Sustainable Biocover System for Methane Oxidation in Landfills

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The objective of this research project is to develop a new low-cost, practical, and sustainable soil system amended with biochar to effectively mitigate landfill methane emissions. Municipal solid waste landfills are the third largest anthropogenic source of methane emissions in the US. There is an urgent need to develop cost-effective innovative cover systems that can mitigate methane emissions from landfills. An integrated research program, consisting of controlled laboratory batch and column experiments, mathematical modeling, and a field demonstration, will be undertaken to investigate: (1) the physical, geochemical and geotechnical properties of biochars and biochar-amended soils; (2) the transport and enhanced adsorption of biochars and biochar-amended cover soils for methane and oxygen; (3) the rates of methane oxidation in biochars and biochar-amended soils; (4) the factors controlling the simultaneous competing or synergistic interactions between adsorption and oxidation of methane under various conditions (biochar properties, soil composition, methane concentrations, moisture contents, and temperatures); (5) the development of a mechanistic model for methane oxidation within biochar and biochar-amended landfill covers; and (6) the performance in a full-scale field demonstration to verify the validity of the research findings and viability of practical application. In addition, a guidance manual will be prepared for the design of biochar and biochar-amended soil cover systems for landfill applications. This project will determine the fundamental mechanisms responsible for stimulation of soil microorganisms in biochar, including the contribution of porous structure and high surface area to gaseous adsorption, moisture retention, and colonization by methanotrophic populations. This project will result in a creative, low-cost, sustainable biochar and biochar-amended soil cover system to mitigate methane emissions at landfills and protect the environment and public health. Two graduate students will have the opportunity to gain research experience through this project in emerging field of sustainable geo-engineering. Research skills and instrumentation developed for this project will enhance classroom instruction at the undergraduate level, the graduate level, and for K-12 teachers in the "Teachers as Scholars" Program. A teaching module "Engineering with Biochar" will be developed and incorporated into the existing Landfill Engineering and Sustainable Engineering courses. The project results will be widely disseminated by: (1) organizing a workshop for practicing and regulatory professionals, (2) publishing refereed journal/conference papers, and (3) participating in the Illinois and US Biochar Groups.