Predicting the methane gas generation rate at landfill sites using the methane gas generation rate constant (k)

Abstract

In this study, the Tier 2 method recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was used to predict the methane generation rate at two landfill sites, designated as Y and C for purposes of this study, in South Korea. Factors such as the average annual waste disposal, methane emissions (L0) and methane gas generation rate constant (k) were estimated by analyses of waste and the historical data for the landfills. The value of k was estimated by field experiments and then the changes in the methane generation rate were predicted through the year 2050, based on the value of k. The Y landfill site, which was in operation until the year 2008, will generate a total of 17,198.7 tons by the end of 2018, according to our estimations. At the C landfill site, which will not be closed until the end of 2011, the amount of methane gas generated in 2011 will be 3,316 tons and the total amount of gas generated by 2029 will be 61,200 tons. The total production rate of methane gas at the C landfill is higher than that of the Y landfill. This indicates that the capacity of a landfill site affects the production rate of methane gas. However, the interrelation between the generation rate of methane and the value of k is weak. In addition, the generation of methane gas does not cease even when the operations at a landfill site come to a close and the methane gas production rate is at its highest at end of the operating life of a landfill site.