Landfills that have greater than one million metric tons of waste in place, are currently in operation or recently closed, have a waste depth of approximately 40 ft, and have more than 30 acres available for recovery can be cost-effective gas producers for years to come. Unfortunately, not everyone can take advantage of this regenerative resource. As a general rule, landfills bearing the cost to supply gas outside their premises are limited to a range of approximately five miles from their end user. However, as technology and demand in this field increases, economics may lead to longer distributive ranges. In many cases, an outside contractor who agrees to become the fuel supplier typically undertakes the costs associated with developing the necessary pipeline and processing equipment.
Landfill gas is inherently dirty and wet when first extracted from the landfill.
Typically, the gas is extracted through a matrix of drilled wells held under vacuum via the intake side of a sufficiently sized blower. It is then filtered by several types of membrane separators, compressed and refrigerated to remove moisture. However, the key for efficient use in ceramic kilns is that it must be cleaned, dewatered and provided at the same consistent pressures as natural gas. Requirements are typically more stringent for ceramic manufacturing compared to other LFG applications because of the need to maintain a controlled high temperature environment. Modifying your plant to accept landfill gas may require installing a booster pump as the gas enters your facility to ensure constant pressure to your system and eliminate problems with surge.