Grantee Research Project Results
2024 Progress Report: Evaluation and Control of Emissions from MSW landfills: Direct Measurement and Modeling
EPA Grant Number: R840625Title: Evaluation and Control of Emissions from MSW landfills: Direct Measurement and Modeling
Investigators: Imhoff, Paul T. , Chow, Fotini K , Yazdani, Ramin
Institution: University of Delaware , University of California - Berkeley , University of California - Davis
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2026
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2023 through August 31,2024
Project Amount: $999,831
RFA: Understanding and Control of Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Air Emissions Request for Applications (RFA) (2023) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Landfill Emissions , Air Toxics , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Air , Land and Waste Management
Objective:
There is limited knowledge on what measurement technologies are best for landfill management questions, e.g., estimating annual emissions or modifying landfill practices to reduce emissions, nor how to combine technologies to maximize benefit. This project will address both issues and guide the estimation of landfill emissions during unmeasured periods.
Progress Summary:
Results from Year 1 activities are divided according to project objectives.
Objective 1: Evaluating Eddy Covariance (EC) Methods
EC measurements conducted at Yolo County Central Landfill (CA) and Kiefer Landfill (CA) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) were analyzed, with supplemental support from the Environmental Education Research Foundation. Managed by Dr. Matthias Falk (CARB) from 2019-2024, these measurements provide insights into daily methane and carbon dioxide emission variations across different landfill cover types (daily, intermediate, and final). Understanding the significance of diurnal emission variations is crucial since most measurement techniques rely only on daylight atmospheric conditions. Data indicate that emissions from the final cover were small, with no significant variation with time of day. On the other hand, emissions from intermediate and daily covers were usually highest in the daytime and lowest at night, with smaller diurnal variability if gas collection wells operated. These findings contribute to strategies for estimating annual landfill emissions from limited measurements conducted during the daytime.
Objective 2: Developing Atmospheric Modeling for Methane Emission Measurement Accuracy
The collection of field data needed for the atmospheric modeling was a focus in project Year 1. Data from a Southeastern US landfill were collected since January 2024 from fixed-point sensors, drone flights, tracer correlation, satellite and airplane measurements by project partners. Weather and landfill cover soil moisture were also monitored continuously at this site.
For atmospheric modeling, efforts focused on setting up nested simulations of the Kiefer Landfill site using the Weather Research & Forecasting (WRF)-Chem model. WRF-Chem is an atmospheric model that predicts chemical transport in addition to meteorology variables (wind, temperature, pressure, precipitation). WRF-Chem model was adapted to represent methane emissions with a finer 30-m resolution for land use, topography, and meteorological inputs. The model incorporates landfill-specific emission options to track methane from different cover types.
Future Activities:
In project Year 2, these activities are planned:
• Complete development of WRF-Chem for the Kiefer Landfill
• Conduct tracer correlation method measurements at Kiefer landfill in spring of 2025
• Complete installation of EC towers at Kiefer landfill for new measurements in 2025
• Process field measurement data from the Southeastern US landfill collected in 2024
• Use atmospheric modeling to assess the accuracy of airplane and satellite measurements at Kiefer Landfill
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
greenhouse gas, mitigation, hazardous air pollutants, measurementsRelevant Websites:
EPA STAR Project Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.