Biogas recovery in an experimental MSW cell in Brazil: lessons learned and recommendations for CDM projects

Abstract

Biogas emissions in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are a serious air-pollution problem both at the local and global level. Methane, the main gas produced from the decomposition of waste, is the second largest contributor of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. This situation demands attention in Brazil, where there are still approximately 4,000 open dumps in operation that contribute to environmental contamination. The pilot project developed at the Muribeca/PE Landfill aimed to evaluate the potential for biogas generation and analyse energy production from the deployment of an experimental cell with 36,659 tonnes of MSW and a pilot plant capable of generating 20 kW. The results showed that MSW decomposition was more intense and rapid than predicted in the international literature. The feasibility analysis showed that it is viable to include the sale of electrical energy in the project with pricing restrictions and that the viability is greatly increased when Certified Emission Reductions are included. The main lessons learned from the different phases of the study (design, implementation, pre-operation, monitoring, and operation) will be of great use as recommendations for future emission-reduction projects.