Sponsored by: Burns & McDonnell
Project Summary
As material within a landfill decomposes, methane gas is created. Methane is a harmful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. The purpose of this project was to create a gas collection and control system for a landfill in Hall County, Georgia. A geomembrane prevents gas from escaping into the environment, but the gas must be managed to prevent the gas from finding another route. As Hall County experiences rapid population growth, the landfill is reaching its capacity to where gas management is mandated. This team was tasked with designing a system that is able to collect and control the gas produced and burn off the methane while following state and federal regulations.
Design Goal
The purpose of this project was to create a landfill gas collection and control system that adequately collects and burns the methane produced from the landfill as the waste decomposes. The finalized design contains four major components of a landfill gas collection and control system: wells, piping, sumps, and flare(s).
Design Constraints
- Meet criteria from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.
- Meet criteria from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
- Gas must be collected and burned at a sufficient rate to destroy 98% of collected methane.
- Landfill gas collection and control system must integrate with the current facility.
- Design must consider future maintenance of the system.
Aerial image of Hall County Landfill
Members of the Project Team
Student Team:
- Sophia Faacks - Major: Civil Engineering
- Calin Nelson - Major: Civil Engineering
- Evan Selin - Major: Civil Engineering
- Kate Achenbach - Major: Civil Engineering
- Faith Masese - Major: Civil Engineering
Industry Representatives: Matt Evans and Marcus Ault
Faculty Advisor: Rita Lederle
Pictured left to right: Sophia Faacks, Calin Nelson, Evan Selin, Kate Achenbach, Faith Masese