A feasibility study on turning methane into landfill gas for energy in Ketereh

Abstract

Methane, a gaseous natural by-product of organic solid waste degradation from landfills is proven to be an increasingly viable long-term form of renewable energy, albeit being the second highest greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. The utilization of the methane released from landfills not only provide a sustainable energy production but also reduce the total emission of the gas to the environment. The quantification of the biogas emission, and the potential stored energy, from a landfill of a municipality or district will indicate whether that municipality is sustainable with the aforementioned form of energy. The objectives of this study were to determine total solid waste generation in Ketereh district, to calculate the methane emissions based on the total of solid waste generation at the landfill, and to propose a new methane-based power plant for the district. Municipal solid waste (MSW) data was obtained from the Ketereh City Council (MPIK). The methane emission was estimated using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology. The gas collection wells are designed based on the guidance from the Environment Protection Agency. The collected gas was purified using activated carbon before being fed into either an internal combustion engine or a gas turbine engine. Based on this study, the total methane emission per tons waste is estimated to be 79.98 m3, producing an average of 3.67 MW energy for 30 years.