Mitigation of methane emission from Fakse landfill using a biowindow system
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Miljovej - Building 113, 2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark)
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, 117 N. Woodward Avenue, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fl 32306-4320 (United States)
Landfills are significant sources of atmospheric methane (CH{sub 4}) that contributes to climate change, and therefore there is a need to reduce CH{sub 4} emissions from landfills. A promising cost efficient technology is to integrate compost into landfill covers (so-called 'biocovers') to enhance biological oxidation of CH{sub 4}. A full scale biocover system to reduce CH{sub 4} emissions was installed at Fakse landfill, Denmark using composted yard waste as active material supporting CH{sub 4} oxidation. Ten biowindows with a total area of 5000 m{sup 2} were integrated into the existing cover at the 12 ha site. To increase CH{sub 4} load to the biowindows, leachate wells were capped, and clay was added to slopes at the site. Point measurements using flux chambers suggested in most cases that almost all CH{sub 4} was oxidized, but more detailed studies on emissions from the site after installation of the biocover as well as measurements of total CH{sub 4} emissions showed that a significant portion of the emission quantified in the baseline study continued unabated from the site. Total emission measurements suggested a reduction in CH{sub 4} emission of approximately 28% at the end of the one year monitoring period. This was supported by analysis of stable carbon isotopes which showed an increase in oxidation efficiency from 16% to 41%. The project documented that integrating approaches such a whole landfill emission measurements using tracer techniques or stable carbon isotope measurements of ambient air samples are needed to document CH{sub 4} mitigation efficiencies of biocover systems. The study also revealed that there still exist several challenges to better optimize the functionality. The most important challenges are to control gas flow and evenly distribute the gas into the biocovers.
- OSTI ID:
- 21550370
- Journal Information:
- Waste Management, Vol. 31, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2011.01.024; PII: S0956-053X(11)00056-0; Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0956-053X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
AIR
CARBON ISOTOPES
CLAYS
CLIMATIC CHANGE
COMPOST
CONTROL
COST
DENMARK
EFFICIENCY
EMISSION
GAS FLOW
LEACHATES
METHANE
MITIGATION
MONITORING
OXIDATION
REDUCTION
SANITARY LANDFILLS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
WELLS
ALKANES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISPERSIONS
EUROPE
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GASES
HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURES
HYDROCARBONS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MINERALS
MIXTURES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC WASTES
SCANDINAVIA
SILICATE MINERALS
SOLUTIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WESTERN EUROPE