Reducing methane emissions is a front and center priority for landfills, whether through gas collection systems or other means – including methane oxidation, which occurs in landfill cover soils when bacteria in the soil consume the gas. Researchers point to methane oxidation through covers as a key strategy for emissions mitigation, but only fairly recently have landfill operators become aware of the potential impact of this management strategy and how they can leverage it to their advantage.
“When you talk about methane oxidation in covers, one main issue that was happening is no one knew how to quantify it,” says
Tarek Abichou, professor at Florida A&M University-Florida State University (FSU) College of Engineering.