Veolia, WM to study fugitive air emissions
By: Jim Johnson
October 13, 2008

Two of the country's largest solid waste management companies are teaming up to study fugitive air emissions from landfills in an attempt to curb greenhouse gases.

Veolia Environmental Services North America and Waste Management Inc. have been testing methane emissions from a pair of landfills located near one another in Franklin, Wis.

The field work has been taking place at Waste Management's Metro landfill and Veolia's Emerald Park landfill near Milwaukee for two weeks and was scheduled to end Oct. 10.

``It's a very timely and hot topic right now,'' said B. Todd Watermolen, vice president of engineering and compliance for Veolia. ``It's an industrywide national and international concern with regard to greenhouse gas emissions and the potential effect it has on global warming.''

Landfills produce gas as waste deteriorates. This landfill gas, which contains mostly methane and carbon dioxide, is typically collected and either burned to create energy or flared.

But landfills also have fugitive emissions that seep up through the ground and into the atmosphere. Both carbon dioxide and methane are greenhouse gases, but methane traps at least 20 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Getting a handle on just how much gas escapes from landfills will help owners figure out ways to deal with the situation.

``Fugitive releases from landfills could potentially be a big concern,'' Watermolen said. ``There have been a lot of estimates or projections of what that greenhouse gas impact [is].''

He said there is a ``real need'' to get the science out in front of any potential regulations and public perception regarding the issue.

That will help landfill owners establish ways to better handle the fugitive emissions. ``The ultimate goal is to have something that is both technologically and economically viable,'' he said.

Researchers were testing five different methods to measure greenhouse gas emissions from the landfills in an attempt to come up with an accurate way to gauge the releases.

The project also hopes to find ways to better capture the fugitive gas to improve the amount of energy that can be created from waste.

The companies said research at the landfills will help determine emissions from other greenhouse gas sources as well. The Environmental Research and Education Foundation, which studies solid waste issues, also is involved in the project.

``We think by next spring we would have data that's been scientifically reviewed,'' Watermolen said.

Contact Waste News senior reporter Jim Johnson at (937) 964-1289 or jpjohnson@crain.com