Dynamiczne badanie wydajności studni degazacyjnych jako narzędzie do zmniejszania emisji gazów cieplarnianych na składowiskach odpadów

Abstract

The article was written as a continuation of the research on degassing wells in terms of their gas productivity in a landfill. Waste is one of the most serious threats to the environment. The term ‘waste’ means ‘any substance or object which the holder discards, he intends to get rid of, or which he has been required to get rid of’. The European Union, with the aim of ensuring a high quality of life and health of people through effective environmental protection, imposes on Poland very restrictive guidelines in the field of waste management. These guidelines include: waste prevention, preparation for re-use, recycling, other recovery methods, disposal. The waste goes to landfills, where it is collected. Landfills pose a very high threat to the natural environment because they emit pollutants into the atmosphere. The greatest threat is related to the organic matter contained in municipal waste, which during decomposition emits greenhouse gases such as CO2 and CH4. The amount of emitted gas can be reduced by equipping the landfill with a special installation for the production of landfill gas (biogas). Biogas is one of the alternative energy sources that can be used to produce electricity and heat. However, the installation itself is not enough, and the landfill must also be rationally managed to support biogas production. Within the mass of waste, optimal conditions should be created for the methanogenesis process to take place. Compacting or pouring waste into layers of earth may serve as examples. Both of these processes reduce the oxygen content in the stored material. However, the content of the organic fraction in the deposited waste has the most pronounced influence on the production of biogas. The article presents the results of research on the efficiency of degassing wells carried out in one of the active municipal landfills which was established in 2009. Five degassing wells located in different parts of the dump’s canopy were subjected to our measurements.