Assessment of landfill gas storage and application regarding energy management: A case study in the province of Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Landfills are extensively applied to dispose of municipal solid wastes in developed and developing countries. Landfill gas generation from biodegradable organic wastes can be collected and converted to energy. When the gas collection system is shutdown, some of this gas can accumulate and be stored inside the landfill. Using the gas storage capacity of the landfill gets a better management of the landfill site because the collected stored gas could transform the landfill into a cheap gas storage system to provide short-term energy and use the energy when needed. This novel study analyzes the stored methane using the gas collection data of a landfill in Quebec province, Canada, for modulating energy production from landfill gas. Twenty episodes of the gas collection system’s shutdown and restart as well as different gas flow durations were studied. The results showed that the collected stored methane is accumulated in an average of 2.5 h. Additionally, the collected stored methane represents 10.5% of landfill gas flow. Although the results are site-specific, the methodology of this paper can be used on other landfill sites with similar size and collection conditions. Designing new landfills could take into consideration some elements to enhance gas storage capacity. For instance, designing landfill daily covers with more granular materials and higher porosities can be the next step to enhance the landfill as a gas storage system during shutdowns.