Evaluating the impact of odors from the 1955 landfills in China using a bottom-up approach

Abstract

a b s t r a c tLandfill odors have created a major concern for the Chinese public. Based on the combination of a first order decay (FOD) model and a ground-level point source Gaussian dispersion model, the impacts from odors emitted from the 1955 landfills in China are evaluated in this paper. Our bottom-up approach uses basic data related to each landfill to achieve a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of impact of landfill odors. Results reveal that the average radius of impact of landfill odors in China is 796 m, while most landfills (46.85%) are within the range of 400e1000 m, in line with the results from previous studies. The total land area impacted by odors has reached 837,476 ha, accounting for 0.09% of China's land territory. Guangdong and Sichuan provinces have the largest land areas impacted by odors, while Tibet Autonomous Region and Tianjin Municipality have the smallest. According to the CALPUFF (California Puff) model and an analysis of social big data, the overall uncertainty of our calculation of the range of odor impacts is roughly À32.88% to 32.67%. This type of study is essential for gaining an accurate and detailed estimation of the affected human population and will prove valuable for addressing the current Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) challenge in China.

Trace gas emissions from municipal solid waste landfills: A review

“…This method is simple and has been widely used in providing trace gas emission rates for dispersion models with the purpose of assessing environmental impacts and health risks (e.g. Tagaris et al, 2003;Paraskaki and Lazaridis, 2005;Pagé et al, 2007;Moolla et al, 2013;Cai et al, 2015;Abdul-Wahab et al, 2016;Araiza-Aguilar and Rojas-Valencia, 2018). In the cited papers, emission rates of target odorous or toxic trace compounds were calculated by using various LFG production models and applying Equation (4).…”

CH 4 mitigation potentials from China landfills and related environmental co-benefits

“…The year 2012 was set up as the baseline year for all the existing landfills. Data on these existing landfills, covering 1955 landfills, were investigated by the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection and collected from provincial environmental protection bureaus and field investigations ( 8 ). The site-specific data include geographic coordinates (latitudes and longitudes), administrative properties, detailed addresses, annual and total amounts of landfill wastes, and management levels.…”

“…Moreover, typical short-lived GHGs such as CH 4 contribute to sea-level rise through thermal expansion, even after their atmospheric lifetimes have expired ( 11 ). Locally, landfill gas (LFG) and malodorous fugitive emissions have negative impacts on neighboring residents, resulting in commensurate localized policy concerns, particularly public complaints and concerns about landfilling ( 6 , 8 , 9 ). In addition, unaesthetic landscapes along with the fetid smells are triggers for the “not-in-my-backyard” (NIMBY) syndrome when trying to locate these facilities.…”

“…China's mixed MSW landfilling has been characterized with high moisture content (40 to 60%) and perishable organic waste (50 to 70%) (6). This mixture has resulted in significant CH 4 and malodorous emissions (7)(8)(9)(10). Moreover, typical short-lived GHGs such as CH 4 contribute to sea-level rise through thermal expansion, even after their atmospheric lifetimes have expired (11).…”

Landfill air and odour emissions from an integrated waste management facility

“…Dincer, Odabasi [11] posited that most of the emitted pollutants from the landfill are odorous and have significant impacts on the nearby communities. Elevation in odour thresholds from landfills are associated with an increase in landfill gases emission, and low wind speed which may hinder pollutants dispersion especially in complex terrains [10,12]. Methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) are among the major Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emitted from landfills [13][14][15][16].…”