Electric energy generation from landfill biogas — Case study and barriers

Biogas, formed from degradation of organic matters, is composed by a mixture of gases, the main components being carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄), which is a greenhouse gas with global warming potential 20 times greater compared to CO₂. The production of biogas is possible from the degradation of organic matters, like urban solid waste, waste from agricultural and cattle breeding activities, wastewater and others. Landfills can have a system for capture of the biogas produced and its later burn in flare, where methane is transformed in carbon dioxide, minimizing environmental impacts. Besides the opportunities to reduce environmental damages, biogas can also be used as a fuel to electric energy generation, this way increasing environmental gains and costs reduction due to decreased purchasing power of the local utility, or also due to the sale of surplus electricity. One can also include the opportunity to earn carbon credits through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) established under the Kyoto Protocol. In this context, this paper presents the project to use biogas from the treatment of urban solid waste to generate electricity at Essencis´ Landfill, in Sao Paulo / SP - Brazil, besides the barriers found for this use. This project was funded by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME).