Landfill operators globally are being pressed to reduce methane emissions. Measuring is the first step in managing. The methane measurement needs of the solid waste sector are unique and technologies developed for use in the oil and gas sector may or may not be successful. Landfills are large features (up to sq km), emit from a combination of point and area sources, and air flow around the complex topography may interfere with downwind measurement.

In 2023, we were contracted by the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) to execute a controlled release program to evaluate methane measurement technologies under full-scale realistic conditions. Over the summer and fall of 2023, we built and operated a 12-hectare controlled release study site on a closed landfill near Sarnia Ontario. The landfill has classic topography with 30 m elevation change, and an effective collection system with very low baseline emissions. The capabilities of the test facility were very unique. We could release methane in a controlled fashion from a combination of 10 remote-controlled point sources and area sources (several hundred sq m) spread across the 12-hectare test facility.

Sixteen different technologies from all across North America came to site in 2023 for blind testing of detection and quantification abilities up to 300 kg/hr. Satellites to aircraft to drones, to trucks and ground sensors participated. Mobile technologies performed well during quantification trials. Almost all values were within 3x of known release rates, and more often within 0.5x with high correlation (generally R2>0.75) between estimates and known release rates. In leak detection trials, results were far more variable with some technologies performing very well, and others not delivering expected outcomes. Watch for an upcoming research paper!

In 2024, again with EREF support, we are re-establishing the test site in Petrolia Ontario, that we’re now calling SIMFLEX – the Simulation and Measurement Facility for Landfill Emission Experiments. Design changes will allow us to operate the site more permanently, which helps lower cost for future experiments. The new site will incorporate 11 computer-controlled point- and area-sources with capacity to emit up to ~840 kg/hr. We are planning some specific experiments over the coming year with additional technical leadership from Tarek Abichou at Florida State University. We will seek funding for future experiments at this globally unique test facility to help improve methane measurement and management at landfills.

For information on SIMFLEX please contact Dave Risk drisk@stfx.ca