Estimation and forecast of methane emission from Solid Waste Generation within LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, using IPCC Model and LANDGEM

Abstract

Estimation and prediction of methane emissions from various sources have become crucial for understanding their environmental impacts, preparing effective reduction plans against their hazards or converting them to be useful. This project examined the emission of methane gases from solid waste in open dumps at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Southwest Nigeria. Methodologies from the well-established Landfill Gas Emission Model (LandGEM) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC Model) were used for calculating the production of methane (CH₄) gas, a greenhouse gas, with defined data, study areas, and assumptions clarifications. The results from the calculations and points for consideration are then laid out. Several open dumps were defined for these two models based on zones. The results revealed that there is a negligible existence of methane emissions in LAUTECH campus, with the IPCC model and LandGEM showing 1.5617E-04 Mg/year and 3.877E-07 Mg/year, respectively, at the end of the study years.