The 40 hectare Afvalzorg landfill site Wieringermeer in the Netherlands has been in operation since 1985. The oldest part of the landfill is partially covered with a top cover system. At the landfill site vertical gas wells have been installed in combination with a horizontal landfill gas recovery system installed underneath the top cover.
The recovered landfill gas has been utilised in gas engines for many years, generating electricity and providing heat to the nearby biogas digester. Recently the gas engines have been replaced by a landfill gas boiler system providing heat to the digester and the on-site offices.
At the new landfill area vertical gas wells are phase-wise installed with the progress of the waste deposition in the various landfill cells. Because of the low organic content of the waste there is a relatively low landfill gas generation rate. To be able to maximise landfill gas recovery by vertical wells, Afvalzorg installed a low calorific high-temperature flare which can burn landfill gas with low methane concentrations (>10% CH4). This flare allows for a higher landfill gas suction rate/sphere of influence per well and thus maximising emission reduction at the landfill site.
In addition to the landfill gas recovery, landfill Wieringermeer is also an important site for researching methane oxidation in the top layer, and studying sustainable landfill management.