LFG-based Landfill Leachate Treatment
Facility Enters Commercial Operation

A facility developed by CommonWealth Resource Management Corporation that uses landfill gas (LFG) to safely and effectively dispose of landfill leachate has begun operating on a commercial basis at a private municipal solid waste landfill in northern New Hampshire. Known as the North Country LFG Utilization Facility, and owned and operated by a CRMC subsidiary, CommonWealth Bethlehem Energy LLC, the facility uses LFG collected from the landfill to destroy the leachate by combustion in an on-site enclosed flare. The project has the capacity to treat up to 7,200 gallons of leachate per day with the use of up to 1,750 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) of LFG. Emission levels for carbon monoxide (CO) and non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) measured during a recent stack test were all substantially below limits established for the project by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

LFG-based Landfill Leachate Treatment Facility

Type: Direct injection into enclosed flare
LFG flows: 1,750 scfm maximum, 1,300 typical
Leachate flows: 7,200 gpd maximum (3-5 gpm)
Flare temperatures: 1600 to 2000 degrees F
Leachate injection pressure: 1,000 psig

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Leachate is a wastewater generated at landfills as a result of rainwater infiltration and the natural biodegradation of organic materials in the landfilled waste. Leachate collected at the landfill is pumped to an on-site holding tank, then delivered via a leachate injection skid at pressures of up to 1,000 pounds per square inch (psig) to an injection nozzle installed at the lower end of the flare. The nozzle atomizes the leachate into fine droplets (250 to 400 microns) that are injected into a vortex of combustion gases just above the series of LFG burners that ring the flare’s inner circumference. The water content of the leachate is evaporated, and the organic constituents in the leachate, as well as the methane and NMOCs in the LFG, are destroyed in the combustion process. The flare and the leachate injection skid operate under the control of a programmable logic control system that can be accessed remotely.

The system can be scaled-up to handle higher leachate volumes and LFG flows than are present at the North Country project site. Alternatively, multiple units can be installed at a single location to process high volume leachate and LFG flows. The direct injection technology utilized by the facility provides a significant advantage in cost and operating simplicity over multi-stage leachate treatment systems using LFG, as well as over more complex physical-chemical methods for pre-treating leachate prior to discharge.

Projects that combust LFG to treat leachate, produce power, or for other purposes are highly beneficial to the environment because they destroy methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is the principal constituent of LFG. Under certain circumstances, such projects may qualify for certain federal income tax credits and may lead to the creation of tradable emission reduction "offsets" or "allowances". On-site treatment provides the additional benefit of reducting truck traffic to and from the landfill site.

For more information e-mail Tom Yeransian or call him at (508) 339-3074.

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