Significance of Biogas Production in Waste Tips

Abstract In a waste tip methane fermentation should be promoted as much as possible in order to minimize contamination of leachate and groundwater. In this paper the production of biogas is mathematically described as a first-order process. The degradable organic fraction of municipal refuse is subdivided into three fractions with different half-lifes (1, 5 and 15 years). If other categories of waste are present (e.g. industrial refuse or demolition waste) one should know the organic matter content per category and if possible some information on the degradability of the organic fractions. Field tests can also give information, e.g. the pressure lowering in and around an extraction well may be used to calculate the gas production rate and the radius of influence. Without recovery the gas escapes into the atmosphere and is (partly) oxidized by microbes in the soil cover. This may create anaerobic conditions in the soil cover causing injury to vegetation.