Recently in the News I saw a Company that takes garbage dumps - they seal it with a cover and humidify it watching a specific dew point level the cover is plastic sheet material and they weigh it all down on top with old tires. Before they do this they build a recovery center in the middle and pipe it out. Apparently it makes a lot of methane.
Quote:
Marturano estimates the 1-E landfill can keep collecting methane for 20 more years or so. He said the energy produced by the four landfills in the Meadowlands district powers about 25,000 homes.
The Edgeboro landfill in East Brunswick, operated by the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, has been collecting methane since 2001 and currently generates about 13 megawatts of electricity, enough for about 13,000 homes for a year, according to Public Service Electric and Gas, the state's largest utility.
The Middlesex County agency uses the electricity generated by the Edgeboro landfill's methane to power the county's wastewater treatment plant in Sayreville. Last year, that saved the authority about $3 million, according to executive director Rich Fitamant.
Methane gas is produced by micro-organisms that feed on organic matter in trash. The bacteria are not picky eaters and have adapted to feasting on wood, cardboard or plastic if food waste isn't available.
"It's evolution on a fast track," Marturano said.
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