ABSTRACT: Landfill Gas: A Significant Resource

Peter J. Hutchinson

The United States generates 250 million tons of refuse every years. One ton of refuse can generate up to 8,000 ft³ of landfill gas, consisting of over 50% methane. Estimates from these data suggest that, at a minimum, 1 trillion ft³ of gas per year are generated, and available, from the waste that Americans generate.

Presently, operators of 155 landfills are collecting and utilizing this hydrocarbon resource. Most recovery projects generate electricity; and currently, more than 100 electric generation plants across the country have the capacity to produce a total of 400 MW. Also, very little of the gas is processed for sale to a gas transmission utility, even though the technology is available. The present-day concern with the greenhouse effect accentuates the need to recover the methane and exploit this resource.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91003©1990 AAPG Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, June 3-6, 1990