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Methane from city landfill may help power Lincoln

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By ALGIS J. LAUKAITIS / Lincoln Journal Star

Saturday, Jul 05, 2008 - 12:38:52 am CDT

Some day, thousands of Lincoln homes could be powered by methane, a gas produced by decomposing garbage buried deep in a landfill.

The Public Works and Utilities Department is working on a project to extract methane from the Bluff Road Landfill and find some beneficial uses for the gas, including the generation of electricity.

In April, the city asked companies to submit bids for engineering services to help it evaluate and develop such a renewable energy project, which would be a first for Lincoln. Four companies responded: HDR Engineering Inc., Omaha; Wenck Associates, Inc., Maple Plain, Minn.; Aquaterra Environmental Solutions, Omaha; and Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Mo.

Story Photo
Bluff Road Landfill (LJS file)

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Diagram of a methane gas landfill extraction project
Methane and landfills

Landfills are the second-largest single human source of methane emissions in the United States, accounting for nearly 23 percent of all methane sources, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. More than 400 landfills in the United States recover and combust landfill gas to generate heat or electricity, and more than 450 other landfills flare the gas.

Methane is a natural byproduct of decaying garbage. Unless it’s captured, the gas escapes into the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. What comes out of the landfill, though, is not pure methane. Rotting garbage mixes in other things with the methane. The byproduct of all this “garbage cooking” is about 50 percent methane and 49 percent carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases.

Public Utilities Administrator Steve Masters said the city selected HDR to analyze the technical and economic feasibility. He said negotiations are under way and a contract could be signed in the next couple of weeks. Typically, methane is mined through a series of extraction wells in a landfill.

“We will work with them to evaluate what options exist and what potential there might be in making use of the methane,” he said.

Once the feasibility studies are done, the city will evaluate them and ask organizations, companies and other interested parties to submit proposals for projects, possibly by this fall, Masters said. If all goes according to plan, the city could have a project up and running within two years.

“We are concerned with costs. ... It has to meet an economic test,” Masters said.

The city has been talking with Lincoln Electric System staff about using the methane to generate electricity. But LES could be one of several potential users for the gas. Masters said methane also could be used to heat a building or in a manufacturing process.

In fact, he said, it may be more advantageous to the city to find a private company to use the methane. That’s because a private company would be eligible to receive federal renewable energy incentives, something LES would not qualify for because it’s publicly owned.

Masters said the city also is considering using a methane gas project to obtain “carbon credits” and sell them to companies that need such credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions. The revenue, he said, could postpone a rate increase for the city’s landfill operation.

The 171-acre Bluff Road Landfill opened in 1988. Garbage fill depth ranges from 60 to 130 feet. As of Aug. 31, 2007, it contained 5.3 million tons of buried solid waste. The landfill is scheduled to close in 2029, when it reaches full capacity.

Masters said the city looked at using the old landfill north of 48th and Superior streets, now known as Boosalis Park, as a landfill gas operation. However, he said, there’s not enough garbage buried in that landfill to have a cost-effective methane project.

Lincoln won’t be the first municipality to generate electricity from methane harvested from a landfill.

The Omaha Public Power District has been doing so since 2002. Its Elk City Station, adjacent to the Douglas County Landfill, produces 6.4 megawatts, enough electricity to meet the energy needs of 4,000 homes.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.


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russell wrote on July 5, 2008 8:13 am:
" It is good to try use the assets that we already own instead of buying from out of town. Thank you Mr. Masters and City for proceeding with idea. "

 Steve wrote on July 5, 2008 8:18 am:
" They ought to look into a system that Spokane ,Washington uses---they burn the trash through a sophisticated system---I believe they burn 800 tons a day--emit no more pollutants in the air than that of 10 wood-burning stoves and provide electricty to 25,000 homes as well as getting rid of the garbage.It is "state of the art" "

 Sallie wrote on July 5, 2008 11:33 am:
" Can they do the same thing with the council chambers? There's a lot of gas/hot air coming out of there too. "

 TWP wrote on July 5, 2008 1:38 pm:
" This is great news! As long as the polar bears don't object, of course. "

 Al wrote on July 5, 2008 2:05 pm:
" Maybe if we consumed less and threw away less this wouldnt be an issue. Our wastefulness fills the air of our fine city with this dangerous gas. "

 ill believe wrote on July 5, 2008 3:12 pm:
" this where i see it happening. Nebraska has always been twenty years behind the curve on everything. "lets let someone else try it to see if it works and maybe then in a few years we can try". This seems to be the attitude of government in nebraska and lincoln. Several other towns have been using this method and also wind power but good ole nebraska will sit on their duff and wait till something better comes along then wait to see if it works. Hey folks did you ever get those personalized license plates like retired military or knights of columbus like you wanted? Every other state has them. "

 Bubba wrote on July 5, 2008 4:12 pm:
" What is the by product of burning methane? Will this contribute to our global warming? Why take that chance. You are trying to destroy our planet. "

 Dave wrote on July 5, 2008 7:00 pm:
" I think this is a great idea, and hope the city goes through with it. However, I did have to laugh at Bubba's comment, since if you've taken basic chemistry, you'd know that the only byproducts of burning methane are carbon dioxode and water. "

 Bubba wrote on July 5, 2008 9:41 pm:
" Dave, isn't CO2 the major cause of Global warming? Doesn't water vapor increase the temp also by blocking the heat back towards the planet? Even without the basic chemistry you refer to the article states "The byproduct of all this “garbage cooking” is about 50 percent methane and 49 percent carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases." That's more than you said it was. "

 dewboy wrote on July 6, 2008 6:53 pm:
" Sallie has the best idea . However I would also include the 2015 group and the Antelope Valley masterminds (term used loosely) "

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