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Methane emissions from landfills differentially underestimated worldwide

Author

Listed:
  • Yao Wang

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Mingliang Fang

    (Fudan University)

  • Ziyang Lou

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Hongping He

    (College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University)

  • Yuliang Guo

    (Nanyang Technological University
    Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute)

  • Xiaoqing Pi

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Yijie Wang

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Ke Yin

    (Nanjing Forestry University)

  • Xunchang Fei

    (Nanyang Technological University
    Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute)

Abstract

Landfill methane (CH4) emissions account for ~10% of all anthropogenic CH4 emissions globally, amounting to ~50 Tg per year. The current emission inventories utilize a first-order decay model as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In contrast to recent top-down atmospheric inversion results, the mainstream bottom-up inventories exhibit significant biases, largely stemming from the inaccuracy in the a priori decay constant (k), an essential rate-controlling parameter in the model. We improve the k estimation method by incorporating compositional- and environmental-specific corrections, which are readily integrated into the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s model. The accuracy of CH4 emission predictions is significantly improved by using the corrected k values, which are benchmarked against the atmospheric inversion results. We extend the emission estimations to landfills worldwide and reveal up to 200% underestimations for individual landfills. Our findings highlight the importance of prioritizing landfill CH4 emission monitoring and reduction as one of the most cost-effective mitigation options to achieve current climate goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Yao Wang & Mingliang Fang & Ziyang Lou & Hongping He & Yuliang Guo & Xiaoqing Pi & Yijie Wang & Ke Yin & Xunchang Fei, 2024. "Methane emissions from landfills differentially underestimated worldwide," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 7(4), pages 496-507, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:7:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1038_s41893-024-01307-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01307-9
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