Landfill Codisposal of On-Site Vegetation and Coal Combustion Residuals: Implications for Gas Management

Historically, ash from coal combustion has been disposed of in ponds that were not designed with engineered containment systems. As a result of regulatory changes, it is estimated that coal combustion residuals (CCRs) from hundreds of unlined ponds will have to be excavated and disposed of in new lined landfills or the existing CCR ponds will have to been closed in-place with an engineered final cover system. The excavated or in-place CCR may contain vegetative matter that has the potential to decompose to CH4 and CO2. The objective of this study was to demonstrate a framework to assess the need for a gas collection system to accommodate the disposal of a mixture of CCR and vegetation in a lined landfill. Methane generation rates and yields for vegetative matter mixed with CCR were measured in biochemical methane potential and specific methane activity tests at 15, 20, and 37 °C. The data were then used to parameterize a methane generation model to estimate the gas flux at the landfill surface for a series of hypothetical disposal scenarios. Results showed that the specific decay rate constant (k) ranged from 0.00037 to 0.00872 yr–1, while the methane yield (L0) ranged from 84 to 120 mL CH4/dry g. Temperature was the most important determinant of the decomposition behavior. Simulations of gas flux for several disposal scenarios showed that the modeled flux from the decomposition of vegetation was below the CH4 and CO2 transmission rates reported for a geomembrane liner final cover system, suggesting that an active gas collection will not be necessary under the modeled disposal conditions.