Landfill Gas to Energy: A Growing Alternative Energy Resource
by John Laumer, Philadelphia 
on 05.30.08
Please welcome once again, Wes Muir, Director of Communications for Waste Management, Inc. Wes is back with an overview of landfill gas to energy prospects for the USA - a 2,500 megawatt opportunity.
Many Americans are increasingly turning to alternative forms of energy, and one exciting source that has seen recent resurgence in use is landfill gas. This rise in the use of landfill gas can be attributed to a variety of factors. Higher energy prices make landfill gas cost-competitive, especially compared to other sources of renewable energy. Second, utilities are looking for new sources of renewable energy to meet renewable portfolio standards, and landfill gas is especially valuable to them because it provides base load power. There’s also a real demand from consumers for greener energy and many of them are taking part in voluntary programs and are willing to pay more for power derived from renewable sources.
What exactly is landfill gas? Landfill gas is produced when microorganisms break down organic material in the landfill, and is comprised of approximately 50-60 percent methane and 40-50 percent carbon dioxide. At most landfills in the United States, these greenhouse gases are simply burned off, or “flared.” (As pictured.)
However, Waste Management (WM) has over 100 sites that have landfill gas to energy (LFGTE) facilities – and we plan to build another 60 plants by 2012 - that collect methane and use it to fuel onsite engines or turbines, generating electricity to power surrounding homes and neighborhoods. By building LFGTE facilities, WM further reduces greenhouse gases by offsetting the use of fossil fuel at the utility power plants.
According to EPA data, there are currently 425 landfills with LFGTE projects in the U.S. that power more than 1 million homes. They estimate that there are about 570 landfills that have the potential to develop LFGTE projects in the future, more than doubling the current amount of energy produced from 1,180 megawatts to more than 2,500 megawatts. Hence, there is a large supply of renewable energy across the country, literally at our doorstep.
For the landfills that Waste Management operates, we expect viable gas streams to run for up to 20 years. With evolving technology and increasing extraction efficiencies, we may be able to extend the lives of our facilities beyond that. The EPA requires landfill operators to collect the methane produced on site, so where it is not being used for energy production it is, and will be, flared to prevent the release of greenhouse gas. WM is currently exploring alternative ways of using landfill gas at sites where it is not practical or the best use to install an LFGTE plant, including a new project to convert landfill gas to liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Waste Management along with Linde, a leading global gases and engineering company, are building a landfill gas to LNG facility at WM’s Altamont Landfill near Livermore, Calif., which will convert landfill gas into a clean vehicle fuel. This will be the largest plant of its kind in the world and we hope to break new ground by producing commercial quantities. The facility will purify and liquefy the landfill gas Waste Management collects from the natural decomposition of organic waste in the landfill. When the facility begins operating in 2009 it is expected to produce up to 13,000 gallons a day of LNG and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30,000 tons per year. The project offers a unique opportunity to “close the loop” by fueling hundreds of collection trucks with clean fuel produced from garbage.
This project, which has the support of the California Integrated Waste Management Board, the California Air Resources Board, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District has the potential to allow us to tap into a valuable source of clean energy while greatly reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
Using the methane produced in our facilities for a variety of purposes is a central part of WM’s efforts to enhance the environmental contribution of our landfills.
Image credit::Parnell Biogas Landfill Gas Flaring Systems
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Flaring gas is wasteful and stupid. Flaring accounts for a significant portion of world carbon emissions, and it benefits no-one.
Buzz Saw:
Flaring gas is not wasteful and stupid. Flaring converts methane into carbon dioxide; methane is 21 times more potent as a GHG than carbon dioxide. By flaring you are actually reducing "carbon" emissions.
Flaring landfill gas also prevents it from accumulating and exploding.
Flaring also converts volatile organic compounds and hydrogen sulfide, which: a) stink, and b) can cause respiratory and other health issues to landfill workers and nearby populations.
Flaring is the next best management technique for landfill gas after energy production.
buzz
I think the advantage of flaring is that methane is a much more potent GHG than CO2. It is not always realistic to capture the methane as an energy source. In those cases it is better to convert it to CO2 rather than let methane permeate the ambient atmosphere. Also, uncontrolled methane fires in landfills are a big problem when it is allowed to accumulate.
Sheesh they're only doing this now?
Edmonton (AB,Canada) was generating power from landfill gases some 30 yrs ago.
Growing up all, I knew was it was the park by the river accross from the refinery but after I got into University, I learn that it was a landfill and they have been collecting methane and using it for power generation.
Cheerio!
A
Great idea about fueling garbage trucks with gas made from landfills! Kinda elegant when you think about it...
Just shows how inefficient we truly are. We pack all that energy into our products, throw them away, and then kill each other for more energy. Maybe we should start buying dumps now before the rush.
no need for landfills at all !! anything into oil - dont bury it, convert it & recycle all the metals
Landfill gas is a product of the decomposition of organic materials which is in essence food waste. Food waste could be more efficiently used if separated correctly and composted. Municipalities should collect food waste, compost it in anaerobic digesters, use the digestion gas to produce energy and the resulting product for fertilizer. Such a process is followed in Florence, although the whole city is not yet covered.
The biogas is better burned in a high efficient cogenerating facility than in the garbage trucks anyway.
Hello, its Wes Muir from Waste Management. I would like to thank everyone for their comments. The image accompanying the article may have thrown a few people off. We only flare landfill gas where we don't have a landfill gas to energy facility. We keep the flare as a backup in case of emergencies or maintenance shutdowns.
As a company we have been developing landfill gas to energy projects for over 20 years but it has been the last few years that the demand for landfill gas has really accelerated to the point we have established a dedicated corporate department and detailed expansion plans.
Organic materials in landfills are key to the success of these projects. And while anaerobic digesters may be a viable alternative in the future, it is my understanding there is only one such facility operating in North America. In the interim, we believe this readily accessible, renewable energy source should be leveraged to the greatest extent possible to not only address our current energy needs but to help improve the environment in the communities in which we operate.
You've got to be kidding. Converting landfill gases to energy IS NOT a viable solution to our energy woes. As Dialtone pointed out, composting is vastly superior.
I live near a Waste Management landfill, and the company is NOT a good neighbor. The company (not surprisingly) acts in it's economic best interest -- not the best interest of the environment or the communities they operate in.
Landfill gas to energy is one of a suite of potential renewable energy options. Given that a majority of landfills are in relatively close proximity to urban areas this enery source can be a benefit to those neighboring communities.
Amanda, I would be interested in knowing which landfill site you live by, please email at wmuir@wm.com.
In case you are interested on landfill gas estimation, I would like to inform you about the release of Landfill Gas Design Suite, which is a web based software that relies on the Software as a Service (SaaS) model.
The suite is a model which can be used for the estimation of emission rates for total landfill gas, methane, carbon dioxide, non-methane organic compounds and individual air pollutants from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, and furthermore, the calculation of waste quantities originated from cities served by the landfill and volume waste deposited in landfills.