Landfill CH sub 4 : Rates, fates, and role in global carbon cycle

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5408683

Bogner, J; Spokas, K

Published estimates for worldwide landfill methane emissions range from 9 to 70 Tg yr{sup {minus}1}. Field and laboratory studies suggest that maximum methane yields from lanfilled refuse are about 0.06 to 0.09 m{sup 3} (dry Kg){sup {minus}1} refuse, depending on moisture content and other variables, such as organic loading, buffering capacity, and nutrients in landfill microevnironments. Methane yields may vary by more than an order of magnitude within a given site. Fates for landfill methane include (1) direct or delayed emission to the atmosphere through landfill cover materials or surface soils; (2) oxidation by methanotrophs in cover soils, with resulting emission of carbon dioxide; or (3) recovery of methane followed by combustion to produce carbon dioxide. The percent methane assigned to each pathway will vary among field sites and, for individual sites, through time. Nevertheless, a general framework for a landfill methane balance can be developed by consideration of landfill age, engineering and management practices, cover soil characteristics, and water balance. Direct measurements of landfill methane emissions are sparse, with rates between 10{sup {minus}6} and 10{sup {minus}8} g cm{sup {minus}2} s{sup {minus}1}; very high rates of 400 kg m{sup {minus}2} yr{sup {minus}1} have been measured at a semiarid unvegetated site. The proportion of landfill carbon that is ultimately converted to methane and carbon dioxide is problematical; the literature suggests that, at best, 25% to 40% of refuse carbon can be converted to biogas carbon. Cellulose contributes the major portion of the methane potential. Routine excavation of nondecomposed cellulosic materials after one or two decades of landfill burial suggests that uniformly high conversion rates are rarely attained at field sites.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5408683
• Report Number(s): ANL/CP-75733; CONF-9110220-2; ON: DE92010906
• Resource Relation: Conference: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) advanced research workshop, Mount Hood, OR (United States), 6-11 Oct 1991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
SANITARY LANDFILLS
GASEOUS WASTES
CARBON CYCLE
CARBON DIOXIDE
CONTAMINATION
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GROUND WATER
MASS BALANCE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METHANE
SOILS
ALKANES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
320604* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Municipalities & Community Systems- Municipal Waste Management- (1980-)
540250 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)
580000 - Geosciences