Deadline: 14-Apr-23
The Government of Canada is seeking application for Emerging Approaches for Reducing Landfill Methane Emissions.
Objectives
- The federal government is undertaking efforts to reduce methane emissions from Canada’s municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. As part of this effort, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is supporting emerging and innovative technologies for optimizing methane mitigation at landfills.
- Methane emissions from landfills are known to vary over time in response to factors including barometric pressure and operational practices. Recent studies in the United States have highlighted the importance of detecting and repairing leaks in cover systems to help reduce emissions.
- Conventional operation of a landfill gas (LFG) recovery system involves manual wellfield monitoring and adjustment carried out at a specified interval. There has recently been increased interest in automated collection systems to increase LFG recovery. These systems can remotely and continuously measure numerous parameters and automatically adjust the vacuum at each extraction well.
- There is also growing interest in emerging technologies that permit continuous or drone-based monitoring of methane emissions. These include monitoring technologies originally developed to support leak detection and repair programs at oil and gas facilities. They can help to more quickly:
- identify leaks
- assess the impact of changing site conditions and
- quantify emission rates
- Continuous and drone-based monitoring technologies show promise for landfill applications, but further experience is needed to inform their use. Existing approaches for identifying methane leaks at landfills, by measuring surface methane concentrations, are labour intensive and conducted relatively infrequently.
- Continuous monitoring technologies for landfill methane emissions and for wellfield management present an opportunity to increase LFG recovery. This will ultimately help to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, to date, these technologies have had minimal implementation or testing in Canada. ECCC would like to encourage additional testing and, if appropriate, further adoption of these systems at Canadian landfills.
Goals
- The goal of the current funding is to support pilot scale implementation of emerging monitoring and automation systems including:
- drone-based methane measurement systems that can identify methane hotspots and leaks, and/or quantify total site emissions
- continuous methane monitoring systems that generate real-time continuous methane emissions data and identify leaks
- automated wellfield tuning systems that can be added to existing LFG collection systems to maximize collection efficiency
- other monitoring technologies that will assist in measuring methane emissions from landfills, identifying emissions sources or leaks, or improving LFG collection efficiency
- Through this program, these systems will be installed and tested at existing open and closed Canadian landfills. Information will be gathered on the systems’ technical and economic effectiveness in the Canadian context and barriers to their adoption. The program will also provide relevant local examples of the technology implementation to interested landfill operators. If appropriate, further use of the systems can be promoted in order to ultimately contribute to the Government of Canada’s methane reduction commitments.
Funding Information
- Projects are eligible for funding up to a maximum of $200,000 per project (for its duration). Projects must be completed by March 31, 2025. A total of $750,000 in funding is available between April 2023 and March 31, 2025.
Eligible Projects
- Projects will consist of the installation, operation and evaluation of continuous monitoring technologies for landfill methane. Eligible technologies include:
- drone-based measurement systems that can identify methane hotspots and leaks and/or quantify the total site emission rate
- continuous methane monitoring systems that generate real-time methane emissions data
- automated wellfield tuning systems that can be added to existing landfill gas collection systems to maximize efficiency
- other monitoring technologies that will assist in measuring methane emissions from landfills, identifying emissions sources or leaks, or improving LFG collection efficiency
- Eligible projects will also satisfy the following criteria:
- The system will be implemented at one or more open or closed Canadian MSW landfills.
- The technology must be a new installation or use at the landfill.
- The data collected during the project should include feedback from the landfill gas system operator. Operator input should address the ease of operation and how the results were used to modify site operations.
- The eligible recipient would ideally have technical expertise to conduct studies. If a recipient intends to hire a consultant, they must provide details on the consultant’s background and expertise in the application.
- The application must identify all contributions and expenditures for the project, including any in-kind contributions or other funding sources.
Expected Results
- The expected results of this program are:
- methane monitoring technologies are tested and evaluated at Canadian landfill sites
- information on the applicability and benefits of these technologies and lessons learned is disseminated to the public, including landfill owners and operators
- results of the pilot tests are used by manufacturers of methane monitoring technologies to improve the technology for use at landfills
- broader visibility and verification of the technologies, resulting in increased adoption at Canadian landfills and decreased methane emissions.
Geographic location: All projects must take place in Canada. They will strive for geographical representation across Canada.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must fall under one of the following categories:
- Domestic or international not-for-profit organizations, such as charitable and volunteer organizations, professional associations, and non-governmental organizations
- Domestic or international Indigenous organizations, governments, individuals, boards, commissions, communities, associations and authorities including:
- Indigenous not-for-profit organizations
- District councils, Chiefs councils and Tribal councils
- Indigenous research, academic and educational institutions and
- Indigenous for-profit organizations
- Domestic or international research, academic and educational institutions
- Domestic or international for-profit organizations, such as small businesses with less than 500 employees, companies, corporations, industry associations and agricultural organizations
- Local organizations such as community associations and groups, seniors’ and youth groups, and service clubs and
- Provincial, territorial, municipal and local governments and their agencies (for example Crown corporations).
For more information, visit Government of Canada.