Abstract
Temporal and spatial variations in landfill gas generations and emissions have been observed and reported by others. Real-time gas data between 2008 and 2014 from a municipal landfill located in a cold, semi-arid climate were consolidated to fit a linear-interpolated form of LandGEM. Seasonal variations in gas collection were observed in the landfill. LandGEM’s default decay rate k was not applicable for this Canadian landfill due to significant overestimation (32.2% error). Optimal seasonal k and Lo collection parameters had 8.1% error compared to field data, compared to 8.3% error using optimal annual parameters. The optimal kwinter was 0.0118 year−1 and the ksummer was 0.0141 year−1 (14.7% difference), with a corresponding Lo of 100.0 m3/Mg which changed negligibly between the sets. Three pseudo-second order iterative methods were considered, and evaluated using RSS and generation parameters in the literature. A simple application study was conducted using LFGcost-Web, and found the increased precision of seasonal k’s resulted in negligible differences with annual optimized k. The default parameters overestimated the net present worth by 12–155% for three of the four common LFG energy projects.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aguilar-Virgen, Q., Taboada-Gonzalez, P., Ojeda-Benitez, S., & Cruz-Sotelo, S. (2014). Power generation with biogas from municipal solid waste: prediction of gas generation with in situ parameters. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 30, 412–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.10.014.
Ahmed, S. I., Johari, A., Hashim, H., Lim, J. S., Jusoh, M., Mat, R., & Alkali, H. (2015). Economic and environmental evaluation of landfill gas utilisation: a multi-period optimisation approach for low carbon regions. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 102, 191–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2015.04.008.
Albanna, M., Fernandes, L., & Warith, M. (2007). Methane oxidation in landfill cover soil; the combined effects of moisture content, nutrient addition, and cover thickness. Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science, 6, 191–200. https://doi.org/10.1139/S06-047.
Amini, H. R., Reinhart, D. R., & Mackie, K. R. (2012). Determination of first-order landfill gas modeling parameters and uncertainties. Waste Management, 32, 305–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.09.021.
Amini, H. R., Reinhart, D. R., & Niskanen, A. (2013). Comparison of first-order-decay modeled and actual field measured municipal solid waste landfill methane data. Waste Management, 33, 2720–2728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.07.025.
Arnalds, O. (2015). Infiltration. The soils of Iceland (pp. 73–74). Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media.
Atabi, F., Ehyaei, M. A., & Ahmadi, M. H. (2014). Calculation of CH4 and CO2 emission rate in Kahrizak landfill site with land GEM mathematical model. In The 4th world sustainability forum. Basel: MDPI.
Bogner, J. E., Spokas, K. A., & Burton, E. A. (1999). Temporal variations in greenhouse gas emissions at a midlatitude landfill. Journal of Environmental Quality, 28, 278–288. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1999.00472425002800010034x.
Borjesson, G., & Svensson, B. H. (1997). Seasonal and diurnal methane emissions from a landfill and their regulation by methane oxidation. Waste Management & Research, 15(1), 33–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X9701500104.
Bruce, N., Asha, A. Z., & Ng, K. T. W. (2016). Analysis of solid waste management systems in Alberta and British Columbia using provincial comparison. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 43, 351–360. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2015-0414.
Bruce, N., Ng, K. T. W., & Richter, A. (2017). Alternative carbon dioxide modeling approaches accounting for high residual gases in LandGEM. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(16), 14322–14336. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8990-9.
Chanton, J., & Liptay, K. (2000). Seasonal variation in methane oxidation in a landfill cover soil as determined by an in situ stable isotope technique. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 14(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GB900087.
Chowdhury, A., Vu, H. L., Ng, K. T. W., Richter, A., & Bruce, N. (2017). An investigation on Ontario’s non-hazardous municipal solid waste diversion using trend analysis. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 44(11), 861–870. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2017-0168.
Christophersen, M., Kjeldsen, P., Holst, H., & Chanton, J. (2001). Lateral gas transport in soil adjacent to an old landfill: factors governing emissions and methane oxidation. Waste Management & Research, 19, 126–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X0101900205.
City of Regina. (2010). Development standards manual 2010. Available online: https://www.regina.ca/residents/roads-traffic/road-bylaws-manuals-report/development-standards-manual/. Accessed 25 Jan 2018.
