Landfills are the single largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions in the United States, producing 7 million tons or 34% of the total methane pollution. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Controls Third Assessment Report, methane has a Global Warming Potential 23 times that of CO2 and is a key contributor to global climate change. This project will develop technology for capturing methane emissions from landfills and converting virtually 100% of these emissions to a high quality synthetic diesel fuel, using an economically viable gas-to-liquids (GTL) process. This proprietary GTL technology, successfully being used in natural gas and oil fields, will be adapted for use with landfills. In Phase I, the existing natural gas equipment will be modified and field tested at an existing landfill site. The surviving emissions will be analyzed in order to quantify the actual methane reduction. Ultimately, it will be shown that a commercially viable synthetic diesel can be economically produced.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Successful completion of this project should not only significantly reduce landfill methane emissions but also should provide a commercially viable synthetic diesel fuel
