Estimation of gas emission from municipal solid waste landfill in Kuhdasht city using LandGEM software

Background: Large amount of solid waste is annually produced in Kuhdasht city. These waste materials are decomposed by anaerobic microorganisms after burying in disposal site and produce large amounts of gases (mainly methane and carbon dioxide). This study aimed to estimate the gas emission from solid waste disposal of Kuhdasht city using a tool known as LandGEM software. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three steps. In the first stage, physical analysis of the waste materials was carried out. In the second stage, the population of the city was calculated for different years of the plan based on growth rate factor and other influencing factors. In the third stage, the amount of methane emissions and the production potential was obtained. Finally, by entering the data into the software the amount of landfill gas emission was calculated. Results: The generated gases from Kuhdasht landfill was estimated based on the 50% as volume percentage for methanT, 202 m3 / Mg as a potential gas production and 0.045 y-1 as methane production rate. The results showed that the maximum emissions occurred in 2019. The total amount of LFGs, methane, carbon dioxide, non-methane materials were 7013, 1873, 5140, 80.52 Mg /y, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the proportional volumes of different gases are produced at Kuhdasht landfill. Based on these results, the gas generation in the landfill is in agreement with the classic pattern of gas generation in the landfills. So it is possible to apply some plans to use methane gas for energy production, as well as strategies for controlling the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.