Conestoga-Rovers & Associates. (2008). Site plan and LFG collection system layout. Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Unpublished report.
Dominion Bureau of Statistics. (2015). A history of Regina in photographs, matters of interest. http://www.reginalibrary.ca/prairiehistory/highlights_interest.html#7 (accessed 2015.11.10).
Environment Canada. (2014). National inventory report 1990–2012: greenhouse gas sources and sinks in Canada. Gatineau: Environment Canada.
Fan, H., Shu, H., Yang, H., & Chen, W. (2006). Characteristics of landfill leachates in Central Taiwan. Science of the Total Environment, 361, 25–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.09.033.
Hettiarachchi, H., Hettiaratchi, J. P. A., Hunte, C. A., & Meegoda, J. N. (2013). Operation of a landfill bioreactor in a cold climate: early results and lessons learned. Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste, 17, 307–316. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.2153-5515.0000159.
Ishii, K., & Furuichi, T. (2013). Estimation of methane emission rate changes using age-defined waste in a landfill site. Waste Management, 33, 1861–1869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.05.011.
Iwata, Y. (2011). Snowmelt infiltration. In J. Glinski, J. Horabik, & J. Lipiec (Eds.), Encyclopedia of agrophysics (p. 736). Dordrecht: Springer.
Kamalan, H., Sabour, M., & Shariatmadari, N. (2011). A review on available landfill gas models. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 4(2), 79–92. https://doi.org/10.3923/jest.2011.79.92.
Karanjekar, R. V., Bhatt, A., Altouqui, S., Jangikhatoonabad, N., Durai, V., Sattler, M. L., Hossain, M. D. S., & Chen, V. (2015). Estimating methane emissions from landfills based on rainfall, ambient temperature, and waste composition: the CLEEN model. Waste Management, 46, 389–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2015.07.030.
Klusman, R. W., & Dick, C. J. (2000). Seasonal variability in CH4 emissions from a landfill in a cool, semiarid climate. Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, 50(9), 1632–1636. https://doi.org/10.1080/10473289.2000.10464201.
Kumar, S., Gaikwad, S. A., Shekdar, A. V., Kshirsagar, P. S., & Singh, R. N. (2004). Estimation method for national methane emission from solid waste landfills. Atmospheric Environment, 38, 3481–3487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2004.02.057.
Lindberg, S. E., Southworth, G., Prestbo, E. M., Wallschlager, D., Bogle, M. A., & Price, J. (2005). Gaseous methyl- and inorganic mercury in landfill gas from landfills in Florida, Minnesota, Delaware, and California. Atmospheric Environment, 39, 249–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2004.09.060.
Machado, S. L., Carvalho, M. F., Gourc, J., Vilar, O. M., & do Nascimento, J. C. F. (2009). Methane generation in tropical landfills: simplified methods and field results. Waste Management, 29(1), 153–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2008.02.017.
Maurice, C., & Lagerkvist, A. (1997). Seasonal variation of landfill gas emission. Sardinia ‘97: sixth International Landfill Symposium, St. Margherita di pula, Cagliari, Italy. 87–93.
Maurice, C., & Lagerkvist, A. (2003). LFG emission measurements in cold climatic conditions: seasonal variations and methane emissions mitigation. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 36, 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-232X(02)00094-0.
McDougall, J.R., & Pyrah, I.C. (1999). Moisture effects in a biodegradation model for waste refuse. Sardinia 1999 Seventh International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium Proceedings. Cagliari.
Mohareb, A. K., Warith, M. A., & Diaz, R. (2008). Modelling greenhouse gas emissions for municipal solid waste management strategies in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 52, 1241–1251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2008.06.006.
Myhre, G., Shindell, D., Bréon, F.-M., Collins, W., Fuglestvedt, J., Huang, J., Koch, D., Lamarque, J.-F., Lee, D., Mendoza, B., Nakajima, T., Robock, A., Stephens, G., Takemura, T., & Zhang, H. (2013). Anthropogenic and natural radiative forcing. In T. F. Stocker, D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S. K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex, & P. M. Midgley (Eds.), Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Opseth, D.A. (1998). Landfill gas generation at a semi-arid landfill (Master’s thesis). University of Regina, Regina.
