Methane Miners

“Before the project implementation, waste was left to rot in unmanaged areas with no provision for control of toxic surface water or release of methane gas from anaerobic decomposition of waste material.  The 60-hectare landfill project is located in the heart of the Amazon, near Manaus, home to 2.22 million people and the 7^th largest city in Brazil.   According to FGV Social, the Brazilian center for Political Sciences, 51.42% of the population of Amazonas State survive on $5.50 per month making it the second highest concentration of poor people in Brazil.

The project manages about 500,000 tonnes of waste annually, creating a more sanitary environment for residents, providing employment, and using waste gas to generate electricity for landfill operations.”

– Johanna Depenthal, Director of Project Research

Project Type: Landfill Gas: Renewable Energy

Project ID: GS 11728

Carbon Standard: Gold Standard

Vintage: 2021-2022

Additionality: This project would be financially insolvent without the sale of carbon credits and the carbon credits were included in the project’s original design.

Permanence: When methane gas is flared or combusted, it is permanently destroyed. Calibrated machines provide an accurate count of exactly how much methane was destroyed.

Site Visit: 13 January 2023

Methane gas is a short-lived climate pollutant with a global warming potential 80 times greater than carbon dioxide in a 20-year period. Therefore, by cutting methane emissions, we can have a powerful effect on the urgent climate change problem in a short time frame. Brazil is the fifth largest emitter of methane gas in the world with no mandatory policies regarding capture or destruction of the gas in landfills.

The Manaus Landfill is a LFG recovery and destruction system. The project collects landfill gas (LFG) at the Manaus Landfill, transports it and combusts the extracted gas utilizing LFG engines and high-efficiency enclosed flares, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). The parts of the system are as follows:

• The LFG collection System: A grided horizontal collection system, centrifugal blower(s), and all other supporting mechanical, and electrical subsystems and appurtenances necessary to collect the LFG.
• Transmission Pipeline System: A horizontal collecting system and vertical wells avoid the emission of methane to the atmosphere. The system is connected to transmission pipelines to transport the LFG to the flare station.
• The Blowering System: The system blows the collected gas to the pipeline. To preserve the operation of the blowers, a dewatering system removes condensed vapor from the wet gas.
• The Flare System: Enclosed flares ensure high percentage of methane destruction (minimum 98%).

The biogas generator was installed at Manaus Landfill Gas Project on May 26, 2019. The generator uses biogas as fuel to generate electricity for demand from the biogas plant.

• Prevents emissions of methane gas into the atmosphere
• Improves local air quality and sanitation
• Improves Safety: gas is managed rather than subject to potential explosion
• Creates employment
• Creates electricity for the management of the plant
• Landfill Gas collection and flaring is unusual in Brazil

• Lacks financial liquidity.
• Needs to make planned improvements to infrastructure.
• Expensive infrastructure.
• Requires specialized personnel such as engineers and technicians with knowhow