Protecting our climate
Methane Capture Projects
McKinney Landfill Gas Project
This project involves the capture, piping and combustion
of landfill gas from a 65 acre landfill site in the U.S.
The emission reductions have been verified to the Climate
Action Reserve (CAR) Landfill Gas Protocol of which
32,000 tCO2 equivalent are available.
Technology partner
Montauk Energy Capital, LLC
Country
USA
About your project
This methane capture project is spread across a 65 acre landfill site in McKinney,
approximately 30 miles Northeast of Dallas, Texas.
Organic material is a major component of the solid waste dumped at landfill sites.
As this material accumulates, it decomposes and releases substantial quantities
of landfill gas (LFG), primarily composed of carbon dioxide and methane plus
a small proportion of non-methane organic compounds, into the atmosphere.
Methane is 21 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas, and in the United
States, municipal landfills are the second largest contributor of human-related
methane emissions.
Between 1968 and 2008, approximately 6.7 million tonnes of waste have been
deposited at the McKinney site, which up until 2004, was all municipal waste. In
August 2008, the McKinney project was set up to capture, pipe and combust the
landfill gas. When methane is combusted, it converts to CO2 and water, reducing
the global warming potential of the LFG.
In the case of this particular landfill site, there is no local, state or federal regulation
which requires the operation or maintenance of a system to tap and collect landfill
gas, or to control emission levels. Carbon finance is a new revenue stream which
provides an important impetus to develop such projects.
In addition to the climate change benefits, the project will also improve
the air quality by reducing volatile, organic compounds and preventing odors in
surrounding areas.
These images have been provided by individuals
working with the project partners
The CarbonNeutral Company www.CarbonNeutral.com
527 Madison Ave. 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022 T: 1-212-702-7100 E: salesna@carbonneutral.com
1750 Montgomery Street, 1st Floor, San Francisco. CA 94111 T: +1-415-373-2123 E: mike.reynolds@carbonneutral.com
About landfill gas
A landfill is a site for the disposal of a variety of waste materials including household,
commercial, industrial and non-hazardous solid waste. Landfills can range from open
dumps to carefully designed, sophisticated structures built into or on top of the ground,
in which refuse is isolated from the surrounding environment (groundwater, air, rain)
with impermeable bottom liners and a daily covering of soil. In the absence of oxygen,
bacteria in the landfill break down the waste to produce landfill gas, consisting of around
50% methane, 50% carbon dioxide and a minute amount of non-methane organic
compounds. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) which can be extracted from
landfill gas for further use, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere. Wells
are dug at various intervals at these sites to capture this gas and pipe it for combustion
and/or utilization for power generation. Combustion allows this gas to be converted to
carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential than methane.
To utilize methane for energy creation, generators are installed, producing power and
heat. The capture of this gas not only reduces GHG emissions, but also prevents the
release of toxic, volatile organic compounds and odors.
How carbon offsetting helps the project
It is expensive to develop and operate methane capture technologies and that is where carbon finance can play an
important role. Landfill projects like this one, are not required by law to capture methane and often have to overcome
financial and technological barriers to realize implementation. Carbon finance provides an additional revenue stream
helping to make these projects an attractive and viable option. In this case, the incentives from carbon finance are
enabling the capture and combustion of landfill gas rather than allowing methane to escape into the atmosphere.
The reductions in CO2 emissions achieved by this project are incremental to ‘business as usual’ and measured by
an independent verifier to internationally recognized standards. These are bought as ‘carbon credits’ by clients of
The CarbonNeutral Company to ‘neutralize’ their own emissions.
Verification:
This project is being verified to the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) Landfill Gas Protocol. A copy of documents related to
this project can be found within the project registry of CarbonNeutral.com
Project area coordinates:
SANTA FE
OKLAHOMA CITY
GULF OF MEXICO
USA TEXAS
State boundary
Rivers / Water
MEXICO
The project is located in Collin County, McKinney and has
geographical coordinates of latitude 38° 54’ 35.9994” North
and longitude 123° 30’ 36” West.