Jackman Landfill Site: Landfill Gas Utilization
Since 1995, Norseman Engineering Ltd. has been involved in the extraction and utilization of landfill gas from the Jackman Landfill located in the Township of Langley, B.C. Prior to the landfill's closure in 1989, it collected waste from the Township and the local community, but has since been largely disused. However, landfill gas was found to be migrating off-site and a project to control landfill gas odour and migration was established by Norseman and the Township of Langley. It consisted of 48 extraction wells, a compressor station, and a flare burner for the collected gas. The project has been successful in controlling the migration of landfill gas into the local community. Since its installation, landfill gas levels off-site have fallen below detectable limits.
In an effort to optimize landfill gas use, a nearby local end-user for the gas was found in Topgro Greenhouses Ltd., a grower of various vegetable produce. Topgro now uses landfill gas as an alternative to non-renewable natural gas in its operations. Norseman is also innovative in its design, as the project shows the feasibility of landfill gas projects on smaller closed landfills with only modest capital investment.
The Jackman Landfill Project benefits all stakeholders involved, while at the same time protecting the local environment and community. The project reduces landfill greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Norseman had a return on investment within five years, Topgro Ltd. benefited from years of fuel savings as the end-user, and the Township of Langley receives royalties for the use of the gas.
A more comprehensive technical bulletin on the Jackman project can be found here.