BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM WASTE IN A SANITARY LANDFILL REACTOR

In this research study, the feasibility of waste to biogas conversion in a sanitary landfill unit was investigated. The academic work was about quantifying the methane emission values during the wet season, by applying the FOD method on a static flux chamber and a pilot-scale sanitary landfill, and the methane emission potential table was established. The study was conducted for a period of 16 weeks from November 2018 to February 2019. The waste used in the pilot-scale sanitary landfill included food and cattle waste. It was observed that the methane emission rate peaked at 0.25 g/m2.d during week 10 and decreased to 0.12 g/m2.d during week 16. In addition, the carbon dioxide concentration obtained was 45% during the anaerobic phases and around 50% during the aerobic phases. The academic work studied the contribution of leachate pH, waste moisture content, and gas temperature to change methane emission values. The waste moisture content proved to have a direct relationship with the methane emission values, unlike the gas temperature. The leachate pH value during week 10/5th test day was found to be 7.92, and increased steadily throughout the remaining study period, even though the methane emission values decreased during that period (after week 10/5th test day).It was observed that the leachate recirculation process decreased the leachate content even though it affected the methane emission values.