Assessment of CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions from a Municipal Waste Landfill: Trends, Dispersion, and Environmental Implications
The European Union views biogas production from landfills as a crucial element in achieving decarbonization goals by 2050. Biogas is primarily composed of methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), produced through the anaerobic digestion of various residua...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/7/752 |
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| author | Georgeta Olguta Gavrila Gabriela Geanina Vasile Simona Mariana Calinescu Cristian Constantin Gheorghita Tanase Alexandru Cirstea Valentin Stancu Valeriu Danciulescu Cristina Orbeci |
| author_facet | Georgeta Olguta Gavrila Gabriela Geanina Vasile Simona Mariana Calinescu Cristian Constantin Gheorghita Tanase Alexandru Cirstea Valentin Stancu Valeriu Danciulescu Cristina Orbeci |
| author_sort | Georgeta Olguta Gavrila |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The European Union views biogas production from landfills as a crucial element in achieving decarbonization goals by 2050. Biogas is primarily composed of methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), produced through the anaerobic digestion of various residual materials. This study aimed to investigate CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations from municipal solid waste in biogas capture wells in a landfill in Romania between 2023 and 2024. A peak in CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations occurred in the fall of 2024 (P4 well), while the highest CO<sub>2</sub> content was recorded in the summer of 2023 (P3 well). The Aermod View software platform (version 11.2.0) was employed to model the dispersion of pollutants in the surrounding air. A worst-case scenario was applied to estimate the highest ground-level pollutant concentrations. The highest recorded CH<sub>4</sub> concentration was 90.1 mg/m<sup>3</sup>, while CO<sub>2</sub> reached 249 mg/m<sup>3</sup> within the landfill. The highest CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations were found in the southern part of the site, less than 1 km from the landfill, while CO<sub>2</sub> was highest in the northern area. In conclusion, municipal solid waste landfills behave like unpredictable bioreactors, and without proper management and oversight, they can pose significant risks. An integrated system that combines prevention, reuse, and correct disposal is critical to minimizing these negative effects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c62d9ce45bbc4de9aa3674bfb3bab9b2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-c62d9ce45bbc4de9aa3674bfb3bab9b22025-08-20T02:45:43ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332025-06-0116775210.3390/atmos16070752Assessment of CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions from a Municipal Waste Landfill: Trends, Dispersion, and Environmental ImplicationsGeorgeta Olguta Gavrila0Gabriela Geanina Vasile1Simona Mariana Calinescu2Cristian Constantin3Gheorghita Tanase4Alexandru Cirstea5Valentin Stancu6Valeriu Danciulescu7Cristina Orbeci8National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology ECOIND, 57-73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, 060652 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology ECOIND, 57-73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, 060652 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology ECOIND, 57-73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, 060652 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology ECOIND, 57-73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, 060652 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology ECOIND, 57-73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, 060652 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology ECOIND, 57-73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, 060652 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology ECOIND, 57-73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, 060652 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology ECOIND, 57-73 Drumul Podu Dambovitei, 060652 Bucharest, RomaniaFaculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 1-7 Gheorghe Polizu, 011061 Bucharest, RomaniaThe European Union views biogas production from landfills as a crucial element in achieving decarbonization goals by 2050. Biogas is primarily composed of methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), produced through the anaerobic digestion of various residual materials. This study aimed to investigate CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations from municipal solid waste in biogas capture wells in a landfill in Romania between 2023 and 2024. A peak in CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations occurred in the fall of 2024 (P4 well), while the highest CO<sub>2</sub> content was recorded in the summer of 2023 (P3 well). The Aermod View software platform (version 11.2.0) was employed to model the dispersion of pollutants in the surrounding air. A worst-case scenario was applied to estimate the highest ground-level pollutant concentrations. The highest recorded CH<sub>4</sub> concentration was 90.1 mg/m<sup>3</sup>, while CO<sub>2</sub> reached 249 mg/m<sup>3</sup> within the landfill. The highest CH<sub>4</sub> concentrations were found in the southern part of the site, less than 1 km from the landfill, while CO<sub>2</sub> was highest in the northern area. In conclusion, municipal solid waste landfills behave like unpredictable bioreactors, and without proper management and oversight, they can pose significant risks. An integrated system that combines prevention, reuse, and correct disposal is critical to minimizing these negative effects.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/7/752emissionsmunicipal waste landfillbiogasCH<sub>4</sub>CO<sub>2</sub>dispersion |
| spellingShingle | Georgeta Olguta Gavrila Gabriela Geanina Vasile Simona Mariana Calinescu Cristian Constantin Gheorghita Tanase Alexandru Cirstea Valentin Stancu Valeriu Danciulescu Cristina Orbeci Assessment of CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions from a Municipal Waste Landfill: Trends, Dispersion, and Environmental Implications Atmosphere emissions municipal waste landfill biogas CH<sub>4</sub> CO<sub>2</sub> dispersion |
| title | Assessment of CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions from a Municipal Waste Landfill: Trends, Dispersion, and Environmental Implications |
| title_full | Assessment of CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions from a Municipal Waste Landfill: Trends, Dispersion, and Environmental Implications |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions from a Municipal Waste Landfill: Trends, Dispersion, and Environmental Implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions from a Municipal Waste Landfill: Trends, Dispersion, and Environmental Implications |
| title_short | Assessment of CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> Emissions from a Municipal Waste Landfill: Trends, Dispersion, and Environmental Implications |
| title_sort | assessment of ch sub 4 sub and co sub 2 sub emissions from a municipal waste landfill trends dispersion and environmental implications |
| topic | emissions municipal waste landfill biogas CH<sub>4</sub> CO<sub>2</sub> dispersion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/7/752 |
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