Landfill CH 4: Rates, fates, and role in global carbon cycle

Abstract

Published estimates for worldwide landfill methane emissions range from 9 to 70 Tg yr −1. Field and laboratory studies suggest that maximum methane yields from landfilled refuse are about 0.06 to 0.09 m 3 (dry kg) −1 refuse, depending on moisture content and other variables, such as organic loading, buffering capacity, and nutrients in landfill microenvironments. Methane yields may vary by more than an order of magnitude within a given site. Fates for landfill methane include (1) direct or delayed emission to the atmosphere through landfill cover materials or surface soils; (2) oxidation by methanotrophs in cover soils, with resulting emission of carbon dioxide; or (3) recovery of methane followed by combustion to produce carbon dioxide. The percent methane assigned to each pathway will vary among field sites and, for individual sites, through time. Nevertheless, a general framework for a landfill methane balance can be developed by consideration of landfill age, engineering and management practices, cover soil characteristics, and water balance. Direct measurements of landfill methane emissions are sparse, with rates between 10 −6 and 10 −8 g cm −2 s −1; very high rates of 400 kg m −2 yr −1 have been measured at a semiarid unvegetated site. The proportion of landfill carbon that is ultimately converted to methane and carbon dioxide is problematical; the literature suggests that, at best, 25% to 40% of refuse carbon can be converted to biogas carbon. Cellulose contributes the major portion of the methane potential. Routine excavation of nondecomposed cellulosic materials after one or two decades of landfill burial suggests that uniformly high conversion rates are rarely attained at field sites. For a longer-term viewpoint, considering archaeologic and geologic preservation of organic carbon through anaerobic burial, one can speculate that widespread landfilling practices in developed and developing countries may be providing a measurable sink for organic carbon, as well as increasing the atmospheric methane burden.