According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are the third-largest source of human related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 18.2 percent of these emissions in 2014. Landfill gas (LFG) is a natural by product of the decomposition of organic material in landfills that is typically generated within one year when anaerobic conditions are established and methane producing bacteria begin to decompose the waste and generate methane. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential that is over 30 times greater than CO2.

Methane emissions from landfills represent a lost opportunity to capture and use as a significant energy resource. Producing energy from LFG offsets the use of non-renewable resources such as coal, oil or natural gas to produce the same amount of energy. Landfill gas projects generate revenue from the sale of the gas and also create green jobs associated with the design, construction and operation of Moss energy systems. COČ emissions from MSW landfills are not considered to contribute to global climate change because the carbon was contained in recently living biomass. Once converted, landfill gas can be utilized to generate electricity, heat, steam, vehicle fuel or be sold on the energy market as a renewable green power or gas. Electricity generation is the most widely use of the landfill gas projects. The electricity can be used for internal facilities or sold to external consumers.

Moss LFG is extracted from the landfills using a series of wells and a vacuum system. This system directs the collected gas to a central point where it can be processed and treated depending upon the end use for the gas. From this point, the gas can be used to generate electricity, replace fossil fuels in industrial and manufacturing operations or upgraded to pipeline quality gas.

Community and Economy Benefits

  • LFG energy projects generate revenue from the sale of the gas.
  • LFG energy projects involve engineers, construction firms, equipment vendors and utilities or end users of the power produced.
  • Project costs are spent locally for drilling, piping, construction and operating personnel.
  • Electrical supply to community after severe weather.
  • Local businesses realize cost savings using LFG as a replacement for more expensive fossil fuels.
  • Municipalities or developers can save millions of dollars over the life of their LFG energy projects.