Two new projects for your consideration

TerraPass | October 28, 2008

One landfill in North Carolina, another in South Dakota.

This week we have two new projects open for public comment.

The Robeson County Landfill in St. Pauls, North Carolina, began operating a landfill gas collection and flaring project in July 2008. Robeson County is negotiating with potential end-users who will use the landfill gas for industrial process heat or for electricity generation. In the meantime, the methane is being destroyed in a flare, and revenue from carbon offsets is the only funding the project receives. Let us know what you think.

The city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, began operating a landfill methane destruction project in April 2006. To date, the methane has been flared, although a project is in the works to send the gas via pipeline to a nearby ethanol plant. As always, your comments are welcome.

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Comments

1. By Steve Griller on October 29, 2008 6:13 AM

I have been in the renewable & energy sector for 40 years (see www.EnertrixLLC.com) and I have done due diligence on many Land Fill to Energy projects. Let me know if you want an expert on your side. There is no substitute for experience.

If you just want to brainstorm, give me a call at anytime.

Steve Griller CEO EnertrixLLC

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2. By Meddeviceengineer on October 29, 2008 7:03 AM

It would be helpful to have the ratio of effects of the methane vs CO2
on global warming to make comments. Also the amount of CO2 produced
vs methane. I for one don't keep those numbers in my head.

Just a guess but these are the types of projects that keep me buying
carbon offsets. Thanks for your help saving the planet!

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3. By Adam Stein on October 29, 2008 7:09 AM

Hi Med --

The global warming potential (GWP) for methane is 21, meaning that it is 21 times more potent than CO2. (Note that this figure is the one used in most offset protocols, but due to scientific uncertainty you may sometimes see slight different numbers.)

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4. By Bryan on October 29, 2008 9:56 AM

Are all these landfills cataloged so that we know the individual and collective methane emissions?

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5. By Adam Stein on October 29, 2008 10:42 AM

All the landfill projects we support are listed on our site, although we're working to improve the presentation.

For stats on all the landfills in the U.S., there's tons of info on the EPA web site. Landfills are the second largest source of methane emissions in the country, after cows.

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6. By Gary Tonkin on October 30, 2008 12:00 PM

These projects will not be good news until they are using the methane for useful purposes! What's the story on that?

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7. By Adam Stein on October 30, 2008 12:05 PM

Hi Gary,

Methane is a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. (It's also accumulating in the atmosphere at a surprising rate.) So while ideally the gas is put to good use, the major environmental benefit comes from simply destroying it.

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