Exploring methane use

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: October 8, 2008

Talk of becoming more energy efficient has dominated the 2008 election campaigns and has been a prominent topic in the presidential and vice-presidential debates, so credit Rockingham County with having the foresight to identify a potential resource at the landfill and with setting a plan in motion.
This summer, workers for Joyce Engineering Inc. of Richmond, Va., tested existing wells at the landfill and four newly drilled wells. According to the company’s report, 265 square cubic feet per minute of methane can be pumped from the wells, and that probably would increase after more wells are drilled and a collection system is developed.
Mark Wells, executive director of the Rockingham County Business and Technology Center, and other county officials led the way in working with Appalachian State University in identifying methane in the landfill.
Methane is a prime component of natural gas and, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, landfills are the largest human-related source of methane in the U.S., accounting for 34 percent of all methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere for about 9 to 15 years, according to the EPA.
“By burning methane,” Wells has told us, “one of the outputs is carbon dioxide, so we’re substituting a very bad greenhouse gas for one that’s not nearly as bad.”
The county plans to harness that energy for several prospective uses, including converting it to electricity; powering manufacturing processes, blacksmith stations, pottery kilns or glass-blowing furnaces; and as a source to light and heat buildings.
The county hopes to use the methane as a tool for economic development and is in the process of determining the best use for the gas. An online survey, which lists popular uses of the methane, is one tool.
Converting methane gas to energy benefits the environment, and Rockingham’s commitment to the project could help us become more self-sufficient in regard to energy and could eventually boost the local economy. The county has taken the lead on this issue, and that’s an encouraging sign of progress here.
We, like the county, urge residents to take the survey, which can be accessed at rcbtc.org. Click on “Take our Survey.”