Assessment of GHG Interactions in the Vicinity of the Municipal Waste Landfill Site—Case Study

Maciej Górka, Yaroslav Bezyk and Izabela Sówka
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Maciej Górka: Faculty of Earth Science and Environmental Management, University of Wrocław, Cybulskiego 32, 50-205 Wroclaw, Poland
Yaroslav Bezyk: Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Plac Grunwaldzki 13, 50-377 Wroclaw, Poland
Izabela Sówka: Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Plac Grunwaldzki 13, 50-377 Wroclaw, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-19

Abstract: Landfills have been identified as one of the major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and as a contributor to climate change. Landfill facilities exhibit considerable spatial and temporal variability of both methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) rates. The present work aimed to evaluate the spatial distribution of CH 4 and CO 2 and their δ 13 C isotopic composition originating from a municipal landfill site, to identify its contribution to the local GHG budget and the potential impact on the air quality of the immediate surroundings in a short-term response to environmental conditions. The objective was met by performing direct measurements of atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 at the selected monitoring points on the surface and applying a binary mixing model for the determination of carbon isotopic ratios in the vicinity of the municipal waste landfill site. Air samples were collected and analysed for isotopic composition using flask sampling with a Picarro G2201-I Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) technique. Kriging and Inverse distance weighting (IDW) methods were used to evaluate the values at unsampled locations and to map the excess of GHGs emitted from the landfill surface. The large off-site dispersion of methane from the landfill site at a 500 m distance was identified during field measurements using isotopic data. The mean δ 13 C of the landfill biogas emitted to the surrounded atmosphere was −53.9 ± 2.2‰, which corresponded well to the microbial degradation processes during acetate fermentation in the waste deposits. The calculated isotopic compositions of CO 2 (δ 13 C = −18.64 ± 1.75‰) indicate the domination of biogenic carbon reduction by vegetation surrounding the landfill. Finally, amounts of methane escaping into the air can be limited by the appropriate landfill management practices (faster covers active quarter through separation layer), and CH 4 reduction can be achieved by sealing the cover on the leachate tank.

Keywords: GHG emissions; stable isotopes; waste management; energy recovery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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