Energy Resource from Landfills for St. Christopher & Nevis

1. Energy Resource from Landfills for St. Christopher & Nevis Deborah in front of Conaree Sanitary Landfill Presented by Deborah L. Cool, MS MD and PhD Candidate 8165-1 Environmental Health, Walden University Dr. Howard Rubin Summer 2010

2. Conaree Sanitary Facility

3. St. Kitts and Nevis – Paradise under Threat?

4. Learning Outcomes • Prolonged exposure to methane leads to disease • Danger: Gas explosion possible • How landfill methane is produced • Generates electricity for 2,000-3,000 homes per landfill • Make ca$h from tra$h • International assistance available

5. Long-term Health Risks from Methane Gas Exposure • Bladder cancer • Leukemia • COPD Bednar, J. (2003).Trash Power: Westfield (MA) Will Convert Landfill Methane to Energy. BusinessWest. October 1 2003. http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/916582-1.html

6. About Methane • Chemical structure of methane (CH4) Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas

7. How Methane gets Produced from a Landfill • Anaerobic decomposition of trash piled like a layer cake of trash and dirt • The dirt helps control the smell and keeps animals at bay • Rainfall helps encourage natural decomposition • Methane rises, either escaping into the atmosphere OR trapped within

8. Collecting Methane Reference: Hafez, H. et al. (2010). An integrated system for hydrogen and methane production during landfill leachate treatment. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy; May2010, Vol. 35 Issue 10, p5010-5014, 5p.

9. Methane contributes to Greenhouse Gases • Non-CO2 greenhouse gases: Methane contributes14.3% globally Reference: IPCC 4th Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007:  Synthesis Report

10. Converting Methane to Electricity • Chemical Energy Mechanical Energy  Electrical Energy

11. Filtration Process of Collected Methane • Collect methane from 15-20 wells • Clean before use

12. Biogenerators • Electricity Generation • Direct Use • Cogeneration • Alternate Fuels Reference: Learn about Landfills and Methane Gas. http://www.recyclingsuperguide.com/learn-about-landfills-and-methane-gas-2

13. Benefits of Landfill Gas Energy • Converts methane, a potent heat-trapping gas • Generates renewable energy and offsets the use of non-renewable resources such as coal, natural gas, and oil • Cost–effective options for reducing methane emissions while generating energy • Reduces local air pollution • Creates jobs, revenues, and cost savings Reference: http://www.epa.gov/lmop/documents/pdfs/lfg_modeling.pdf

14. Making Ca$h from Tra$h • A Vancouver, Canada landfill generates a revenue stream of $400,000 US per year for the next 20 years Learn about Landfills and Methane Gas. http://www.recyclingsuperguide.com/learn-about landfills-and-methane-gas-2

15. International Activities: • LMOP promoting Landfill Gas Recovery and Use • Outreach • Education • Technical Assistance • Economic Feasibility

16. About the partnership • Purpose: • Stimulates local economic growth • Creates new sources of affordable alternative energy • Improves local air and water quality • Increases industrial worker safety

17. Conclusions • Prolonged exposure to methane leads to disease • Potential hazardous gas explosion without proper collection • How landfill methane is produced • Generate electricity for 4,000-6,000 homes (2,000-3,000 homes per island) • Make ca$h from tra$h • Contact LMOP and Methane to Markets

18. Sources for further reading • Donovan, S. et al. (2010). Modelling the Behaviour of Mechanical Biological Treatment Outputs in Landfills using the GasSim model. Science of the Total Environment; Mar2010, Vol. 408 Issue 8, p1979-1984, 6p. • EPA. (2003). International Analysis of Methane and Nitrous Oxide Abatement Opportunities: Report to Energy Modeling Forum, Working Group 21. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. June, 2003. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/economics/pdfs/methodologych4.pdf  • EPA. (2006). Global Anthropogenic Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 1990-2020, revised. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/economics/downloads/GlobalAnthroEmissionsReport.pdf • Tolaymat, T. et al. (2010). Evaluation of landfill gas decay constant for municipal solid waste landfills operated as bioreactors. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association. Jan 2010. Vol. 60(1), pp. 91-7. 

19. References • Agriculture, (2010). Personal Interview by staff in Ministry of Agriculture, Basseterre, St. Kitts, on July 17, 2010. • Bednar, J. (2003).Trash Power: Westfield (MA) Will Convert Landfill Methane to Energy. BusinessWest. October 1 2003. http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/916582-1.html • Energy from Urban Waste. (2009). http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/re_biomass-urban.htm • http://www.epa.gov/lmop/documents/pdfs/lfg_modeling.pdf • Ewail, M. (2007). Primer on Landfill Gas as "Green" Energy. http://www.energyjustice.net/lfg/ • Hafez, H. et al. (2010). An integrated system for hydrogen and methane production during landfill leachate treatment. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy; May2010, Vol. 35 Issue 10, p5010-5014, 5p. • How to Produce Electricity from a Biogas Digester. http://www.anaerobic-digestion.com/html/electricity_from_methane_diges.php • Figueroa, V. et al. (2009). A Robust Method for Estimating Landfill Methane Emissions. Journal Of The Air & Waste Management Association (1995) [J Air Waste Management Assoc] 2009 Aug; Vol. 59 (8), pp. 925-35. • Learn about Landfills and Methane Gas. http://www.recyclingsuperguide.com/learn-about-landfills-and-methane-gas-2 • Ryu, C. (2010). Potential of municipal solid waste for renewable energy production and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea. Journal of The Air & Waste Management Association. Feb 2010. Vol. 60 (2), pp. 176-83. • Sri Shalini, S. et al. (2010). Biological stability of municipal solid waste from simulated landfills under tropical environment. Bioresource Technology; Feb2010, Vol. 101 Issue 3, p845-852, 8p • http://www.uspowerpartners.org/Topics/SECTION6Topic-LandfillMethane.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas