Landfill Methane and the need for accurate measurements
Landfill Gas
Over half of global methane (CH4) emissions result from human activities with emissions from waste, one of the biggest contributors. According to the Global Methane Assessment 2021 report, agriculture (livestock farming and rice cultivation) is the highest contributor of anthropogenic emissions at 40%, followed by fossil fuels at 35% and landfill methane at 20% [ref].
Estimates on landfill methane emissions globally vary. While the IEA Methane Tracker 2020 [ref] suggests that global waste contributes 68 million tonnes (Mt) of methane emissions annually, it is widely accepted that there is a lack of reliable, detailed, and up-to-date data on emissions from landfills and dumpsites, worldwide. This is due to inconsistencies in the measurement and reporting methods and because many sites are unregulated.
Despite, methane emissions rising, the UN Environment program in their Global Methane Assessment have shown that reducing methane emissions is one of the most cost-effective strategies the world can adopt to reduce the rate of global warming. Using targeted measures and technology already available, it would be possible to reduce human-caused methane emissions up to 45%, equivalent to 180 million tonnes a year by 2030 [ref]. In turn, this reduction would avoid nearly 0.3°C of global warming by the 2040s, which is critical if we are to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, the target limit set out in the Paris Climate Agreement [ref].
Methane gas from landfills captured by satellite
Landfill – Punjab, Pakistan
Lahore is a major city located in the northeast of Pakistan. Its population of 12,642,000 is understood to generate around 6,000 tonnes of waste a day of which 90% is taken to the Lakhodair landfill. Opened in April 2016, the 52-hectare Lakhodair landfill is the city’s first Sanitary Landfill Site, designed to remove waste in more controlled ways. Still, the site is believed to be rapidly reaching capacity. GHGSat satellites have captured multiple observations of the methane emissions from Lakhodair. The first plume detected by GHGSat’s satellite, Iris, was captured on October 18
Flammable Gas Produced by Landfills
Landfill – Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
On February 4th, 2021, GHGSat satellites detected a methane plume from the Bishkek landfill in Kyrgystan. In June 2021, local news reported that the landfill site was on fire again. If landfills are not correctly managed, they are at increased risk of fire because methane is highly flammable.
Landfill and its impacts on climate change
Why does landfill gas matter?
Whilst the role of carbon dioxide in global warming is well known, methane, until recently, has escaped the same scrutiny. Concentrations of CH4 in the atmosphere are increasing. Invisible to the naked eye, methane has a global warming potential around 84 times greater than CO2, over 20 years, and accounts for about a quarter of all man-made global warming.
Greenhouse gases are important regulators of our planet’s climate. They allow sunlight (solar radiation) to pass through the atmosphere, which is then absorbed by the Earth’s surface, warming it. Infrared radiation is then released from the planet’s surface and absorbed by greenhouse gases in the form of heat. Without these gases trapping this heat in our atmosphere, all of the infrared radiation would pass through the atmosphere and into space and our planet would cool making it inhospitable. However, concentrations of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are rapidly accelerating, which is heightening this greenhouse effect, increasing global warming, and causing climate change.
Methane emissions come from the extraction of fossil fuels, decomposition of waste, venting of coal mines, Trona mines, hydropower facilities, and agriculture, including both crop production and animal husbandry, like dairy and pig farming, palm-oil production, rice-field agriculture, and more.
Emissions monitoring for waste management (landfill methane)
How do you measure landfill gas (LFG) year-round?
There is no single agreed global standard for the measurement of landfill gas (LFG). To date, methane emissions have been estimated using models rather than direct measurements, hence claims that the numbers both over and underestimate the true level of emissions.
GHGSat’s fleet of high-resolution satellites is the first to detect, accurately measure and pinpoint the source of methane emissions from landfills. Capable of imaging almost any location on Earth, they enable repeat observations from their orbit of 500 kilometres in altitude. Fitted with ground-breaking spectrology technology, they provide reliable and accurate information on methane emissions that can help us understand what’s happening now.
Our GHGSat satellite constellation has detected both large and small methane emissions from landfills, worldwide, including sites across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, Central America, Central Asia and the USA. The most emissions in one observation came from the Bantar Gebang landfill in Jakarta, Indonesia that was emitting 15 900kg/h of CH4, the methane equivalent to power 419,246 homes for one year if the landfill emitted continuously for the same period.
Whilst landfill operators are using our emissions data from our DATA.SAT and DATA.AIR (our aerial monitoring service) to support their emissions monitoring programs, in Bangladesh, a recent high-level emission detection has prompted local authorities to take action to establish a technical committee to better monitor the landfill’s methane emissions activity on-site and GHGSat is engaging with members of the committee [ref].
Solutions Today for the Future
Measuring emissions consistently from landfills has long been a challenge. GHGSAT, which provides data to industry, governments and researchers will launch an additional 8 satellites, giving it the ability to monitor more sites around the world, more often. With this information, operators and municipalities can build business cases for capturing landfill gas, providing new sources of revenue while mitigating their impact on climate. In addition, our emission data can help countries audit their climate impacts and more accurately monitor the progress of their Nationally Determined Contributions.
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