Methane generation potential for waste with different landfill ages

This study evaluated the potential for methane (CH4) generation from municipal solid waste (MSW) at ages 0, 1, and 2 from the landfill located in Campina Grande, in the State of Paraiba, Brazil. Two projection scenarios for the decay constant value, the CH4 generation rate (k) were analysed: 0.05 and 0.1 year-1 using a first-order kinetic model. Only those estimations did not reflect the current values of the CH4 flow in the landfill, but they indicate, when associated with the MSW physical-chemical analysis results, that the landfill has had a marked biodegradation activity since its first year, decreasing rapidly after that, and that suggests higher k values to better represent the behaviour of gas generation from MSW in the first years of landfilling.