I recently had an opportunity to chat with this year’s Lawrence Lecturer, Dr. Jean Bogner, about waste, energy and climate. Dr. Bogner served as the coordinating lead author of the Waste Management Chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 4th Assessment Report “Mitigation of Climate Change”. The IPCC was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. Jean Bogner is the President of Landfills +, Inc., and a Research Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago.
SWANA - Dr. Bogner, thru your own studies and your work on the IPCC report, how have you seen waste impact energy and climate?
Dr. Bogner - There are two things to emphasize with respect to climate and energy. First is that waste is actually a small contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Less than three percent of global anthropogenic emissions are caused by the waste sector. On the other hand, there are also significant opportunities for greenhouse gas mitigation from the waste sector with respect to landfill gas recovery and to activities which either reduce greenhouse gas generation or reduce waste generation such as recycling and waste minimization. Secondly, energy from waste (via landfill gas utilization, waste-to-energy, or use of anaerobic digester biogas) is an important renewable energy resource.
SWANA - How would you recommend a solid waste facility to mitigate their emissions?
Dr. Bogner - Well of course for landfills, landfill gas recovery and utilization, which has been a fully commercial technology now for over thirty years, is a good strategy. Incineration reduces greenhouse gas generation. Also, waste minimization and recycling activities reduce waste generation in the first place. So, I think the “take home” message is that we must preserve all our waste management options and sensibly apply greenhouse gas mitigation strategies that best fit local situations and regulatory guidelines.
SWANA - Do you foresee any new mitigation techniques which are starting to evolve in the industry?
Dr. Bogner - One technique is landfill biocovers, which is a strategy to design and construct landfill covers so that methane is oxidized at high rates before it can be emitted to the atmosphere. The oxidation is accomplished by methanotrophic bacteria which are aerobic microorganisms that naturally live in the soil.
SWANA - How would you encourage those who are collecting the waste to mitigate their emissions?
Dr. Bogner - On the waste collection side there could be opportunities to reduce transport distances, reduce redundant routes, and improve fuel efficiencies.
SWANA - How would you recommend that a facility that is working with either landfill gas or incineration portray the benefits of these technologies to the general public?
Dr. Bogner - I think the tremendous benefits are on the energy side. Landfill gas is roughly fifty percent methane. So there are significant energy benefits to recovering and using the landfill methane for direct use in gas-fired broilers or onsite electrical generation, or for upgrading to a substitute natural gas. Incineration is the pathway where you get the most energy benefit from solid waste through direct combustion.
SWANA - As this years Lawrence lecturer for WASTECON in Tampa, what is one thing that you hope that attendees will really take away from your presentation?
Dr. Bogner - Well as I mentioned at the beginning of this interview, I think the fact that the waste factor is a small contributor to global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions but there are significant opportunities within the sector for cost-effective mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, the sector is a small part of the problem but can be a larger part of the solution.
End
Don’t miss Dr. Bogner’s presentation at this year’s WASTECON Lawrence Lecturer Session, Wednesday October 22 at 9:30am as we continue to explore the connection between energy, climate and solid waste.
Member thoughts:
How is your facility mitigating its emissions?
What other mitigating techniques do you see coming down the pike?
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