Calculations of Landfill Gas.

 

From analysis of waste composition the Specific Gas Production in m3 per ton/yr has been calculated.

It was found that one ton (1000 kg) of refuse - based on Western European moderate landfill composition - contains 347 kg of net organic biodegradable compound, of which:

 

22 % with a half life time of  5 years

19 % with a half life time of 15 years  and

59 % with a half life time of 30 years.

 

Half life times are moderate values for certain substances in the organic material.

This, calculated with my form, gives a

 

Table of Specific Landfill Gas Production

(cubic meter per ton per year)

 

     Year         SGP                  Year        SGP               Year       SGP

       1           11.03                    11         5.07                  21         2.98

       2           10.07                    12         4.76                  22         2.86

       3             9.23                    13         4.48                  23         2.74

       4             8.48                    14         4.23                  24         2.63

       5             7.81                    15         4.00                  25         2.53

       6             7.21                    16         3.79                  26         2.43

       7             6.69                    17         3.60                  27         2.35

       8             6.21                    18         3.43                  28         2.26

       9             5.79                    19         3.27                  29         2.18

     10              5.41                    20         3.12                  30         2.11

    

 

With the amount of refuse, deposited per year, you can calculate the maximum gas production for 30 years, par example:

 

                    ( in thousands cubic meters per year )

 

                                                                                           until 2010 .......

                     T x 1000   1980        1981       1982      1983        1984       1985      etc         ....

            1980     100       551.5*)    1007         923        848         781         721    etc         

            1981     100            0          551.5     1007       923         848         781                             

            1982     100            0             0          551.5    1007        923          etc

            1983

              etc       etc

          until 2010

                                    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Totals                             552         1559        2482       ......

 

*) every first year 50% as the total is reached at the end of the year.

         

 

If this model is put into a spreadsheet and the real figures for years, amount of refuse/year etc. are filled in then it is supposed

that of the totals per year, in practice 50% is retractable, because of losses in the air and solution in leachate water.

 

Exact values cannot be guaranteed, but figures give a good indication for predicting landfill gas production.

 

Landfill Gas exploitation can last for 10 to 15 years

 

 

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