The effectiveness of passive gas ventilation on methane emission reduction in a semi-aerobic test cell operated in the tropics

Abstract Two landfill test cells, with and without gas vents, were used to investigate the effectiveness of passive aeration, through basal leachate pipes, in mitigating methane emissions from municipal solid waste disposal in the tropical climate of Thailand. Surface methane emission rate, as well as methane content in the landfill gas, were determined for a period of three years. The results indicate that the average methane emission rate from the test cell with passive gas vents (42.13 g/t dry wt./d) was about half of that from the test cell without gas vents (90.33 g/t dry wt./d). Methane emission rates from both test cells fluctuated and were influenced by precipitation. The emission rate during the wet period in the test cell with gas vents (61.67 g/t dry wt./d) was 3 times as much as that observed during the dry period (20.95 g/t dry wt./d). The emission rate during the wet period in the test cell without gas vents (120.33 g/t dry wt./d), was twice the value of that observed during the dry period (60.32 g/t dry wt./d). The measurements also revealed the formation of methane hotspots in the test cell with passive vents after rainfall events, leading to higher localized surface emissions. Introduction of gas vents helped reduce methane emissions from solid waste landfills in a tropical region. However, rainfall should be limited to avoid turning semi-aerobic conditions into anaerobic conditions.