New Energy, Old Waste
A study of landfill methanol as alternative energy
A research proposal submitted to the Urban Studies and Planning Program
Senior Sequence Class of 2010-2011
December 1, 2010
Caroline Lao
University of California, San Diego
Urban Studies and Planning Program
USP 186
calao@ucsd.edu
Abstract
This proposal outlines a research strategy to examine the use of methanol converted from
methane gas from the Miramar Landfill in San Diego. Currently, developed nations have
a high demand for fossil fuel energy, with a lower reliance on alternative energies such as
methanol. In San Diego, the methane gas released from the landfill is captured and
converted to methanol, an alcohol fuel. The existence of methane gas in landfills raises
three fundamental problems: the occupation of space by the landfills; the cost
effectiveness of converting methane gas; and the damage of methane gas being released
into the atmosphere, harming the environment. This proposal outlines a research strategy
aimed at addressing these three problems. I will investigate the extraction and conversion
of methane gas to methanol. The research will contribute to the literature on methanol
from landfills as an alternative energy, in the hope that findings will encourage a greater
commitment to the use of renewable energy.
Key Terms: methanol, alternative energy, alcohol fuels
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Introduction: Energy Now
The use of fossil fuels in the developed world has gained attention as a negative method
of energy production. Instead, “sustainable” energy is becoming increasingly popular as the
preferred alternative to the use of fossil fuels. The most well-known alternative options of
renewable energy largely include energy generated by hydro-dams, wind turbines, or solar
panels. Another rising prospect in the world of renewable energy is that of biomass, which
includes energy from wood, waste, or plants, and from which biofuels may be produced.
Bioalcohols, or alcohol fuels, are a type of biofuel derived from biological sources rather than
petroleum. Methanol and ethanol are the most common bioalcohols used; they can be extracted
from both fossil fuels and biomass. Today, alternative energy remains a minority source in
contrast to the use of non-renewable energy in the form of fossil fuels. In San Diego, methane
gas is extracted from the Miramar Landfill and then converted to methanol. Is landfill methanol a
viable source of alternative energy? This study serves to determine the cost effectiveness of
employing landfill methanol. It will consider the economic, ecologic, and spatial dimensions of
the landfill project. To further understanding of the cost effectiveness of using methane gas, this
study will investigate the San Diego Miramar Landfill and compare the use of methanol to a
cost-benefit analysis of ethanol.
Currently, the West Miramar Landfill serves the City of San Diego. The 1,500-acre
landfill accepts approximately 910,000 tons of waste per year. Previously, the South Miramar
Landfill operated for 14 years from 1959-1973, and the North Miramar Landfill following was
active for 10 years from 1973-1983. Now, the West Miramar Landfill is the only active landfill
in the City of San Diego, having opened in 1983 and remaining active for the past 27 years. A
landfill byproduct is the greenhouse gas methane. In the West Miramar Landfill, methane is
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“captured and used to provide 90% of the fuel to power electrical generators at the Metropolitan
Biosolids Center and North City Water Reclamation Plant” (City of San Diego). Inside the
landfill is the Miramar Greenery, which produces compost, mulch, and wood chips and offers
them to the public for free and for sale. For the City of San Diego, the Miramar Landfill is a
demonstration at an effort for independence in the world of energy consumption, encouraging
reduction in environmental disturbance. While energy generation is a necessity in the modern
world, the use of biomass is an alternative to fossil fuels, and the methane gas from the landfill
allows the city to tap into its own source of alternative energy.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual issue of this study whether or not the use of methane gas from landfills is
a viable source of alternative energy. In particular, this study will investigate the efficiency of
methanol through a cost-benefit analysis; a comparison to ethanol; and the history and potential
future of methanol from landfills. This research is related to other landfill projects around the
world that are working to capture and utilize methane gas. This study will view examples of
other efforts to implement landfill methanol as a method of energy. It will examine successful,
failed, and ongoing attempts to extract methanol from landfills. It will also consider the
efficiency of such a process and question the need for it.
Literature Review
The use of renewable energies from solar or wind power can be dated back to the first
uses of the sun for heat, or the wind for sailing. However, the growing awareness of a need for
renewable energy to generate electricity might be traced back to the 1960s, linking a political
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movement to the era of the hippies in the United States. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was created,
amending the international agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change. It was signed by various countries as an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
but the United States did not sign. Fossil fuel emissions remain “the main cause of human
contributions to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere” (Smith 2008:76). The
change in consciousness of carbon footprints has evolved to more than just a movement, but a
sustainable way of life. Solar and wind energy are well-known, but it is biomass that is in fact the
oldest form of renewable energy, with the ability to re-grow in a short time duration (Union of
Concerned Scientists, 2010).
