Landfill Gas – an Overview

25 de julho de 2010 English, Trabalhos Técnicos, Biogas 82 Views

Landfill gas is formed whenever waste material is put into holes in the ground.

Landfill gas will still be produced whether waste is simply dumped in large quantities and not burnt in surface fires, or it is deposited into a fully engineered modern (sanitary) landfill.

It will be produced almost regardless of the kind of waste as long as the waste contains organic matter.

Few waste materials are so inert that no gas at all will be produced though in many cases the amounts are so small that no risks are posed.

Put most simply, it is the type of waste and the amounts involved that govern the amount and composition of the gas that is produced while it is the conditions in the landfill that govern the rate at which it is produced.

At a properly engineered landfill the gas is collected and managed so that it does not cause a hazard. But, at an uncontrolled dump, landfill gas is allowed to escape risking damage to the environment and may put human health and property at risk.

Check Also

Waste management poses challenges, but could unlock major environmental and economic gains

Every day, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere, generates 17,000 tonnes of waste, ranging from large industrial debris to candy wrappers bought innocently at newspaper stands. While this waste presents a serious and urgent environmental challenge, it also fuels an increasingly significant portion of the economy, with benefits extending beyond financial gains. - When we look at developed European countries, many are already recycling between 40% and 50%, with some reaching 60%. From an economic standpoint, both recyclable materials and organic waste hold tremendous value - stated Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), during the Methane Forum: Climate Emergency Brake, at the Rio Nature and Climate Week. Citing a 2025 report, Maluf mentioned that Brazil literally throws away R$27 billion annually, while municipalities spend significantly more - R$45 billion - managing all this waste, often overlooking the environmental impact or economic potential buried in landfills and dumps. - We spend R$45 billion to collect and dispose of waste in landfills, yet we manage to recycle less than a third of the potential. I believe it will be necessary to review contracts, create performance-based remuneration mechanisms, and pay for both effectively sorted materials and those diverted from landfills - he added. According to the IBGE, 60.5% of Brazilian municipalities adopt some form of selective waste collection, and several initiatives serve as examples of how to manage city waste. In his panel presentation, Bernardo Ornelas, Project Coordinator at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb), highlighted Ecoparque do Caju, a national benchmark in waste management and recycling. There, received materials are sorted and can be used for biogas production, organic compounds for urban gardens, or human consumption, in the case of still...

Powered by WordPress | Designed by TieLabs | Customized by I2
© Copyright 2026, All Rights Reserved to Web-Resol