DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE COMBUSTION SYSTEM BASED LANDFILL GAS USER FACILITIES AT LANDFILL SITES

摘要

If it is too far to send landfill gas to an energy user facility and power production is not feasible at your site, consider attracting an energy user to locate at, or adjacent to your landfill site. If you can't send the gas to them, bring them to the gas. The major "traditional" methods of landfill gas utilization have been power generation in reciprocating engine and turbine driven generators and direct firing in industrial boilers. A number of lesser used applications, such as vehicle fuel and pipeline quality gas have also been developed. This paper will present innovative uses for landfill gas, involving specialized, yet commonly used, combustion systems which typically utilize conventional fuels, but which can be adapted to landfill gas firing: These alternatives can be built into facilities that can be located on, or adjacent to a landfill site. Literally thousands of different types of conventional fuel fired industrial process and process heating systems are in everyday use around the world. Many of these processes are highly tolerant to the composition of the fuel used. However, many fuel use facilities are too small to be economically considered for construction of a landfill gas delivery pipeline of any significant length. Although it is impossible to relocate a landfill, investigations have uncovered a number of processes that can quite easily be located (or relocated) on landfill property or adjacent lands. This paper will describe projects that can be developed around the availability of both landfill gas and property at, or adjacent to the landfill. The projects include specialty incineration, process and space heating, asphalt pavement production, rotary kiln lime/cement/gypsum processing, fume incineration, glass production, and other types of combustion based facilities. With a stable, long term supply of landfill gas available to meet the needs of processing facilities and with the availability of small parcels of land, location of fuel using process facilities at the source of landfill gas generation can be a viable option which can be attractive to a number of project participants. Typical projects of this type can range from as low as demanding 100 scfm, of landfill gas and less than a 1 acre site, to facilities which can use thousands of scfm of landfill gas and require a few acres of land. At closed landfills, the site space required can be drawn from the property formerly occupied by scale houses, maintenance buildings cover material stockpiles and the like. Construction of such a facility would benefit from the cost savings associated with use of landfill gas, as well as through the availability of low, or no cost property. Attraction of a new facility to an area would also carry the politically attractive benefit of the creation of new jobs. By varying the extent of the landfill owner's participation in the project, such as low cost land lease and gas value discounting, the package can easily become attractive to investors. The principal points to be discussed will include: 1. Identifying and locating potential combustion based energy user facilities 2. Matching landfill gas production to energy demand 3. Locating available site space Quantifying the potential for the creation of new jobs Discussion items for financial participation.