Passive methane oxidation biosystems design and instrumentation

Landfill emissions can continue for decades after biogas extraction systems have been turned off. The possibility of land reclamation projects, such as turning an old landfill into a park, depends of passive, low-maintenance, technologies that can cope with these emissions.
The main goal of this research is to design, construct and monitor a pilot-scale passive methane oxidation biosystem (PMOB) at the old Montreal landfill, which is being turned into a park (Frédérik-Bach parc).
Our main hypothesis is that our design methodology will lead to an effective PMOB, i.e. one capable of abating the majority of the CH4 being collected from a lateral trench, where the biogas is poor in CH4. This design methodology is based mainly on the hydraulic properties of the PMOB and how they can affect gas migration.
The candidate will help documenting the effectiveness of this pilot-scale PMOB. She will bring back to Brazil the main elements of design to complete her doctoral program, which focuses on methane oxidation in landfill covers.

Faculty Supervisor:

Alexandre Cabral

Student:

Partner:

Universidade Federal de Campina Grande

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Biotechnology; Sustainability & the Environment

University:

Université de Sherbrooke

Program: