Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Empirical gas emission and oxidation measurement at cover soil of dumping site: example from Malaysia

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Methane (CH4) is one of the most relevant greenhouse gases and it has a global warming potential 25 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2), risking human health and the environment. Microbial CH4 oxidation in landfill cover soils may constitute a means of controlling CH4 emissions. The study was intended to quantify CH4 and CO2 emissions rates at the Sungai Sedu open dumping landfill during the dry season, characterize their spatial and temporal variations, and measure the CH4 oxidation associated with the landfill cover soil using a homemade static flux chamber. Concentrations of the gases were analyzed by a Micro-GC CP-4900. Two methods, kriging values and inverse distance weighting (IDW), were found almost identical. The findings of the proposed method show that the ratio of CH4 to CO2 emissions was 25.4 %, indicating higher CO2 emissions than CH4 emissions. Also, the average CH4 oxidation in the landfill cover soil was 52.5 %. The CH4 and CO2 emissions did not show fixed-pattern temporal variation based on daytime measurements. Statistically, a negative relationship was found between CH4 emissions and oxidation (R 2 = 0.46). It can be concluded that the variation in the CH4 oxidation was mainly attributed to the properties of the landfill cover soil.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abichou, T., Chanton, J., Powelson, D., Fleiger, J., Escoriaza, S., Lei, Y., & Stern, J. (2006). Methane flux and oxidation at two types of intermediate landfill covers. Waste Management, 26, 1305–1312.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Abichou, T., Powelson, D., Chanton, J., & Escoriaza, S. (2006). Characterization of methane oxidation at a solid waste landfill. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 132, 220–229.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Abushammala, M. F. M., Basri, N. E. A., Basri, H., & Kadhum, A. A. H. (2009). Review on landfill gas emission to the atmosphere. European Journal of Scientific Research, 30, 427–436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abushammala, M. F. M., Basri, N. E. A., Basri, H., Kadhum, A. A. H., & El-Shafie, A. H. (2010). Estimation of methane emission from landfills in Malaysia using the IPCC 2006 FOD model. Journal of Applied Sciences, 10, 1603–1609.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Abushammala, M. F. M., Basri, N. E. A., Basri, H., El-Shafie, A. H., & Kadhum, A. A. H. (2011). Regional landfills methane emission inventory in Malaysia. Waste Management & Research, 29, 863–873.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bogner, J., Meadows, M., & Czepiel, P. (1997). Fluxes of CH4 between landfills and the atmosphere: Natural engineered control. Soil Use and Management, 3, 268–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohn, S., & Jager, J. (2009). Microbial methane oxidation in landfill top covers-process study on an MBT landfill. In: Proceedings from Sardinia 2009, Twelfth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Italy; 5–9 October 2009.

  • Börjesson, G., Danielsson, Å., & Svensson, B. H. (1999). Methane fluxes from Swedish landfills. Final report by Department of Water and Environmental Studies, University of Linköping (in Linköping) and IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute (in Stockholm), Printed by Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm, Sweden.

  • Chen, I. C., Hegde, U., Chang, C. H., & Yang, S. S. (2008). Methane and carbon dioxide emissions from closed landfill in Taiwan. Chemosphere, 70, 1484–1491.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, X., Luo, Y., Xu, Q., Lin, G., Zhan, Q., Chen, J., & Li, B. (2010). Seasonal variation in CH4 emission and its 13C-isotopic signature from Spartina alterniflora and Scirpus mariqueter soils in an estuarine wetland. Plant and Soil, 327, 85–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christophersen, M., Kjeldsen, P., Holst, H., & Chanton, J. (2001). Lateral gas transport in soil adjacent to an old landfill: Factors governing emissions and methane oxidation. Waste Management & Research, 19, 595–612.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eklund, B. (1992). Practical guidance for flux chamber measurements of fugitive volatile organic emission rates. Air & Waste Management Association, 42, 1583–1591.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fourie, A. B., & Morris, J. W. F. (2004). Measured gas emissions from four landfills in South Africa and some implications for landfill design and methane recovery in semi-arid climates. Waste Management & Research, 22, 440–453.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Head, K. H. (1992). Manual of soil laboratory testing (2nd ed., Vol. 1). London: Pentech.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huber-Humer, M. (2004). International research into landfill gas emissions and mitigation strategies-IWWG working group “CLEAR”. Waste Management, 24, 425–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huber-Humer, M., Gebert, J., & Hilger, H. (2008). Biotic systems to mitigate landfill methane emissions. Waste Management & Research, 26, 33–46.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). (2007). Climate change 2007: working group III: mitigation of climate change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ishigaki, T., Yamada, M., Nagamori, M., Ono, Y., & Inoue, Y. (2005). Estimation of methane emission from whole waste landfill site using correlation between flux and ground temperature. Environmental Geology, 48, 845–853.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kamarudin, W. N. B. (2008). The CDM/sustainable energy market in Malaysia. Malaysian Energy Center (PTM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Copenhagen, Denmark.

