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56 REGULATIONS FOR POST-CLOSURE MONITORING OF LANDFILL GAS Suresh R. kikkeri, Environmental Engineer Edward P. Hagarty, Vice President CC. Johnson & Malhotra, P.C. Silver Spring, Maryland 20902 INTRODUCTION Gas production in closed sanitary landfills is affected by many variables, including, among others, depth of landfill, composition of the waste, moisture content of the waste, period of operation and temperature. The principal gases produced from the decomposition of solid waste consist of methane and carbon dioxide. When methane is present in the air in concentrations between 5% and 15%, it is" explosive. The release of landfill gas (LFG) from a closed sanitary landfill may pose certain hazards to nearby residents or landfill monitoring personnel. Until publication of the "Final Rule" by the federal agency during the end of 1991, federal regulations regarding post-closure monitoring of LFG were almost non-existent. State regulations differ throughout the country and they lack uniformity. This paper presents an overview of current state regulations and the impact of the new federal regulations on post-closure monitoring of the LFG. Quantity and composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) have been studied in detail by several investigators. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that approximately 180 million tons of MSW are produced each year in the U.S.' Table I shows the composition of typical MSW. Microbial reactions in landfills control the quality and quantity of LFG produced. LFG is produced as a result of anaerobic decomposition of organic biodegradable components in solid waste. Decomposition in a sanitary landfill occurs in three distinct phases. The first phase is an aerobic phase where biodegradable organic materials undergo aerobic decomposition, utilizing the oxygen trapped during the landfilling process. This phase generates carbon dioxide and water. After the available oxygen is depleted, the second phase of decomposition begins. In this phase, aerobic organisms die off and anaerobic organisms proliferate. During the third phase, anaerobic organisms are predominant and the anaerobic decomposition produces mainly methane and carbon dioxide. Additional gases in small amounts found in landfills include nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, ammonia and oxygen. In most cases, over 90 percent of the gas volume produced from the decomposition of solid waste consists of methane and carbon dioxide.2 Typical LFG composition is shown in Table II. The heat value of typical LFG is about 500 British Thermal Units (BTU) per standard cubic foot. The heat value of methane is about 1000 BTU per standard cubic foot. The gas yield from landfills has been estimated by various investigators and these numbers vary widely. For example, according to O'Leary and Walsh,3 the ultimate gas yield under ideal conditions is 16,600 cubic feet per ton of solid waste whereas according to Willumsen,4 the ultimate gas yield ranges from 11,200 cubic feet per ton to 12,800 cubic feet per ton of solid waste. It is important to note that various environmental factors Table I. MSW Materials by Weight Generated in 1988' Component Quantity (million tons) Glass 12.5 Food waste 13.2 Plastics 14.4 Metals 15.3 Rubber, leather, textiles, wood 20.8 Yard waste 31.6 Paper 71.8 47th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1992 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118. Printed in U.S.A.
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | ETRIWC199256 |
Title | Regulations for post-closure monitoring of landfill gas |
Author |
Kikkeri, Suresh R. Hagarty, Edward P. |
Date of Original | 1992 |
Conference Title | Proceedings of the 47th Industrial Waste Conference |
Conference Front Matter (copy and paste) | http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/u?/engext,43678 |
Extent of Original | p. 523-528 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Date Digitized | 2009-12-10 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
Description
Title | page 523 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Transcript | 56 REGULATIONS FOR POST-CLOSURE MONITORING OF LANDFILL GAS Suresh R. kikkeri, Environmental Engineer Edward P. Hagarty, Vice President CC. Johnson & Malhotra, P.C. Silver Spring, Maryland 20902 INTRODUCTION Gas production in closed sanitary landfills is affected by many variables, including, among others, depth of landfill, composition of the waste, moisture content of the waste, period of operation and temperature. The principal gases produced from the decomposition of solid waste consist of methane and carbon dioxide. When methane is present in the air in concentrations between 5% and 15%, it is" explosive. The release of landfill gas (LFG) from a closed sanitary landfill may pose certain hazards to nearby residents or landfill monitoring personnel. Until publication of the "Final Rule" by the federal agency during the end of 1991, federal regulations regarding post-closure monitoring of LFG were almost non-existent. State regulations differ throughout the country and they lack uniformity. This paper presents an overview of current state regulations and the impact of the new federal regulations on post-closure monitoring of the LFG. Quantity and composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) have been studied in detail by several investigators. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that approximately 180 million tons of MSW are produced each year in the U.S.' Table I shows the composition of typical MSW. Microbial reactions in landfills control the quality and quantity of LFG produced. LFG is produced as a result of anaerobic decomposition of organic biodegradable components in solid waste. Decomposition in a sanitary landfill occurs in three distinct phases. The first phase is an aerobic phase where biodegradable organic materials undergo aerobic decomposition, utilizing the oxygen trapped during the landfilling process. This phase generates carbon dioxide and water. After the available oxygen is depleted, the second phase of decomposition begins. In this phase, aerobic organisms die off and anaerobic organisms proliferate. During the third phase, anaerobic organisms are predominant and the anaerobic decomposition produces mainly methane and carbon dioxide. Additional gases in small amounts found in landfills include nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, ammonia and oxygen. In most cases, over 90 percent of the gas volume produced from the decomposition of solid waste consists of methane and carbon dioxide.2 Typical LFG composition is shown in Table II. The heat value of typical LFG is about 500 British Thermal Units (BTU) per standard cubic foot. The heat value of methane is about 1000 BTU per standard cubic foot. The gas yield from landfills has been estimated by various investigators and these numbers vary widely. For example, according to O'Leary and Walsh,3 the ultimate gas yield under ideal conditions is 16,600 cubic feet per ton of solid waste whereas according to Willumsen,4 the ultimate gas yield ranges from 11,200 cubic feet per ton to 12,800 cubic feet per ton of solid waste. It is important to note that various environmental factors Table I. MSW Materials by Weight Generated in 1988' Component Quantity (million tons) Glass 12.5 Food waste 13.2 Plastics 14.4 Metals 15.3 Rubber, leather, textiles, wood 20.8 Yard waste 31.6 Paper 71.8 47th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1992 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118. Printed in U.S.A. |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
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