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit organization of citizens and
scientists working for environmental solutions, the use of biomass can be beneficial not only by
providing energy, but also by reducing carbon emissions (UCS, 2010). Beneficial biomass
includes energy crops, or “power crops” that can be grown on farms; residues; and conversion to
energy. Trees, grasses, and other crops can be used for energy, though corn and oil crops such as
soybeans and sunflowers require “intensive management and may not be sustainable in the
longer term” (UCS, 2010). The potential of microalgae exists as a future option. Biomass
residues can also produce energy. Biomass waste includes wood waste from the forest; crop
residues from farming; and urban waste from cities, coming in the form of biodegradable
garbage or captured methane from sewage. Environmental benefits include reduction in air and
water pollution and erosion, along with better soil quality and wildlife habitat. Burning can also
reduce “pest pressure, weed competition, and… [improve] soil fertility, texture, and moisture
content” (McGrath, 1987:224). There are environmental risks to biopower; poor management
can lead to overharvest, damage to ecosystems, air pollution, excess water consumption, and net
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greenhouse gas emissions (UCS, 2010). However, as with any risk, proper management can
utilize biomass production to its potential and minimize harm.
The use of solar energy is considered one of the top choices for alternative energy in San
Diego because of the climate. Solar panels, called photovoltaic cells, convert sunlight into
electricity. In 2008, San Diego was ranked in 4th in “U.S. utilities for total solar-power capacity”
by the Solar Electric Power Association (Heiser, 2008). The reliance of photovoltaic cells on the
appearance of the sun makes the idea of solar power vulnerable and subject to failure. “Climate
is susceptible to a number of external influences” (Arnold, 2002:2788). San Diego is well known
for its sunny climate, so it is reasonable to use photovoltaic cells. Solar power is expensive, but it
is also quiet during operation, without emitting greenhouse gases or other chemicals (Diesendorf,
2007:157).
Fossil fuels remain the most common form of generating energy. They are non-renewable
resources, formed over millions of years by natural resources and consisting most commonly of
coal, petroleum, and natural gas, all of which have high amounts of carbon. Fossil fuels are
burned to produce energy, and simultaneously release carbon dioxide into the air. This is
believed to contribute significantly to global warming, which raises the surface temperature of
the Earth. As a non-renewable resource, there is a limited supply of fossil fuels, leading to a
quest for renewable forms of energy. Currently, the “dominance of fossil fuels as an energy
source reflects their convenience of use and relative ease of production in comparison with other
energy sources” (Lincoln 2005:622). As the demand for energy increases, the sources of fossil
fuels are depleting. Production is expected to become more costly.
Since the 1980s, there have been nine solar plants in the Mojave Desert, known as Solar
Energy Generating Systems, which generate enough electricity for roughly 500,000 people (Sun
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Lab 1998). In 2007, the Nellis Solar Power Plant was opened, marking the largest solar
photovoltaic system on the continent. In April of 2009, a San Diego subsidiary of Sempra
Energy was reported to propose building the “largest solar energy plant in North America”
(Joyce 2009). However, it was not expected to power San Diego. Instead, the Nevada plant
would sell to a “southwest-based utility” (Joyce 2009). Other operations have been making
progress or intending it. Kyocera Solar, Inc. is a producer and supplier of solar energy products
providing solar electric systems and solutions. In March of 2010, Kyocera International
announced plans to “start manufacturing solar modules in San Diego” (Joyce 2010). The city
was picked for the company’s first U.S. solar panel manufacturing site. In July of 2010, the
Canadian company Enbridge responsible for an oil spill in Michigan announced plans to
construct what they intend to be the largest photovoltaic solar energy facility on the continent.
(Kart 2010). This study seeks to bridge the gap between the green movement in other areas and
the need for a change in San Diego. By viewing existing facilities as model examples, San Diego
has the potential to become just as green, or greener.
Research Design and Methodology
In this study, I will work to gain a better understanding of the San Diego landfills. I will
do this by contacting Chris Gonaver, who is the Environmental Services Director in the City of
San Diego. When organic waste decomposes, it produces methane gas, which can be harvested
as an energy source and used as fuel. There are five landfills in the County of San Diego, and I
will focus on the Miramar Landfill, which extracts methane and converts it to methanol. I will
conduct an interview with Gonaver to seek his perspective and knowledge. I will also seek other
contacts in the Environmental Services Departments to interview, and question about the history
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of the landfill, its use of methane gas, and opinions on the viability of inactive landfills. I will ask
questions along the following:
1. We have an abundance of landfills, so why is it that we cannot simply extract
methane from all of them? What criteria does a landfill need to meet in order to be a
candidate for methane extraction?
