Landfill gas generation and use alternatives as well as financing possibilities through the clean development mechanism

Abstract

Waste generation and management are closed linked to population, urbanization and affluence. The waste production per capita rises as a result of many factors such as migration to urban centers, population growth, change in the habits of consume, etc. The energetic potential contained in the Urban Solid Waste has gained importance in the last years; mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism try to provide the right tools to encourage the inversion in projects that mean Greenhouse Gasses emissions reduction, and also to become valuable tools for the sustainable development of developing countries in cooperation with developed countries. The energetic security also, is becoming one of the main challenges of Chile. The country imports almost three quarters of its energetic consume, which places the country in a vulnerable situation due to the volatility of the energy prices and interruptions in the supply chains. In order to promote the diversification of the energetic matrix and achieving a higher autonomy grade Chilean government has promoted the Non Conventional Renewable Energy. The main purpose of the investigation was to set a base to understand the actual conditions of the landfills located in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile, as sources of landfill gas as a fuel. It also explored the different use possibilities for the gas, and the Clean Development Mechanism as auxiliary financing tool. The study attempted to become a useful tool which promotes the renewable energy sources and the improvement of the waste management conditions in Latin America.