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Landfill Gas Management in Hampshire The aim of Landfill Gas Management is to control pollution and make good use of a limited resource. The landfilling of municipal solid waste has been the main means of disposal in Hampshire over a long period and will continue to support the County Council’s integrated waste management strategy for a some years to come. Although the character of the domestic waste stream has changed over the years, there is still a high percentage of organic waste present, as a result landfill tips will continue to produce landfill gas. Complete decomposition in a landfill site usually takes more than 20 years, one of the by-products of this decomposition is bio-gas which contains about 50% Methane, 35% CO2 and 15% other gases. Landfill’s main contribution to greenhouse gas emission is the form of the methane emitted. Converting the methane to CO2 enables recovery of heat energy, which in itself is a sustainable action. Within the County Council’s Project Integra waste disposal service contract, Hampshire Waste Services (HWS) Ltd (wholly owned subsidiary of Onyx) operates landfill gas utilisation at 4 sites ; these are at Paulsgrove, (Portsmouth), Somerley, (Ringwood), Bramshill, (Hart District) and Southleigh, (Havant). It also will soon commission a plant at Efford, (Lymington). It also operates a plant at Netley, (Southampton), which although outside the PI service contract takes landfill gas from one of the County Council’s closed Westwood site as part of a boundary gas migration control system. Together these sites contribute 12 MW of electricity to the National Grid. In terms of the total output, the power on an annual basis would be equivalent to that required by about 10,000 homes. In reality, it means finite and more polluting fossil fuels usually needed to meet the demands of this number of homes are replaced by a renewable or green energy source. All the above schemes use the latest engine technology and engine management systems. This is crucial if consumption of the gas is to be economic and exhaust emissions as clean as possible. Landfill gas is extremely variable; it can destroy engine lubricants very quickly and if not managed and monitored closely, then the output of electricity will fluctuate and not meet the stringent regulation of the national grid operation. The systems are remotely managed by telephone lines and are quiet in operation, with little intrusion on the rural location where they are located. HCC hopes to follow in the footsteps of HWS with its partnership with Summerleaze REGeneration Ltd, maintaining the same commitment to high standards and management. |
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