Author(s):
S.M. Sprague, J.A. Zietsman, T.L. Ramani, R. Kumar, A. Sil, K. Wakadikar
Publication Date
August 2009
Abstract
India's urban areas are characterized by high, dense populations that are continuing to grow, placing a significant burden on the urban infrastructure. Thus, the optimal management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in India's cities is an issue of critical importance. MSW management operations in India have two distinct yet related aspects that are of importance from an environmental and socio-economic perspective. One relates to the practices associated with disposal of waste at landfills; a majority of landfill sites in India are not engineered sanitary landfills, but rather open dumps. While measures have been taken recently to improve and retrofit existing landfills and engineer new landfill sites, this remains a major issue with respect to MSW management in India. Another issue relates to the major environmental impact of these landfills/disposal sites - the generation of landfill gas (LFG, primarily methane [CH4]). This has implications from a global warming/GHG perspective, as well as local air quality impacts in urban India.
The goal of this project was to assess the feasibility of converting LFG to liquefied natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) to be used as fuel for refuse trucks in India. While LNG and CNG only differ in terms of their physical state, the CNG option was deemed preferable in the Indian context. This process has the potential to significantly reduce landfill CH4 emissions by capturing LFG, reducing refuse truck emissions by providing a cleaner burning fuel, and improving India's energy security by reducing reliance on conventional diesel. The process can also help boost economic growth by adding job opportunities at landfills. Three landfills were identified in the Mumbai area in Maharashtra, India for conducting the pre-feasibility analysis.
Mack Trucks Incorporated and Acrion Technologies, Inc. developed the carbon dioxide (CO2) Wash Process that can clean LFG sufficiently to produce LNG/CNG and food grade CO2. This process has been applied with success in the U.S. in Burlington, NJ, and was considered as a part of the analysis. Data were collected at each landfill regarding the size, age, depth, waste composition, gas quality, and refuse truck fleet. Models were used to estimate the potential LFG production, natural gas production, refuse truck emissions benefits, fuel consumption benefits, and economic feasibility of fueling refuse trucks with the natural gas produced at the landfills. It was found that this process may be economically feasible in certain cases and has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, conserve energy, and assist with energy security in India. In addition to the option of converting LFG to natural gas for truck fuel, the feasibility of other options for the management of LFG generation were also considered in this study.
Report Number:
476750-1
Link(s):
Document/Product
http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/476750-1.pdf
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