You are here:
A CASE STUDY OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY PALOS VERDES LANDFILL GAS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Citation:
Bowerman, F., N. Rohatgi, K. Chen, AND R. Lockwood. A CASE STUDY OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY PALOS VERDES LANDFILL GAS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-77/047.
Description:
This report documents the first-ever-attempt to capture sanitary landfill gases and beneficiate them to natural gas pipeline quality--or very nearly so. For this reason the authors must credit the entrepreneurs for a successful first full-scale demonstration of a technology that produces very nearly pure methane and wish to compliment the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts for the willingness, cooperation, and technical assistance that made the demonstration possible. That this demonstration failed to show an economic viability during the twelve-month study period only suggests that further consideration should be given to improving the dependability of the molecular sieve process for landfill gas beneficiation, to the study of alternative beneficiation processes, and/or alternative uses for less modified landfill gases. Perhaps more serious consideration should be given to the use of landfill gas with little or no modification, except perhaps moisture removal. Reciprocating piston engines, rotary turbines, steam generators, air heaters, and a host of other devices can be fueled successfully with mixtures of methane, carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases, provided the heat content is not below certain critical levels.