Investigating the length of data collection period with respect to rate constant in the first-order decay model

The first-order decay model is the only highly recommended method for estimating landfill gas emissions from solid waste disposal sites according to 2006 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Guidelines. It is also encouraged to collect relevant activity data over the past 50 years to apply the first-order decay model. Even though it is beneficial to facilitate the accuracy of landfill gas emissions estimation, it may not be an easy task to collect reliable data for such a long period of time. It is discussed in this study that a data collection over a shorter period of time may yield a comparable accuracy for emissions estimation depending on methane generation rate or half-life of landfill wastes. Based on the analysis of mathematical properties of the first-order decay model, the estimation accuracy with respect to the length of data collection period has been investigated. Finally, it is also proposed how to estimate the amount of landfill gas emissions and analyze the level of estimation accuracy considering the length of time period since the deposition of wastes.