CH4 and total GHGs emission from urban landfills in southwest Iran

Abstract

High population growth and immigration rate from rural areas to urban centers have led to increased waste production and numerous urban landfill sites in different parts of Iran during the past three decades. The present study was carried out in southwest Iran where the aforementioned factors have occurred at an extremely high rate. There are four cities in this part of the country with a population of about 2.250 million and three landfill centers are located near these cities. The main aim of the present study was to estimate the CH4 and total GHGs emission rate from the mentioned sites. So, the components of urban solid wastes and the share of wet waste were determined in the areas of study. The results revealed that the share of wet solids was between 65 and 73%. Also, methane and total GHGs emission in landfill sites were estimated at about 2244.7 tons/year and 8405 tons/year during 2010, respectively. Moreover, the amounts of CH4 and total GHGs emission for the next 75 years, respectively, are estimated to be about 1.98 × 106 tons and 5.2 × 106 tons for the aforementioned three landfill centers. The high volume of the produced biogas shows that by correctly designing the gas pipeline, the application of the produced gas will be very beneficial with regard to environment and economic approaches. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.