Solid waste management and methane generation in Kota City

Abstract

Solid waste management is a challenge both at the global level and the local level. Solid wastes must be properly managed by determining that they are hazardous wastes. Methane is the major greenhouse gas, which emit from landfill areas and contribute significantly to global warming. Moreover, that the global warming potential of methane is 21 times higher than that of carbon dioxide and it has highest generation (60%) than other gases. The composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) in developing countries has higher (40%-60%) organic waste. This would have potential to emit higher GHG's from per ton of MSW compared to developed world. Beside that landfill areas in India are not planned. This leads to uncontrolled emission of trace gases, foul smell, bird menace, ground and surface water pollution, etc. In the present paper, we had quantified the methane emission from the MSW landfill areas of Kota City.