Characterisation of Waste and Assessment of Surface Methane Emissions by Static Chamber Technique at a Major Dumping Site in Central India

Abstract

Given the vast amount and higher organic content of waste generated by developing nations such as India, as well as the challenges related to waste management and global warming, controlling methane emissions from such municipal solid waste (MSW) dumpsites becomes a major concern. As a result, studying the characteristics of solid waste dumped and the subsequent emissions of methane (CH4) from a site lacking proper disposal and gas emission management facilities, as is common in developing countries, becomes more important for suggesting appropriate corrective measures. In this study, MSW samples were collected from the Bhandewadi dumping site, a prominent site in Nagpur city and subjected to proximate, ultimate, and biochemical analysis. The results showed that the waste had high moisture content due to the tropical climate of the region which, together with the greater carbon content and organic matter (OM), may be responsible for increased overall greenhouse gas emissions. Biochemical study, on the other hand, revealed lower lignin content when compared with cellulose and hemicellulose, which are key contributors to CH4 emissions. The actual on site measurements using static chamber technique at fresh dumping sites showed that the methane (CH4) flux was between 1 and 14.3 mg m-2 sec-2 and 0.9 to 7.11 g m-3 day-2 at old dumping areas. The study contributes to a better understanding of the amount and unpredictability of methane produced by solid waste in an unmanaged dumping site.