Friday, October 28, 2011
Hall 1-2 (San Jose Convention Center)
As methane gas is produced naturally in a landfill, capturing this gas for electricity could potentially be beneficial both economically and environmentally. As Curaςao's residential and tourist populations rise, a less expensive energy source is needed. Elsewhere, landfills have methane capture facilities (MCF), and are successfully capturing biogas of which 50% is methane. This project analyzes the viability of establishing similar facilities in Curaςao so that electricity generation does not have to depend entirely on oil to support local demand. By looking at the production rates of trash on Curaςao and comparing them to other similar landfills, this research explores the costs of setting up a MCF on Curaςao in order to produce electricity and to determine if this has an economic benefit.