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Title:
Global Biogenic Emission of Carbon Dioxide from Landfills
Authors:
Lima, R.; Nolasco, D.; Meneses, W.; Salazar, J.; Hernández, P.; Pérez, N.
Affiliation:
AA(Environmental Research Division, ITER, Granadilla, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Granadilla, 38611 Spain ), AB(Environmental Research Division, ITER, Granadilla, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Granadilla, 38611 Spain ;), AC(Faculty of Chemistry, University of La Laguna, Av. Fco. Sanchez, La Laguna, 38206 Spain ;), AD(Environmental Research Division, ITER, Granadilla, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Granadilla, 38611 Spain ;), AE(Environmental Research Division, ITER, Granadilla, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Granadilla, 38611 Spain ;), AF(Environmental Research Division, ITER, Granadilla, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Granadilla, 38611 Spain ;)
Publication:
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #B51A-0703
Publication Date:
12/2002
Origin:
AGU
Keywords:
0345 Pollution: urban and regional (0305), 0400 BIOGEOSCIENCES
Bibliographic Code:
2002AGUFM.B51A0703L

Abstract

Human-induced increases in the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gas components have been underway over the past century and are expected to drive climate change in the coming decades. Carbon dioxide was responsible for an estimated 55 % of the antropogenically driven radiactive forcing of the atmosphere in the 1980s and is predicted to have even greater importance over the next century (Houghton et al., 1990). A highly resolved understanding of the sources and sinks of atmospheric CO2, and how they are affected by climate and land use, is essential in the analysis of the global carbon cycle and how it may be impacted by human activities. Landfills are biochemical reactors that produce CH4 and CO2 emissions due to anaerobic digestion of solid urban wastes. Estimated global CH4 emission from landfills is about 44 millions tons per year and account for a 7.4 % of all CH4 sources (Whiticar, 1989). Observed CO2/CH4 molar ratios from landfill gases lie within the range of 0.7-1.0; therefore, an estimated global biogenic emission of CO2 from landfills could reach levels of 11.2-16 millions tons per year. Since biogas extraction systems are installed for extracting, purifying and burning the landfill gases, most of the biogenic gas emission to the atmosphere from landfills occurs through the surface environment in a diffuse and disperse form, also known as non-controlled biogenic emission. Several studies of non-controlled biogenic gas emission from landfills showed that CO2/CH4 weight ratios of surface landfill gases, which are directly injected into the atmosphere, are about 200-300 times higher than those observed in the landfill wells, which are usually collected and burned by gas extraction systems. This difference between surface and well landfill gases is mainly due to bacterial oxidation of the CH4 to CO2 inducing higher CO2/CH4 ratios for surface landfill gases than those well landfill gases. Taking into consideration this observation, the global biogenic CO2 emission from landfills could be estimated about 8.8-13.2\times103 million tons per year, equivalent to a 0.04-0.06 % of the fossil fuel emission of CO2.
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