Direct Measurement of Landfill Methane Emissions

A need has emerged to consolidate work in the space of measuring fugitive methane emissions from site-specific landfill.

Defra has sought an external contractor to design and deliver a robust and cost-effective survey approach as a step towards enabling the quantification of annual site-specific methane emissions from landfill for both operational and recently closed sites.

The aim of this is to ultimately, replace modelled estimates of landfill methane emissions in the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) with measurement evidence on observed data, and to provide procedures that could be applied to regulatory settings.

Specifically, the supplier must deliver the following four objectives:

1. Design sampling approach, regimes, and data analysis suitable for a robust seasonal study of landfill methane emissions at operational and closed sites and which can be utilised as the basis for development of standard methodologies.

2. Implement a four-season study of landfill methane emissions using an operational, and recently closed site (for non-hazardous biodegradable waste) utilising the developed methodologies and data analysis.

3. Provide statistical analysis, critical methodology analysis and recommendations of approaches, valid for use for NAEI recording purposes and regulatory purposes.

4. Creation of Standard Operating Procedure for sampling and analysis through development and utilisation of method protocols outlining any evidence gaps that will need to be addressed to finalise these for use operationally (within a future proof of concept study).

The project is compromised of three separate work packages and the supplier will be expected to set out their approach to each.

• Work Package 1 (WP1): Design of Sampling Regimes o WP1.1 Consolidate knowledge base o WP1.2 Design of sampling regimes

• Work Package 2 (WP2): Implementation of Season Study o WP2.1 Implementation o WP2.2 Initial set up and confirmation of viability o WP2.3 Seasonal Study

• Work Package 3 (WP3): Project Governance and Management

• Additional Work Packages: If during the lifetime of the contract it is identified that additional National Inventory specific work packages are required and they are within scope of the original requirement, this may be instructed through the variation procedure outlined in the contract.