Attenuation of greenhouse gas emissions via landfill aeration

The effectiveness of landfills aeration has been tested in various countries around the world both in Europe (Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland), North America (USA) and Asia (Japan, Malaysia) for more than 20 years. Different technical solutions, which vary primarily in the method of oxygen supply to the landfill, have been used. The selection of a relevant solution depends mainly on the final intention of its application, landfill construction, available financial resources, and legislation. In Europe, aeration is usually applied as a method for an acceleration of old landfill stabilization, commenced when the landfill gas production becomes insufficient for profitable energy recovery. Such an activity shortens the period of the residual gas production. This gas is usually released to the atmosphere because of problems with its combustion. The accelerated stabilization of waste, by a few-week aeration, is also used as the initial phase preeeding of landfill mining. It allows to obtain an evident improvement in sanitary eonditions before the workers will enter. 

In the United States, the concept of aerobic bioreactor landfill where the wastes are subjected to the active aeration from the early phase of landfill lifetime, was developed. Additionally, in order to accelerate the waste stabilization, the leachate recirculation is used. In Asia, the other solution for the reduction of methane production inside the landfill was elaborated. It consists in landfill self-aeration caused by the differences in inner and outer landfill temperatures (Fukuoka method). 

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