Abstract
As waste production exponentially increases, landfill continues to be the common waste disposal method. Landfills are significant sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing to global climate change. This study focuses on assessing the gaseous emissions and dispersion patterns of two major greenhouse gases, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), from landfill sites situated in an arid hot environment. We used ISC-AERMOD- dispersion model was employed to estimate the release and dispersion rates of CH4 and CO2 from major landfill sites across Kuwait under different seasonal conditions. The dispersions of CH4 and CO2 were influenced by the dominant northwestern and southeastern wind directions and thus, the dispersion of CH4 and CO2 extended predominantly toward northeastern direction. The maximum concentrations of CH4 and CO2 were detected in winter and spring seasons, close to the landfill zone, and the dispersion of CH4 and CO2 fluxes during winter and spring seasons was longer than that during summer and fall seasons. Consequently, residential areas close to the disposal sites were exposed to higher concentrations of CH4 and CO2 gases during winter and spring. This study helps assess which areas are best suited for landfill sites under desert climatic conditions, in consideration towards distances that gaseous emissions can disperse.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Human Impacts and Responsibility
KEYWORDS
Air dispersion model, Greenhouse gas emission, Landfill, Municipal solid waste
