Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Biogas production offers a way out, and the solution is as simple as it is effective: the
landfill is sealed at the top and bottom, thereby creating a giant anaerobic digester, with
pipes carrying the biogas straight from the landfill site to a power plant. Such an approach
deftly circumvents nearly all the NIMBY arguments: waste is converted into a clean and
valuable fuel, the impact on global warming is reduced, local jobs are created, and the plant
may even become a beloved urban landmark (see
Figure 4.45
)
.
Figure 4.45.
The egg-shaped digestion tanks of a municipal waste treatment and biogas
plant in Hamburg, Germany, which have become a popular city landmark.
Source:
Spirou42 on Flickr.
Anaerobic digestion has been used for decades, mostly in Europe and North America,
to treat human and industrial waste. Thousands of waste treatment plants produce biogas
for heat, power, and vehicle fuel. More recently, developing countries have been taking
advantage of the United Nations' Clean Development Mechanism to earn carbon credits
by capturing methane from landfill sites, such as the Bandeirantes Landfill in Brazil and
have also been installed throughout Asia to convert manure, human waste, and farming