2. Exactly what happens at the Miramar Landfill? How is the methane gas extracted,
and where does it go?
3. How much did it cost to get to this process started? What about maintenance? When
did methane extraction first begin at this landfill?
4. How long did/will it take for the revenue to break even and surpass the cost? Is there
financial profit, or is this process done for ecological purposes?
5. Do you believe this system of extracting and converting methane gas to methanol
could be easily applied elsewhere? What conditions might be necessary?
6. What ideas or suggestions might you have for the use of inactive landfills? There are
two in San Diego. Do they have any potential for future use?
Another method of research I will use is to conduct a cost-benefit analysis on the
Miramar Landfill methane project. This will investigate the cost for the installation of the system
that extracts and converts gas, along with the continued cost to utilize methanol as an energy
source. Other factors involved include the amount of energy generated and saved, and the weight
of the benefits of methanol production. I will also investigate where the sources of revenue are,
and whether the city is losing or making money through the methanol project. This is dependent
on who receives the output; if the energy is generated back to a city development, then it may be
saving the city money, and there is no financial profit. Further consideration can be taken for the
inactive landfills, and whether or not there is potential to harvest energy from those.
With the cost-analysis benefit, I could also set it to compare with an alternate source of
energy. Ethanol is a good option because it is another alcohol fuel, but is produced very
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differently, often extracted from a farm crop. Ethanol can be obtained as a renewable energy
because land can continually yield output, and it is dependent on sunlight. Ethanol can come
from a variety of crops, the most popular of which include corn, sugar cane, and switch grass. A
relative comparison of the cost effectiveness between ethanol and methanol can create a general
idea of the efficiency of the two forms of alternative energy.
My personal theory is that landfill methanol is a viable source of energy, because it is
utilizing a material that is already in existence without becoming wholly dependent on it. In a
way, it is similar to petroleum, because it is tapping into something that has been generated as a
result of decay. However, I feel a greater responsibility toward using methane from landfill gas
because, as a consumer, I have contributed to the waste in the landfill, and am part of the reason
behind the trash. The concept of extracting methane gas from the landfill is smart to me,
regardless of the financial cost. It is important because it is, in a way, removing from the earth a
destructive matter that we created, and sending it a different direction in an attempt to be less
destructive. If the city is not profiting, they are still making an effort to be less harmful to the
environment by reducing the use of energy from petroleum. As there are pros and cons to every
method, I will further investigate the costs and benefits regarding the use of landfill methane gas
to produce energy.
To underscore the need to move away from non-renewable energy sources, I also intend
to investigate the use of ethanol as a comparison study. There are advantages to both methods of
energy. As a whole, I will study the economical, ecological, and spatial dimensions of the use of
landfill methanol.
The expected timetable of this research will run from November 2010 until March 2011.
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Conclusion/Expected Outcomes
As a whole, I expect to find advantages and disadvantages to the use of methane gas from
landfills. There are likely to be ecological benefits and financial losses in some form, though
there may also be ecological detriments that are not immediately obvious as well. I also expect to
find that the benefits of using methanol will outweigh that of using fossil fuels. A cost-benefit
analysis will give me information on the use of methanol, and comparing it with another form of
renewable energy, namely ethanol, will provide an idea of how efficient the energy forms are. I
expect to find that ethanol is easier to work with because it is more popular. However, I am
uncertain as to what precise factors make it more or less viable, as they both can have continual
yields. I expect the machinery for extracting methanol may be more expensive, but it seems to
me that extracting ethanol may be more labor intensive.
Regarding the use of extracting methane gas from inactive landfills, I am expecting to
find that the reason it is not done is because the payoff is too small and the process too expensive
for it to be financially worth the effort. There are reasons behind an inability to implement the
methane extraction process quite as successfully in older landfills, but there are also new ideas to
do so. It seems likely that the idea of tapping into inactive landfills is something that is currently
unnecessary, while we still have petroleum sources available. There is also the issue of the age of
the landfill, and the loss of methane gas over time. This can make it a moot point in tapping into
older landfills. Another factor playing in is the amount of oxygen within the landfills if they are
older; the extraction is only for methane, and the integration of oxygen will slow down methane
production because the air must then be separated (Graham-Rowe).
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