Title: Formulating landfill gas emissions model for forecasting methane generation from waste under Iranian scenario

Authors: Somayeh Golbaz; Amir Hossein Mahvi; Mohammad Mahdi Emamjomeh; Abbas Norouzian Baghani

Addresses: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ' Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Center for Solid Waste Research (CSWR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ' Social Determinant of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran ' Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: This study aimed to determine the methane production's potential from municipal solid wastes based on two setups; firstly, based on waste composition and secondly based on using the landfill gas emissions model (LandGEM). The results showed that based on the first step, the methane generation rate was found in the range from 1,687.7 to 2,062.6 mega cubic metre/year (Mm³/year) in the whole of studied regions. From developing LandGEM model, the maximum methane production rate in a landfill would be calculated equal to 2,803.2 Mm³ in 2025. Also, the results showed that the methane generation rates have been at variance in five regions of Iran (p < 0.05). In the northern regions of the country, the methane generation rate was increased due to the availability of sufficient moisture for microorganisms. Based on the theoretical computational quantities, it can be concluded that the volume of methane produced from municipal solid waste, which contains biodegradable materials (73%), was found very high.

Keywords: waste management; renewable energy; methane emission; greenhouse gases; LandGEM model.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2021.118367

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2021 Vol.28 No.3, pp.298 - 316

Received: 28 Feb 2019
Accepted: 29 Aug 2019
Published online: 25 Oct 2021 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article