Nam-Hoon Lee

Adsorption characteristics of siloxanes in landfill gas by the adsorption equilibrium test

Due to the increase in energy cost by constantly high oil prices and the obligation to reduce greenhouse effect gases, landfill gas is frequently used as an alternative energy source for producing heat and electricity. Most of landfill gas utility facilities, however, are experiencing problems controlling siloxanes from landfill gas as their catalytic oxidizers are becoming fouled by silicon dioxide dust. To evaluate adsorption characteristics of siloxanes, an adsorption equilibrium test was conducted and parameters in the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were analyzed. Coconut activated carbon (CA1), coal activated carbon (CA2), impregnated activated carbon (CA3), silicagel (NCA1), and activated alumina (NCA2) were used for the adsorption of the mixed siloxane which contained hexamethyldisiloxane (L2), octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5). L2 had higher removal efficiency in noncarbon adsorbents compared to carbon adsorbents. The application of Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm demonstrated that coconut based CA1 and CA3 provided higher adsorption capacity on L2. And CA2 and NCA1 provided higher adsorption capacity on D4 and D5. Based on the experimental results, L2, D4, and D5 were converted by adsorption and desorption in noncarbon adsorbents. Adsorption affinity of siloxane is considered to be affect by the pore size distribution of the adsorbents and by the molecular size of each siloxane.

Acceleration of aged-landfill stabilization by combining partial nitrification and leachate recirculation: a field-scale study.

Leachate recirculation for rapid landfill stabilization can result in the accumulation of high-strength ammonium. An on-site sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was therefore, applied to oxidize the ammonium to nitrite, which was then recirculated to the landfill for denitrification to nitrogen gas. At relatively higher ammonium levels, nitrite accumulated well in the SBR; the nitrite was denitrified stably in the landfill, despite an insufficient biodegradable carbon source in the leachate. As the leachate was recirculated, the methane and carbon dioxide contents produced from the landfill fluctuated, implying that the organic acids and hydrogen produced in the acid production phase acted as the carbon source for denitrification in the landfill. Leachate recirculation combined with ex-situ partial nitrification of the leachate may enhance the biodegradation process by: (a) removing the nitrogen that is contained with the leachate, and (b) accelerating landfill stabilization, because the biodegradation efficiency of landfill waste is increased by supplying sufficient moisture and its byproducts are used as the carbon source for denitrification. In addition, partial nitrification using an SBR has advantages for complete denitrification in the landfill, since the available carbon source is in short supply in aged landfills.

Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Emission from Landfills by Different Scenarios

Quantifying the methane emission from landfills is important to evaluate measures for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. To estimate methane emission for the entire landfills from 1990 through 2004 in Korea, Tier 1 and 2 methodologies were used. In addition, five different scenarios were adopted to identify the effect of important variables on methane emission. The trends of methane emission using Tier 1 were similar to the disposed waste amount. Methane emission using Tier 2 increased as the degradation of waste was gradually proceeded. This result indicates that disposed waste amount and methane generation rate are the important variables for the estimation of methane emission by Tier 1 and 2, respectively. As for the different scenarios, methane emission was highest with scenario I that the entire landfills in Korea were regarded as one landfill. Methane emissions by scenario III and IV considering different values with the waste type and different MCF values with the height of waste layer, respectively, were underestimated compared to scenario II. This result indicates that the method of scenario I employed to most previous studies may lead to the overestimation of methane emission. Therefore, more careful consideration of the variables should be needed to develop the methodologies of greenhouse gas emission in landfills along with the characteristics of disposed waste in Korea.

Estimation of methane emission flux at landfill surface using laser methane detector: Influence of gauge pressure

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of measuring methane emission fluxes, using surface methane concentration and gauge pressure, by analyzing the influence of gauge pressure on the methane emission flux and the surface methane concentration, as well as the correlation between the methane emission flux and surface methane concentrations. The surface methane concentration was measured using a laser methane detector. Our results show a positive linear relationship between the surface methane concentration and the methane emission flux. Furthermore, the methane emission flux showed a positive linear relationship with the gauge pressure; this implies that when the surface methane concentration and the surface gauge pressure are measured simultaneously, the methane emission flux can be calculated using Darcy’s law. A decrease in the vertical permeability was observed when the gauge pressure was increased, because reducing the vertical permeability may lead to a reduced landfill gas emission to the atmosphere, and landfill gas would be accumulated inside the landfill. Finally, this method is simple and can allow for a greater number of measurements during a relatively shorter period. Thus, it provides a better representation of the significant space and time variations in methane emission fluxes.