The goal of the project is to develop and demonstrate an integrated multi-scale and multi-sensor approach that will allow landfills to more effectively monitor emissions at lower cost and be used to…

The goal of the project is to develop and demonstrate an integrated multi-scale and multi-sensor approach that will allow landfills to more effectively monitor emissions at lower cost and be used to quantify the emissions impact of interventions.activities:the project will : 1) test the hypothesis that continuous air monitoring of municipal solid waste landfills is feasible and cost-effective through an integrated multi-scale approach (e.g., coordinated observations with multiple sensors deployed on flux chambers, unmanned aerial vehicles (uavs), aircrafts, and satellites); and 2) explore how this approach can establish the efficacy of interventions and create financial incentives to reduce emissions by serving as the basis for robust landfill emissions reduction quantification protocols.subrecipient:carbon mapper ($111,979) will coordinate sensing using satellite-based approach and work with the research team on sensing technologies comparison and integration. PSE healthy energy ($68,000) will perform hazardous air pollutant (HAP) testing from gas samples to supplement field sensing. GTI energy ($55,000) will work with the research team to create formal and equitable protocols for methane emissions especially for disadvantaged communities and the influence on methane model prediction results. Outcomes:deliverables include annual and final research reports. Other expected deliverables include a dataset of emissions at targeted landfill facilities; protocols for field measurements, as well as more robust offset protocols, that will enable and encourage greater use of interventions to reduce landfill air emissions; and a multi-sensing, multi-temporal dataset that will quantify the impact of weather/climate, landfill conditions and management practices. Expected outcomes include: 1) improved approaches for monitoring and quantifying emissions of methane and other gasses from landfills; 2) increased data to inform the development of landfill emissions models and emissions inventories; 3) reduction of methane and haps emissions through mitigation strategies (e.g., diversion and composting programs) and waste management practices; 4) improved ability to quantify methane and CO-pollutants; 5) better understanding of factors that affect landfill emissions that will inform strategies to reduce emissions; and 6) mitigation of haps and methane emissions from landfills in and near neighboring communities. Direct beneficiaries of this project include residents affected by hazardous air pollutants emitted from landfills being studies in yolo county, CA, alameda county, CA, and city of midland, MI as well the general public, human health and the environment.