Comparing Methodologies for Emission Estimation of Fugitive Methane in Landfills

Abstract

Fugitive methane from municipal solid waste landfills represents a significant amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions daily released in the atmosphere. As part of the global effort to quantify and manage GHG, there is considerable interest in quantifying methane emissions in landfills. A variety of methods exist for this task. In this paper, three different measurement-based approaches are tested and compared. An optimization-based estimation method is combined with surface emission monitoring (SEM), above ground drone-collected methane concentrations, and downwind plume monitoring. These methods are tested for the case of an actual landfill. Results show that the proposed methodologies are cost-effective and appropriate for rapid screening of methane emission in landfills and could be easily adapted for analogous greenhouse gas emission hotspots.