Amgen Cymru


Amgen Cymru
Amgen Cymru

Landfill Gas Management System

The landfill gas management system at Bryn Pica was commissioned in 2003. It consists of a series of vertical pipes (wells) installed within the landfill waste. These wells extract landfill gas from the waste diverting it to a gas management compound for processing and safe disposal.

Bryn Pica - Landfill Gas Management System

The gas mostly consists of Methane (CH4) which is produced during the breakdown of biodegradable waste. This gas is burned at high temperatures with the resulting energy generated utilised to produce electricity which in turn is fed into the National Grid.

Green Electricity

Landfill gas power generation begins with the decomposition of biodegradable waste within the landfill mass to produce "landfill gas". Methane, a major component of landfill gas, is a known greenhouse gas, about 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Landfill operators are obliged under the landfill directive to control landfill gas migration and emissions by collecting the gas and burning it in a high-temperature flare, thus converting it to carbon dioxide. The story often ended there until the introduction of the Government's Renewables Obligations in April 2002.

The Renewable Obligation is a legal mechanism, which obligates the electricity suppliers to source an increasing proportion of their power from renewable sources. Renewable sources include wind, hydro and biomass methods, including landfill gas. The combination of the government's Renewables Obligations and Landfill Directive resulted in landfill operators finding it ethically and commercially viable to utilise this often overlooked resource to create "green" electricity.

Bryn Pica, Llwydcoed, Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF44 0BX
Tel: 01685 870770
amgen-cymru.com - Tue 19 Mar 2024 06:30:01