Measurements of methane emissions from landfills using a time correlation tracer method based on FTIR absorption spectroscopy

Methane is an important climate gas contributing significantly to global warming. A large part of the anthropogenic emissions of methane comes from landfills. Due to the biogenic origin of these emissions and the inhomogeneous characteristics of landfills and their soil cover, these emissions show large spatial variation. Thus, development of reliable and cost-effective methods for measurements of these emissions is an important task and a challenge to the scientific community. Traditionally, field chamber methods have been used but also different area integrating methods based on downwind plume measurements. These measurements have been supported by meteorological data either directly from local measurements or by controlled release of tracer gas from the landfill providing the dispersion characteristics of the plume. in this paper we describe a method, the Time Correlation Tracer method, combining controlled tracer gas release from the landfill with time-resolved concentration measurements downwind the landfill using FTIR absorption spectroscopy. The method has been tested and used on measurements at a landfill in southern Sweden over the past 1.5 years. The method has proven to be a usable method for measurements of total methane emission from landfills, and under favorable meteorological conditions we estimate an achievable accuracy of 15-30%. The real time analysis capability of the FTIR makes it possible to judge the success of the measurement already on site and to decide whether more measurements are necessary. The measurement strategy is relatively simple and straightforward, and one person can make a measurement from a medium sized landfill (1-4 ha) within a few days to a week depending on the meteorological situation.