CHARACTERIZATION OF LANDFILL GAS-COMPOSITION AT THE FRESH KILLS MUNICIPAL SOLID-WASTE LANDFILL

The most common disposal method in the United States for municipal sol id waste (MSW) is burial in landfills. Until recently, air emissions f rom these landfills were not regulated. Under the New Source Performan ce Standards and Emission Guidelines for MSW landfills, MSW operators are required to determine the nonmethane organic gas generation rate o f their landfill through modeling and/or measurements. This paper summ arizes speciated nonmethane organic compound (NMOC) measurement data c ollected during an intensive, short-term field program. Over 250 separ ate landfill gas samples were collected from emission sources at the F resh Kills landfill in New York City and analyzed for approximately 15 0 different analytes. The average total NMOC value for the landfill wa s 438 ppmv (as hexane) versus the regulatory default value of 4000 ppm v (as hexane). Over 70 individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) we re detected and quantified in the landfill gas samples. The typical ga s composition for this landfill was determined as well as estimates of the spatial, temporal, and measurement variability in the gas composi tion. The data for NMOC show that the gas composition within the landf ill is equivalent to the composition of the gas exiting the landfill t hrough passive vents and through the soil cover.