Application of the IPCC model to a Brazilian landfill: First results

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gave a methodology to estimate the methane emissions from Municipal Solid Wastes landfills, based on a First Order Decay (FOD) model that assumes biodegradation kinetics depending on the type of wastes. This model can be used to estimate both the National greenhouse gas emissions in the industrialized countries as well as the reductions of these emissions in the developing ones when the Clean Development Mechanism, as defined by the Kyoto Protocol, is implemented. In this paper, the FOD model has been use to evaluate the biogas flow rates emitted by a Brazilian landfill and the results have been compared to the extracted ones: some first results can be useful to evidence the weight of key parameters and do a correct use of the model.

► Landfill biogas is greenhouse gas and fuel at the same time.
► In developing countries its collection can implement Kyoto Protocol mechanisms.
► Biogas collection and exploiting become part of energy policy.
► Project economical balance is based on reliable estimates of generated quantities.