Osaka City in Japan has been developing simple technology applicable at landfill sites that allows the landfill gas to be used to make activated carbon from scrap wood and other waste materials. In the framework of a CDM project, the authors conducted experiments to verify whether these technologies can be applied to the San Mateo Landfill site in the Philippines.
The CDM pilot project carried out at the San Mateo landfill site confirmed that charcoals made from waste wood, bamboo, and coconut shell using methane as fuel are not only good as fuel but also excellent materials for the production of activated carbon. We used these activated carbons to treat leachate and confirmed their great effectiveness. The activated carbon materials could be used as adsorbent and were demonstrated to have excellent effectiveness in tasks such as the removal of organic matter and nitrogenous substances in the leachate.
If this CDM improvement project is continued from October 2002 to the end of 2012, reduction in methane emissions of about 880,000 tons will be possible at waste disposal sites in the Metropolitan Manila area, which will lead to a reduction of about 18,400,000 tons in greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore thought that this CDM project can contribute greatly to the prevention of global warming.
