Comparison of Selected Technologies to Improve the Quality of Exhaust Gases from Landfill Gas Combustion

Przemysław Bukowski,Bernard Knutel,Błażej Gaze,Mateusz Jajczyk,Krzysztof Zając

doi:10.3390/en15030778

Przemysław Bukowski, Bernard Knutel + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en15030778

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Abstract

This paper presents the results of research on exhaust gases from landfill gas combustion. The measurements were carried out in a reclaimed landfill in Kiełcz (a passive degassing system based on gas flare). The research concerned the effects of selected exhaust gas purification technologies (platinum catalyzer on a ceramic carrier, molecular sieve, copper(II) oxide) for the quality of exhaust gases, and their particulate matter content. This paper aims to indicate which catalytic systems are most suitable for this gas type and their most efficient positioning in the flue gas duct. Due to increasingly stringent emission standards, the outcomes presented in this article could be helpful for landfill owners who wish to avoid paying fines for not complying with applicable limits. The measurements were carried out using a flue gas analyser, a particulate matter analyser fitted with a probe, and four thermocouples connected with the data recorder. The research outcomes determined the percentage reduction of pollutant emissions into the atmosphere (CO, NOx, and particulate matter) using catalysts. The potential benefits of using catalysts in landfill gas combustion systems due to their operating temperature ranges are discussed.

Highlights

Municipal waste, which in European countries is neutralised by depositing in landfills, can be transformed into a system whose main task will be to produce landfill gas from the waste therein [1,2]
The harmful substances that are emitted during combustion include mainly PM2.5 and PM10 dust, ozone (O3 ), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx ), sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), benzopyrene (BaP), which is part of groups of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) [4,5,6]
The research was conducted to compare the effect of selected catalytic systems on the concentration of individual substances in the exhaust gases from landfill gas combustion

Summary

Introduction

Municipal waste, which in European countries is neutralised by depositing in landfills, can be transformed into a system whose main task will be to produce landfill gas from the waste therein [1,2]. Instead of escaping into the air, landfill gas can be captured, converted, and used as a renewable energy resource, but under one condition—monitoring and analyses of harmful substances released to the atmosphere. As proved [3], there are pollutions from landfill gas combustion, that negatively affect the surrounding environment. A massive number of organizations, including the European Environmental Agency (EEA), have shown that air pollution is the greatest threat to human life and that appropriate restrictions introduced to reduce emissions of harmful substances will contribute to reducing the occurrence of this phenomenon [4]. The harmful substances that are emitted during combustion include mainly PM2.5 and PM10 dust, ozone (O3 ), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx ), sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), benzopyrene (BaP), which is part of groups of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) [4,5,6]. Human interaction with each of these substances leads to several unwanted and often even serious consequences

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