Landfill gas to Energy research in the Combustion and Catalysis

Landfill Gas to Energy This research investigates the utilization of landfill gas, an abundant waste product, by reforming it to syngas that can be converted to liquid fuels using Fischer Tropsch or to a H2 rich stream using water-gas shift. 65% of the 413 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated per year in the United States is landfilled, and 67% of the landfilled MSW is composed of biomass [1]. This biomass decomposes in landfills to produces gas mixtures of approximately 45-55% CH4, 30-40% CO2, 10-15% N2, 0-5% O2, and other trace compounds, but the composition varies depending on the type of waste and the age of the landfill. Currently less than 10% of this gas is captured and used for energy [2]. This is likely to change as the demand for energy increases making complete and efficient utilization of LFG more important.