  • Kennedy, J., Keefer, T., Paige, G., & Barnes, E. (2003). Evaluation of dielectric constant-based soil moisture sensors in a semiarid rangeland. In: Proceedings of the First Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds (ICRW), 27–30 October 2003, Benson, AZ.

  • Kiese, R., & Butterbach-Bahl, K. (2002). N2O and CO2 emissions from three different tropic forest sites in the wet tropics of Queensland, Australia. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 34, 975–987.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kightley, D., Nedwell, D. B., & Cooper, M. (1995). Capacity for methane oxidation in landfill cover soils measured in laboratory-scale soil microcosms. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 61, 592–601.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Livingston, G. P., & Hutchinson, G. L. (1995). Enclosure-based measurement of trace gas exchange: applications and sources of error. In P. A. Matson & R. C. Harriss (Eds.), Biogenic trace gases: measuring emissions from soil and water (pp. 14–51). Cambridge: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maurice, C., & Lagerkvist, A. (2003). LFG emission measurements in cold climatic conditions: Seasonal variations and methane emissions mitigation. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 36, 37–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of energy, water and communications, Malaysia energy center, Danida (2004). Study on clean development mechanism potential in the waste sectors in Malaysia. Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Component (Sub-Component III: CDM Action Plan). Final report activity 1.3 (a).

  • Mulla, D. J., & McBratney, A. B. (2002). Soil spatial variability. In A. W. Warrick (Ed.), Soil physics companion (pp. 343–373). Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, S. M. (1993). Organic matter in tropical soils: Current conditions, concerns and prospects for conservation. Progress in Physical Geography, 17, 265–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spokas, K., Graff, C., Morcet, M., & Aran, C. (2003). Implications of the spatial variability of landfill emission rates on geospatial analyses. Waste Management, 23, 599–607.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, J. C., Chanton, J., Abichou, T., Powelson, D., Yuan, L., Escoriza, S., & Bogner, J. (2007). Use of biologically active cover to reduce landfill methane emissions and enhance methane oxidation. Waste Management, 27, 1248–1258.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Surfer. (2002). Surfer 8 user's guide. Golden: Golden Software, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tecle, D., Lee, J., & Hasan, S. (2008). Quantitative analysis of physical and geotechnical factors affecting methane emission in municipal solid waste landfill. Environmental Geology, 56, 1135–1143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Themelis, N. J., & Ulloa, P. A. (2007). Methane generation in landfills. Renewable Energy, 32, 1243–1257.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, H., He, P., & Shao, L. (2008). Methane emissions from MSW landfill with sandy soil covers under leachate recirculation and subsurface irrigation. Atmospheric Environment, 42, 5579–5588.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, G., Ji, Y., Ma, J., Xu, H., Cai, Z., & Yagi, K. (2012). Intermittent irrigation changes production, oxidation, and emission of CH4 in paddy fields determined with stable carbon isotope technique. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 52, 108–116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was financed by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) under research grant UKM-GUP-ASPL-08-06-208. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Alam Flora Company staff for their assistance with this research and Tuwati B. Tuwati for his assistance with field sampling.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mohammed F. M. Abushammala, Noor Ezlin Ahmad Basri, Hassan Basri & Ahmed Hussein El-Shafie

  2. Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Abdul Amir H. Kadhum

Authors
  1. Mohammed F. M. Abushammala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Noor Ezlin Ahmad Basri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hassan Basri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Abdul Amir H. Kadhum
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ahmed Hussein El-Shafie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohammed F. M. Abushammala.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Abushammala, M.F.M., Basri, N.E.A., Basri, H. et al. Empirical gas emission and oxidation measurement at cover soil of dumping site: example from Malaysia. Environ Monit Assess 185, 4919–4932 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2913-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2913-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation