Construction and Efficiency of Biocovers to enhance Methane Oxidation

In the U.S., it is estimated that landfills contribute approximately 37 % of the anthropogenic methane, the largest fraction of all the anthropogenic sources. In Europe, an estimated 30 % of anthropogenic methane emissions are from landfills. One inexpensive way to reduce methane emissions from landfills is to exploit the natural process of microbial methane oxidation through improved landfill cover design and maintenance. Such designed landfill covers are called “biocovers” or “biocaps”. A biocover typically consists of a basal “gas distribution layer” with high gas permeability to homogenize landfill gas fluxes, and an overlying “oxidation layer”, which provides optimal environmental conditions for methane-oxidizing bacteria, so that the system functions as a vast bio-filter.