The development of a methane biofilter to reduce atmospheric methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills /
Methane (CH₄) biofilter performance was tested under various environmental conditions and CH₄ loading rates in the laboratory. The loamy sand and clay textured soils performed better than the loam textured soil. The optimum soil moisture content for CH₄ oxidation in the loamy sand was 13 % by weig...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
2000.
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| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=728408651&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Methane (CH₄) biofilter performance was tested under various environmental conditions and CH₄ loading rates in the laboratory. The loamy sand and clay textured soils performed better than the loam textured soil. The optimum soil moisture content for CH₄ oxidation in the loamy sand was 13 % by weight. The addition of NO₃⁻-N did not affect the CH₄ oxidation rate. Soil depths of 30 cm and 60 cm were equally efficient in CH₄ oxidation. As the loading rate decreased, the percentage of CH₄ oxidized increased. The maximum CH₄ oxidation rate was 27.2 mol m⁻²d⁻¹ under optimum conditions (loamy sand texture, 13 % moisture, 30 cm depth, and an influent flux of 32.8 mol m⁻²d⁻¹). At this oxidation rate, the biofilter was able to oxidize 83 % of the applied CH₄. A method was developed to calculate the optimum biofilter size for use with landfills with RCRA covers on city by city basis across USA. The biofilter size was dependent on soil temperature, soil moisture, and landfill size. In the cities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas where the CH₄ oxidation rates were relatively high throughout the year, the necessary biofilter sizes were small, and will be effective in all seasons. A CH₄ emission model was developed to estimate the CH₄ emissions from a typical size municipal waste landfill constructed with modern vented RCRA cover, a modern vented RCRA covers plus a biofilter, and a conventional soil cover. In landfills with RCRA covers, 90 % of the CH₄ generated was emitted to the atmosphere. In landfills with RCRA covers plus biofilters, only an average of 10 % of CH₄ generated was emitted to the atmosphere. Thus, the installation of a properly sized biofilter may result in up to a 90 % reduction in methane releases. In landfills with conventional covers, an average of 83 % of the generated CH₄ was emitted. The methane emission rate was dependent on the CH₄ oxidation rate in the cover soil, season of the year, and the landfill cover area. Because of the occurrence of fissures and cracks in conventional soil covers, CH₄ emissions from landfills with conventional covers were about 8 times higher than those from landfills with RCRA covers plus biofilters. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Soil Science". |
| Physical Description: | xv, 228 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-152). |