Landfill methane has historically been the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the waste sector. The growth in landfill emissions has diminished during the last 20 years due to increased rates of landfill methane recovery in many countries and decreased rates of landfilling in some countries. At present, incentives such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) can accelerate rates of landfill methane recovery and use in parallel with improved landfilling practices.

  To recover and use landfill methane, it is essential the quantification of methane emission from a landfill. The most widely applied methods for quantification are based on models. For quantifying by models, model parameters such as the methane production potential for solid waste deposited in a landfill must be an available. At present, column (or lysimeter) test method is relatively available method to gain actual methane production data. However, this method takes a long time and did not reflect well on the change of sort and ratio of waste component in a landfilled mixed solid waste (MSW).

  The final objective of this study is to develop a simple methodology for calculating a methane production potential for mexed solid waste (MSW) loaded in coumn using information of methane production potential for each waste component estimated in biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests. Based on overall experimental results obtained in this study, finally developed simple methodology for calculating a methane production potential for MSW is following as:

Ptotal,MSW=CF∑(Ptotal,i×fi)

  Where, Ptotal,MSW is a methane production potential for MSW loaded in column (L/kg VS), CF is correction factor, 0.3-0.7, Ptotal,i is a methane production potential for waste component i estimated in BMP test (L/kg VS) and fi is composition ratio of waste component i in MSW loaded in column (%by kg VS).

  However, this methodology does not provide strickly accurate information of methane production potential for MSW loaded in column. The reasons are that this methodology includes more or less wide-range correction factors and correction factors are determined by experimental data and information, which are not much.

Keywords : landfill methane, the quantification of methane emission, methane production potential for missed solid waste, simple methodology for calculating a methane production potential for missed solid waste