Landfill methane could be used to power garbage trucks
The Lycoming County landfill in Pennsylvania may one day refuel some of the trucks that deliver waste, using methane gas made from that waste. The ambitious project will run parallel to the production of methane gas for an electric plant on site. About 33 percent of the methane produced is dedicated to electricity. Building an adjacent liquid-methane truck-fuel production facility would cost between $8 million and $30 million. Up to 5,000 gallons of liquid methane could be produced a day, or enough to satisfy the appetite of 30 trucks. About 230 trucks deliver waste to the landfill each day.[Source: David Thompson / Williamsport Sun-Gazette]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph 4:47PM (4/27/2007)
Sounds good. They pick up trash, and are powered by the trash's gas!
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Chris 7:01PM (4/27/2007)
Neat idea...but...
I wonder what the energy balance looks like in converting the landfill gas to liquid for use in trucks. Is that 33% generating the power to run the gas->liquid system?
Why landfill organic materials (which are what generate the gas) when you can source seperate them and generate more/higher quality resources, decrease pollution, and increase the lifespan of the existing landfill.
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Rick 8:51AM (4/28/2007)
Waste Management has been doing this in LA for a couple of years now.
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