Mapping and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Landfill Sites

A  landfill in the Île-de-France region of north-central France manages the disposal of non-hazardous waste, providing a dedicated solution for waste management. During treatment and disposal, a portion of the waste materials is converted into biogas, a renewable energy source used for electricity and heat generation. Biogas is composed mainly of methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and trace gases such as hydrogen sulphide (H₂S).

Detecting biogas leaks in landfills is a complex task time-consuming task due to the vast area. In addition to the negative environmental impact, biogas leaks result in economic losses by wasting valuable energy resources.

To address these challenges, the landfill management sought assistance from the SUEZ Air & Climate team. They proposed the implementation of AirAdvanced®-SCAN360, which is used to identify fugitive emissions and quantify the associated CH4 flux. It also provides data and technical recommendations to support investments and optimize biogas recovery.

By focusing on CH₄ emissions, the SUEZ AirAdvanced®-SCAN360 service was able to:

• Accurately detect GHG emissions in the air, allowing them to identify diffuse and fugitive emissions.
• Provide quantitative results based on cutting-edge instrumentation.
• Quantify GHG emissions from different sources over a period of time by using reverse modelling methods.
• Help operators of the facility to develop and prioritise strategies to reduce GHG emissions.
  

The SUEZ SCAN360 team worked with other partners, such as Laboratoires des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE), a French research laboratory that studies climate change and conducts climate modelling. Specifically, they conducted the following steps at the landfill:

1. An on-site measurement campaign and data analysis to create a spatial distribution map of CH₄ emissions concentrations across the facility
2. Inverse dispersion modelling to determine CH₄ emissions flux as ‘kg CH₄/yr of biogas’ for the entire site, including the individual contributions of major sources.
3. Evaluated the effectiveness of different measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from biogas production  and updated the theoretical models accordingly.
4. Collaborated with LSCE and other experts to identify appropriate actions to mitigate emissions.
   
   

Comprehensive and innovative, AirAdvanced®-SCAN360  is a first step towards concrete actions to reduce the landfill’s carbon footprint, increase biogas extraction, and generate energy from residual waste.

All the information provided from the AirAdvanced®-SCAN360  service proved useful for this client. It provided the data and insights needed to implement the SUEZ Green Landfill service, a 360° approach that moves from traditional waste management operations to digital data management, including turning leachate into clean water and GHG emissions and biogas into renewable energy. This comprehensive service offering provides customers worldwide with the resources they need to create value from their assets and services throughout their entire life cycle.