"Composition of VOC Emissions from the Sycamore Landfill"
"Composition of VOC Emissions from the Sycamore Landfill"
Authors: Steven Klafka, Mary Anders, Jason Hung,
Dylan
Keenan, Anthony Kolb, Daniel Kraut, Cliff Wright
Organization: University of Wisconsin, Department
of Civil & Environmental Engineering
ABSTRACT
Landfill gas (LFG) samples were taken from
various
locations at the Sycamore Landfill in Madison, Wisconsin. The LFG
was analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOC) including vinyl
chloride,
benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene. Sampling
locations
include leachate extraction wells, the perimeter gas extraction blower
system, and the landfill surface. Surface measurements required
the
development of gas collection chambers, and included areas of known
fractures
in the landfill cap as well as randomly selected locations.
Measurements
indicated that, except for fractured areas of the cap, much of the
surface
released negligible VOC to the atmosphere. Variations in the LFG
composition suggests the attenuation of biodegradable VOC in the
emissions
from the unfractured landfill surface and gas extraction system.
The least biodegradable compound, vinyl chloride, showed the least
reduction
in all sampling locations. The VOC composition of LFG from the
interior
of the landfill was most comparable to LFG from the surface fractures.