Permeable Layers to Improve Permeable Layers to Improve Landfill Gas Recovery from Landfill Gas Recovery from

Indian LandfillsIndian Landfills

March 3, 2010March 3, 2010

Don Augenstein1

Ramin Yazdani2Chetan Zaveri3

John Benemann1

1 Institute for Environmental Management Inc., 4277 Pomona Avenue, Palo Alto, California, U.S.A.2 Yolo County Planning and Public Works Department, Division of Integrated Waste Management, Yolo County, California, U.S.A.3 IL&FS Ecosmart Ltd, Mumbai, India

PresentationPresentation

IntroductionIntroduction

Description of permeable layer Description of permeable layer approach and benefitsapproach and benefits

Current Project objectivesCurrent Project objectives

The site selectionThe site selection

Future plansFuture plans

Typical Landfill and Gas CollectionTypical Landfill and Gas Collection

Current landfill gas collection technologyCurrent landfill gas collection technology

•• Fill waste and cover with soilFill waste and cover with soil•• Drill vertical well Drill vertical well •• Install gas wells and collect gas Install gas wells and collect gas •• Adjust gas wells weekly to maximize Adjust gas wells weekly to maximize

methane contentmethane content

Typical Landfill Gas CollectionTypical Landfill Gas Collection

Limitation with current methodsLimitation with current methods•• No soil cover and waste placement is No soil cover and waste placement is

haphazardhaphazard•• Poor gas quality due to air entrainmentPoor gas quality due to air entrainment•• Staff needed for constant well Staff needed for constant well

adjustment adjustment •• Vertical well could be waterloggedVertical well could be waterlogged

5

Simplified schematic of conventional LFG well and gas flow: Illustration of typical problem – irregular surface flux

Base layers

WASTEWASTE

Cover layers

well

Cover layers

More landfill- --extends on

More landfill

extends on

Arrows and lengths denote gas flows or fluxes.. Note variable surface fluxes and emissions distant from well, entrainment near well, inefficient collection. Fissures, irregularities in waste/ cover exacerbate problems

Fugitive (lost) Gas out

Air entrained in

Fugitive (lost) Gas out

6

PERMEABLE LAYER TO IMPROVE LFG COLLECTION PERMEABLE LAYER TO IMPROVE LFG COLLECTION Simplified illustration: Subsurface probes to track and control Simplified illustration: Subsurface probes to track and control LFG LFG

recovery.recovery. Air/LFG interface location Air/LFG interface location

100 ft (30M) from surface to base layers

Deep well ca, 10-20M feet deep

More landfill--- extends on

More landfill-- extends on Permeable layer LFG —

shred tires, chips etc

WASTE

low permeability layers—membrane and/or WASTE (thickness ca.1-2 meters)

WASTE

Low permeability layers

Extraction line—LFG to use

(Ca. 1 ft)

LFG entrainment area here

lfg lfg lfg lfg lfg lfglfglfg

SAMPLING TUBES to conducting layer and cover

SURFACE SOIL COVER SURFACE SOIL COVER

Barometric pressure

Permeable layer methane

Cover methane (yellow and brown)

40

30

Barometric pressure – blue, right hand axis

Permeable layer methane dark blue -- left hand axis

Cover layer methane (2) brown and yellow -- left axis

Permeable Layer Gas Well Benefit Permeable Layer Gas Well Benefit

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100-14

-12

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0 20.519.418.417.416.315.314.213.212.211.110.19.08.06.95.94.93.82.81.70.7

Width (m)

Dep

th (m

)

Without permeable layer

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100-14

-12

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0 20.519.418.417.416.315.314.213.212.211.110.19.08.06.95.94.93.82.81.70.7

Width (m)

Dep

th (m

)

Tire layer

With permeable layer

Pumping well

Oxygen intrusionOxygen intrusion

UDUDUD

Results of finite element analysis

UD

Pumping rate

Pumping rate based on the total LFG generation rate (%)

70 80 90 100 110 120 130

CH

4 em

issi

on th

roug

h to

p bi

ocov

er (%

)

0

10

20

30

40

With tire layer-CH4 emission at Kst

Without tire layer-CH4 emission at Kst

With tire layer-CH4 emission at K=Kst/10Without tire layer-CH4 emission at K=Kst/10

Without tire layer

With tire layer

Summary of Benefits Summary of Benefits

Recover methane gas for powerRecover methane gas for power

Reduce current fugitive methane Reduce current fugitive methane emissionsemissions

Revenue generated from power generationRevenue generated from power generation

Revenue generated from carbon creditsRevenue generated from carbon credits

Reduce typical number of gas wells per Reduce typical number of gas wells per acre acre

Reduce labor cost for gas well monitoring Reduce labor cost for gas well monitoring

Application in USA: Placement of Application in USA: Placement of Permeable Layer Over WastePermeable Layer Over Waste

VIEW OF ONE ACRE SHRED TIRE LAYER

SHRED TIRE PERMEABLE LAYER BEING PLACEDWASTE LAYERS

USA: Waste Placement Over Permeable LayerUSA: Waste Placement Over Permeable Layer

