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According to the US Energy Information Administration, “Municipal solid waste contains significant portions of organic materials that produce a variety of gaseous products when dumped, compacted, and covered in landfills. Anaerobic bacteria thrives in the oxygen-free environment, resulting in the decomposition of the organic materials and the production of primarily carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide is likely to leach out of the landfill because it is soluble in water. Methane, on the other hand, which is less soluble in water and lighter than air, is likely to migrate out of the landfill. Landfill gas energy facilities capture the methane (the principal component of natural gas) and combust it for energy.”
Landfill gas LFG contains “approximately 50 percent methane, which makes it an excellent source of energy. On the down side, methane has a global warming potential of 21 relative to carbon dioxide. In other words, one ton of methane produces the same greenhouse gas (GHG) effect as 21 tons of CO2. Capturing and converting LFG into energy prevents it from escaping into the atmosphere.”
Two common uses for LFG are “electricity generation – produced by running engines or steam turbines – and combustion as an alternative fuel. LFG can also be used directly by industry and to heat large buildings and greenhouses. Either method displaces the CO2 that would normally be released if fossil fuels had been burned.”
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