The University of Delaware is one of five institutions getting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding to examine reducing landfill emissions. The $1 million grant will go towards the ongoing research of civil and environmental engineering professor Paul Imhoff, who has worked on landfill related research for 20 years.
Imhoff says the project uses data from new drone and satellite technology to measure methane emissions from landfill test sites in California and Georgia “We’re combining those field measurements with atmospheric modeling to understand the magnitude of the problem of uncontrolled methane releases and any engineering practices that might reduce those emissions,” he said.
Imhoff adds while the energy sector is the largest emitter of methane, the landfill industry is well-managed, meaning potential low-cost measures can be taken to manage its methane release.