Soil Cover and Gas Collection Soil Cover and Gas Collection Piping InstallationPiping Installation

Gas Well Installation and Data Gas Well Installation and Data Collection and Evaluation Collection and Evaluation

Project Objectives in IndiaProject Objectives in India

Visit sitesVisit sites

Select best site for a demonstration Select best site for a demonstration project project

Develop a preliminary design Develop a preliminary design

Perform feasibility studyPerform feasibility study

Report to EPA Methane to MarketsReport to EPA Methane to Markets

Site Visit and Selection CriteriaSite Visit and Selection Criteria

Selection criteria for sitesSelection criteria for sites•• Adequate organic waste flow (>1,000 tons per Adequate organic waste flow (>1,000 tons per

day)day)•• Waste height (>15 meters)Waste height (>15 meters)•• Available permeable material for useAvailable permeable material for use•• Available soil cover on siteAvailable soil cover on site•• Available equipment and personnelAvailable equipment and personnel•• Agency cooperation, assistant, and technical Agency cooperation, assistant, and technical

knowledge knowledge •• Site security for future demonstration projectSite security for future demonstration project•• Power generation potential onPower generation potential on--sitesite

INDIA PROJECT TEAM

IL&FS ECOSMART LTD: EAST MUMBAI, INDIA

IL&FS Ecosmart, located in East Mumbai, India. Technical expertise and numerous contacts in India’s municipal waste industry were of inestimable value in conducting the project

3 India Trips

November 2008 –ChennaiJanuary 2009 – Multiple sites January 2010 – Mumbai – 3 sites

SUMMARY OF SITES EVALUATED

Trip 1 November 2008 (Benemann) Chennai -- Kodungaiyur

Trip 2 January 2009 (Yazdani, Zaveri)New Delhi --OkhlaNew Delh -- BalsawaNew Delhi —GazipurAgra – ShahdaraPerungudi – ChennaiVellakal – Madurai TNBetahalli Bangalore Vidyaranyapuram Mysore(City) Hubli Dharwad KarnatakaHyderabad

Trip 3 January 2010 Mumbai (Augenstein, Yazdani, Zaveri, Augenstein)

MulundKalyan DombivaliUlhasnagar

OFFICIALS MET: 3 MUMBAI SITES:

1. Mulund, Mumbai

Mr. R. A. Rajeev, IAS, Additional Municipal CommissionerMr. B.P. Patil, Chief engineer (SWM), In-charge (and Dy. Ch. Engineer (SWM) Projects) [He holds 2 positions]Mr. P.S. Awate, Executive Engineer, SWM ProjectMr. Phalari, Executive Engineer, SWM ProjectMr. Machewad, Sub-Engineer, SWM ProjectMr. Desai, Asst. Engineer, SWM Project

2. Kalyan Dombivali, Mumbai

Mr. Pramod Narkhade, Sanitary InspectorMr. Sulakhe, APHOMr. Shiju Jacob, Antony Waste Handling Cell (P) Ltd.

3. Ulhasnagar, Mumbai

Mr. MhatreMr. Shiju Jacob, Antony Waste Handling Cell (P) Ltd.

MulundMulund Site FindingsSite Findings

Adequate waste and heightAdequate waste and height

Potential permeable layer and cover Potential permeable layer and cover soil available!soil available!

Needed equipment available Needed equipment available

Agency cooperation and interestAgency cooperation and interest

Potential future power generation Potential future power generation facility from methanefacility from methane

Site can be secured to prevent Site can be secured to prevent damage to pipes and equipmentdamage to pipes and equipment

MulundMulund Site FindingsSite Findings----contcont

Future capacity and operation Future capacity and operation assured.assured.

Footprint for testing can be availableFootprint for testing can be available

Onsite technical personnel for vessel Onsite technical personnel for vessel methane digester can do gas methane digester can do gas samplingsampling

Needed equipment available Needed equipment available

Ability to collaborate with IL&FS Ability to collaborate with IL&FS EcosmartEcosmart

Example of Mulund

Data:  Waste Analysis

(IL&FS  Ecosmart, Mumbai, India)

SIMPLE TEST AREA CONFIGURATION

Site Challenges Site Challenges

Issues:Issues:•• Waste fires frequent (but usually small)Waste fires frequent (but usually small)•• Air intrusion could be an issue Air intrusion could be an issue •• LeachateLeachate seepsseeps

Addressing Site Challenges Addressing Site Challenges

Potential Solutions:Potential Solutions:•• Add cover soil and compact to stop fireAdd cover soil and compact to stop fire•• Construct test cell away from the side Construct test cell away from the side

slopesslopes•• Pump Pump leachateleachate from the perimeter from the perimeter

ditches and inject near top and side ditches and inject near top and side slopes to stop fire and eliminate slopes to stop fire and eliminate leachateleachate runoff from siterunoff from site

Future PlansFuture Plans

Explore support for construction and Explore support for construction and operation of a demonstration projectoperation of a demonstration project

Construct and monitor projectConstruct and monitor project

Expand project to other sites (India Expand project to other sites (India and worldwide) and worldwide)

Questions and Answers?Questions and Answers?