Landfill gas-fired power plant pays cost of operating landfill

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Power Engineering; (United States)

OSTI ID:5863480

Wallace, I P

This paper reports on recovery of energy from refuse that has become increasingly attractive in the past decade. The continuing urbanization of our society has created major challenges in the disposal of our waste products. Because of public concern over the potential presence of toxins, and for other environmental reasons, management and regulation of active and inactive landfills have become much more stringent and costly. Palos Verdes landfill, owned jointly by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and Los Angeles County, is located about three miles from the Pacific Ocean in the city of Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. The landfill was closed in 1980. The garbage was covered with six to eight feet of soil, and the area was landscaped. Part of this area has already been developed as the South Coast Botanical Gardens and Ernie Howlett Park. The remainder is scheduled to become a golf course. As refuse decays within a landfill, the natural anaerobic biological reaction generates a low-Btu methane gas along with carbon dioxide, known as landfill gas (LFG). The gas also contains other less desirable trace components generated by the decomposing garbage. Uncontrolled, these gases migrate to the surface and escape into the atmosphere where they generate environmental problems, including objectionable odors. The Sanitation Districts have installed a matrix of gas wells and a gas collection system to enable incineration of the gas in flares. This approach reduced aesthetic, environmental and safety concerns. However, emissions from the flares were still a problem. The Sanitation Districts then looked at alternatives to flaring the gas, one of which was electrical generation. Since the Sanitation Districts have no on-site use for thermal energy, power generation for use in the utility grid was deemed the most feasible alternative.

• OSTI ID: 5863480
• Journal Information: Power Engineering; (United States), Journal Name: Power Engineering; (United States) Vol. 95:1; ISSN POENA; ISSN 0032-5961
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
093000* -- Biomass Fuels-- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects-- (1990-)
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200103 -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Waste-Fueled Systems
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
ALKANES
BIODEGRADATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTROL
COST
DECOMPOSITION
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY FACILITIES
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FUELS
GAS TURBINE POWER PLANTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROCARBONS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METHANE
OPERATING COST
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION CONTROL
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
PUBLIC ANXIETY
REFUSE DERIVED FUELS
REFUSE-FUELED POWER PLANTS
REGULATIONS
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITIES
SAFETY ANALYSIS
SANITARY LANDFILLS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
TOXIC MATERIALS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE DISPOSAL ACTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS