Landfill gases: Characteristics and treatment

Abstract

With the increase of population and change in lifestyle, the quantity and quality of solid waste has drastically changed in Indian society. Aspects involved in solid waste management are mostly, collection, transportation, disposal and processing. The disposal of solid waste is concerned with disposal process followed and availability of disposal land. Proper care should be taken in choosing the disposal area and disposal mechanism. Monitoring of the sites is priority criteria for successful management of solid waste as leachate generation occurs which is associated with ground water as well as surface water contamination near dumping sites. Surface water system situated near the disposal or landfill sites shows more toxicity as the dose of toxicants passage from the nearby landfill [1]. This note is simplified on the basis of guidelines on landfill gas management by SEPA, 2004 [2]. Through this short note, authors make a glimpse of landfill gas characteristics and management practices.