Overview and Discussion of Landfill Gas In Relation To Climate Change

1. Overview and Discussion of Landfill Gas In Relation To Climate Change CIWMB Permitting and Enforcement Board Meeting Item 16 May 16, 2006

2. Executive Order Established Statewide Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Targets By 2010, Reduce to 2000 Emission Levels* By 2020, Reduce to 1990 Emission Levels** By 2050, Reduce to 80% Below 1990 Levels * Equals 59 Million Tons CO2 Equivalent (MMTCO2E) Emission Reductions, 11% Below “Business As Usual” (BAU) ** Equals 145 MMTCO2E Emission Reductions, 25% Below BAU

3. Climate Action Team (CAT) • CalEPA Secretary Chairs the Team (ARB, BT&H, CDFA, CIWMB, CEC, PUC and Resources Agency represented). The CAT will: • Evaluate and Recommend Strategies to Meet GHG Targets. • Report to Governor and Legislature 3/06. • Review and Revise Report in 2 years. • Include Scenario Analysis, Macroeconomic Study, Agency Workplans, and Cap and Trade Options. • More info: www.climatechange.ca.gov/

4. CIWMB Implementation of Strategies • Achieve 50% Statewide Recycling • Strategy underway will reduce climate change emissions associated with energy-intensive material extraction/production. • Zero Waste/High Recycling • Measures that result in additional waste reduction and recovery of recyclable materials. • Landfill Methane Capture • Measures to increase capture of methane emitted from landfills.

5. What is Landfill Gas? • Natural by-product of the biogenic decomposition of the degradable organic fraction of solid waste in a sanitary landfill. • Typically about equal amounts by volume of methane and carbon dioxide with small amounts of other compounds. • Potential threats to public health and safety and the environmental: explosion hazard (methane 5-15% in air); asphyxiate in confined spaces; contains odorous and toxic trace gases (NMOCs, VOCs, and HAPs).

6. Landfill Gas Routes of Human Exposure

7. Landfill Gas Collection and Control Systems • Passive systems (vent gas to atmosphere through subsurface pipes and buried trenches). • Active systems (pull gas from vertical wells and horizontal pipes and trenches by blowers): • Destroy (combust) gas by flaring or Landfill- Gas-to-Energy LFGTE systems. LFGTE systems recover as energy resource gas otherwise flaredor directly released to the environment; • Treat portion of trace gases by carbon adsorption (methane emitted to atmosphere); • Vent gas without treatment (active venting).

8. Landfill Gas Environmental Control Systems Flare/ LFGTE Plant Intermediate/ Final Cover Gas Header Pipe Leachate Plant Liner System Waste Cells Gas Extraction Wells Monitoring Probes

9. Landfill Gas System Wells and Header; Blowers and Flares

11. Landfill Gas-To-Energy (LFGTE) Landfill Gas-To-Energy (LFGTE) • What types of LFGTE systems are used? • Electricity Generation: IC Engines; Gas and Steam Turbines; Microturbines. • Direct Use and Pipeline Quality. • Vehicle Fuel: compressed (CNG) or liquid (LNG). • How much LFGTE is produced in California? • 62 Landfills with LFGTESystems • 270 MW electrical generating capacity and 28 million cubic feet per day direct/pipeline use • 1 MW ~ 900 households. • What are the barriers to LFGTE?

12. LFGTE: currently about 7% of renewables

13. LFGTE:Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) Kiefer LF, Sac. Co., 14 MW ICE Caterpillar 3516 800 kW genset

14. Puente Hills Landfill, Los Angeles Co. (60 MW) Vehicle Fuel (CNG) Also IC Engines, Direct Use and Microturbines Steam Turbines

15. Landfill Gas-to-Energy: Microturbines Lopez Canyon LF, City of Los Angeles, 50 30kW (1.5 MW)

16. Landfill Gas and GHG Emissions • Why is methane a greenhouse gas (GHG)? • Methane absorbs terrestrial infrared radiation (heat) that would otherwise escape to space (GHG characteristic). • Methane as GHG is 21x more potent by weight than CO2 . • Methane is more abundant in the atmosphere now than over the past 400,000 years and is 150% higher than in year 1750. • What are carbon sinks (sequestration) and what is relation to landfills as GHG sources?

17. Landfill Gas and GHG Emissions • What are the sources of methane in atmosphere? • Human-related sources (60%):, fossil fuel production, animal husbandry, landfills, rice cultivation, biomass burning. • Natural sources (40%): wetlands, gas hydrates, permafrost, termites, oceans, freshwater bodies, non-wetland soils, and others such as wildfires. • Why is landfill methane a GHG concern in CA? • CEC estimates landfill methane 2-4% of CA GHG emissions. Industry position is amount lower and negligible with carbon sequestration role.

18. Improving Landfill Emissions Estimates • Factors, assumptions, and estimates for methane emissions from landfills are poorly understood: • Capture efficiencies of control/recovery systems, • Natural oxidation rates of methane, and • CA-specific data (waste-in-place; control status). • CEC study ($400K) will refine/validate models to improve estimates: • CIWMB technical assistance and coordination, • Stakeholder steering committee established, • Site-specific measurements planned 2007.

19. Improving Landfill Emissions Estimates • CIWMB in-house effort to improve landfill GHG-related data for estimating emissions: • 1.26 billion tons total waste-in-place (WIP) (through 2004); 365 landfills identified with potential for generating landfill gas. • 76% of total WIP is contained in 51 landfills >5 million tons WIP and all with active flare/LFGTE gas control systems. • 95% of total WIP in 149 landfills >1 mil tons WIP and 128 (86%) having control systems.

20. Implications of recent CIWMB GHG-related landfill data • CAT target for Landfill Methane Capture currently 2 MMTCO2E (2010) and 3 MMTCO2E (2020). • More waste in fewer active and larger landfills with existing full control systems. Implications: • More limited potential for GHG reductions from new control systems (est. 0.3 MMTCO2E), • Possibly higher reductions from maximizing gas capture at largest landfills (2+ MMTCO2E), • Indirect reductions from LFGTE for offsets from displaced electricity and fuel production.

21. How Can Landfill Gas Capture Be Maximized? • Optimize system design, construction, operation, and maintenance practices. • Implement GHG-reduction Best Management Practices: • Use of compost in cover materials; and • Implement partial final closure as portions of landfill reach final grades. • Install new active flare/LFGTE systems at sites without control (lead regulatory authority- Local Air Districts).

22. What is CIWMB Currently Doing to Increase Landfill Methane Capture? • Staff activities to increase landfill methane capture: • Continue ongoing effort to improve GHG-related landfill data and emissions estimates. • Continue technical assistance for CEC study. • Submitted Scope of Work for Potential CEC-funded study: “Evaluation and Recommendation of Cost-Effective Technologies and BMPs for Reduction of GHG Emissions from Landfills” • Indirect activities to increase landfill methane capture: • LFGTE Task Force; LFG to H2 fuel studies; LFG Probe Study; general landfill compliance oversight.

23. Summary: Overview and Discussion of Landfill Gas In Relation To Climate Change • Governor Executive Order Establishes Aggressive Statewide Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Targets. • Climate Action Team (CAT) strategies to achieve these targets, including CIWMB responsibility for: 1. Achieve 50% Diversion; 2. High Recycling/Zero Waste; and 3. Landfill Methane Capture (this presentation). • CIWMB activities to implement these are ongoing and in coordination with the CAT. Periodic progress reports will be presented to the Board.