Author(s)

V. Popov

Abstract

This paper describes a novel landfill design and system for landfill gas containment, air ingress prevention for more efficient landfill gas purification for utilization. The new system offers more control over the processes of anaerobic digestion and biogas extraction than conventional landfills. As the new system reduces the air ingress the landfill gas purification process becomes cheaper. The new system can be implemented on existing landfills, as it is sufficient to modify only the top cover of the landfill, which is the surface with a significant air influx. As the new system makes the landfill gas treatment cheaper and more efficient, the possibility may exist for many landfills to be converted to landfills where the landfill gas utilization would be profitable, increasing in this way the use of renewable energy sources and reducing the greenhouse gas emission. Keywords: Novel landfill design and system, cheaper LFG treatment for fuel. 1 Introduction There are few environmental concerns regarding the waste disposal in landfills [1], [2]. The importance of prevention of uncontrolled emissions of LFG into the atmosphere is obvious if one takes into account that the global warming potential (GWP) of CH4 is 21 times higher than the GWP of CO2. In 1991, the atmospheric concentration of CH4 was about 1.72 ppmv, which is more than twice the pre-industrial level of about 0.8 ppmv [3]. There are two ways in which the problem related to the escape of LFG could be solved. The first one, commonly used in the past, is the extraction and flare of the LFG. In this way the pressure of the LFG within the landfill is decreased which reduces the escape of LFG from the landfill. The flare of the LFG also

Keywords

Novel landfill design and system, cheaper LFG treatment for fuel.