompose a portion of the organic fraction of the waste producing methane and carbon dioxide. Methane generation and emission from landfills are topics of major interest due to methane 's role in the greenhouse effect, migration of hazard potential, health and safety issues and energy applications. The objective of this literature review is to provide a concise relationship between MSW and landfill gasses (LFG), details of potential methods used for capturing methane as appose to emitting the gas as well as the benefits of doing. Rendering to information written by D.R. Reinhart and T.G. Townsend (1998), MSW contains approximately 50 – 70 % of biodegradable material, such as food, paper, wood, and garden trimmings. Once MSW is deposited into a landfill, it undergoes a number of biological, physical and chemical changes. These changes are greatly dependent on site conditions, waste characteristics, temperature, quantity of oxygen, moisture content and other factors. (Nozhevinikova et al. 1993) The most important reactions occurring within the landfill are those involving the microbes which begin to consume the carbon in the organic material, in turn causing the decomposition and eventually leading to the evaluate of LFG. In sanitary landfills, the process of burying waste and regularly covering deposits with a low permeability material creates an internal anaerobic environment that favors methane producing bacteria
Utilization as a Potential Energy Source and Impact on Reduction of Green House Gasses
According to The Conference Board of Canada, current Canadian municipal solid waste (MSW) generation levels are approximately 30 million tonnes per year, with a rate of 894 kg per capita, 67 percent of which is landfilled. (Jones L. et al. 2002) Sanitary landfills burry MSW under soil, sanctioning a complex series of reactions to occur, where anaerobic microorganisms decompose a portion of the organic fraction of the waste producing methane and carbon dioxide. Methane generation and emission from landfills are topics of major interest due to methane 's role in the greenhouse effect, migration of hazard potential, health and safety issues and energy applications. The objective of this literature review is to provide a concise relationship between MSW and landfill gasses (LFG), details of potential methods used for capturing methane as appose to emitting the gas as well as the benefits of doing. Rendering to information written by D.R. Reinhart and T.G. Townsend (1998), MSW contains approximately 50 – 70 % of biodegradable material, such as food, paper, wood, and garden trimmings. Once MSW is deposited into a landfill, it undergoes a number of biological, physical and chemical changes. These changes are greatly dependent on site conditions, waste characteristics, temperature, quantity of oxygen, moisture content and other factors. (Nozhevinikova et al. 1993) The most important reactions occurring within the landfill are those involving the microbes which begin to consume the carbon in the organic material, in turn causing the decomposition and eventually leading to the evaluate of LFG. In sanitary landfills, the process of burying waste and regularly covering deposits with a low permeability material creates an internal anaerobic environment that favors methane producing bacteria
References: Bingemer, H G., & Crutzen, P. J. (1987). The Production of Methane from Solid Wastes.” Journal of Geophysical Research, 90(D2), 2181–2187. Conference Board of Canada. (2011). “Municipal Waste Generation.” How Canada Performs, < http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/environment/municipal- waste-generation.aspx#_ftnref3> (Sept Duffy, D..P et al (2009). “Moving Up...to the Top of the Landfill.” Municipal Solid Waste Management Encyclopedia Britanica (2012).“Solid Waste Management.” Environment Canada (2010). “Municipal Solid Waste and Greenhouse Gases.” <http://www.ec.gc.ca/gdd-mw/default.asp?lang=En&n=6F92E701-1> (Sept 29th, 2012) Focus On Energy (2003) Global Methane (2012) The Fraser Institute: Vancouver, BC Landfill Methane Outreach Program (2012) Nozhevinikova, A.N., et al. (1993). “Microbiological Process in Landfills.” Water Science Technology, 27(2), 243-252. United States Environmental Protection Agency (2012). “Landfill Gas Energy:A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs.” Local Government Climate and Energy Strategy Guides, U.S United States Environmental Protection Agency (2011). “Landfill Methane Outreach Program.” Environmental Protection Agency, <http://www.epa.gov/lmop/ faq/ lmop.html> (Sept 29th, 2012) United Nations Environmental Programme (2012) “Waste and Climate Change: Global