Estimation of Methane Emissions Released from a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Site through a Modelling Approach: A Case Study of Akouedo Landfill, Abidjan (Cote dIvoire)

Municipal Solid Waste landfilling is the most common waste elimination in the developing countries in general and particularly in Cte dIvoire. However, gaseous emissions from waste landfilled constitute an environment and human health concern by contributing to greenhouse gas effects, odour problems, explosion and fire hazards as well as sources of air pollution. In this study, methane emissions rates from Akoudo (Abidjan) landfill have been estimated using three theoretical models such as Landfill Gas Emission Model (LandGEM, version 3.02), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) waste model and Solid Waste Emissions Estimation Tool (SWEET). Two types of parameters have been used to estimate methane emissions, default parameters and site-specific parameters. The results of simulations of the three models are compared as well as the results from their default and site-specific parameters. Results show that LandGEM simulations using both default and site-specific parameters are higher than IPCC waste models simulations, whilst SWEET predicts the lowest methane emissions. SWEET seems to make better simulations than LandGEM and IPCC waste model, for it uses more parameters. Comparison of emissions results show that Akoudo landfill is one of the most emitting methane sites after Karaj and Kahrizak landfills in Tehran (Iran).