Using methane emissions from landfill sites for energy

Landfill gas (LFG) is a natural byproduct of decomposing landfill waste.

A main determiner of feasibility for LFG utilization projects is the amount and stability of the potential fuel supply. The fuel supply also influences project implementation procedures, project size, technology use, economics, and other matters. Among the first tasks in evaluating an LFG project is making a baseline estimate of the fuel supply using a computerized model. Usually, this estimate will then be refined through more detailed analysis.

A Norwegian farmer is self-sufficient in electric power and hot water for heating two houses and some rooms in a barn, thanks to methane gas which drives two generators. The gas comes from a test well sunk into a former rubbish dump on his land. The dump contains some 600,000 tonnes of rubbish. It has been estimated that from this an equivalent of 1.5 million litres of oil could be extracted each year.