Orradottir, B. (2002). The influence of vegetation on frost dynamics, infiltration rate and surface stability in icelandic andisolic rangelands (Master’s thesis). Texas A&M University, College Station.
Peer, R. L., Thorneloe, S. A., & Epperson, D. L. (1993). A comparison of methods for estimating global methane emissions from landfills. Chemosphere, 26, 387–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/0045-6535(93)90433-6.
Rajaram, V., Siddiqui, F. Z., & Khan, M. E. (2011). Chapter 2: Planning and design of LFG recovery system. From landfill gas to energy-technologies and challenges (p. 27). Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Reid Crowther and Partners Ltd. (1995). City of Regina Fleet Street landfill optimization study. Final report. Regina: Municipal Engineering Department.
Richter, A., Bruce, N., Ng, K. T. W., Chowdhury, A., & Vu, H. L. (2017). Comparison between Canadian and Nova Scotian waste management and diversion models—a Canadian case study. Sustainable Cities and Society, 30, 139–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2017.01.013.
Richter, A., Ng, K. T. W., & Pan, C. (2018). Effects of percent operating expenditure on Canadian non-hazardous waste diversion. Sustainable Cities and Society, 38, 420–428.
Sanchez, J.G. (2016). Development of alternative medium to sustain methanotrophs in methane biofilters (Master’s thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary.
Scharff, H., & Jacobs, J. (2006). Applying guidance for methane emission estimation for landfills. Waste Management, 26, 417–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2005.11.015.
Scharff, H., Oonk, J., & Hensen, A. (2000). Quantifying landfill gas emissions in the Netherlands. Utrecht: NOVEM Programme Reduction of Other Greenhouse Gases.
Statistics Canada. (2013). Waste management industry survey: Business and government sectors 2010. Ottawa: Catalogue no. 16F0023X.
The Weather Network. (2015). Statistics - the weather network. http://www.theweathernetwork.com/forecasts/statistics/precipitation/cl4016560/cask0261/metric (accessed 2015.11.29).
Thompson, S., Sawyer, J., Bonam, R., & Valdivia, J. E. (2009). Building a better methane generation model: Validating models with methane recovery rates from 35 Canadian landfills. Waste Management, 29, 2085–2091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2009.02.004.
Tolaymat, T. M., Green, R. B., Hater, G. R., Barlaz, M. A., Black, P., Bronson, D., & Powell, J. (2010). Evaluation of landfill gas decay constant for municipal solid waste landfills operated as bioreactors. Journal of Air and Waste Management Association, 60(1), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.60.1.91.
U.S. EPA. (1995). Air emissions from municipal solid waste landfills - background information for final standards and guidelines. Research Triangle Park: EPA-453/R-94-021. Available: https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/9100AEYT.TXT?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=1991+Thru+1994&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A%5Czyfiles%5CIndex%20Data%5C91thru94%5CTxt%5C00000022%5C9100AEYT.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h%7C-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=x&ZyPURL. Accessed 25 Jan 2018.
U.S. EPA. (2014). Landfill gas energy cost model LFGcost-web user manual. Washington, D.C.: Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. Available: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-05/documents/lfgcost_webv3.2manual_052617.pdf. Accessed 25 Jan 2018.
Vu, H. L., Ng, K. T. W., & Richter, A. (2017). Optimization of first order decay gas generation model parameters for landfills located in cold semi-arid climates. Waste Management, 69, 315–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.08.028.
Wang, X., Nagpure, A. S., DeCarolis, J. F., & Barlaz, M. A. (2013). Using observed data to improve estimated methane collection from select U.S. landfills. Environmental Science and Technology, 47, 3251–3257. https://doi.org/10.1021/es304565m.
Wang, Y., Ng, K. T. W., & Asha, A. Z. (2016). Non-hazardous waste generation characteristics and recycling practices in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 18(4), 715–724. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-015-0373-z.
Acknowledgements
Special acknowledgment goes to the team at Solid Waste Department, who supported the data collection. The views expressed herein are those of the writers and not necessarily those of our research and funding partners.
Funding
The research reported in this paper was supported by a grant (RGPIN-385815) from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bruce, N., Ng, K.T.W. & Vu, H.L. Use of seasonal parameters and their effects on FOD landfill gas modeling. Environ Monit Assess 190, 291 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6663-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6663-x