September 4, 2024, Beaver County, Alberta. Claystone Waste Ltd. will be conducting a landfill gas pump test at the Ryley landfill starting the week of September 9, 2024.
The testing will include the use of a “candlestick” flare, which will be set up at one of the three wells recently drilled at the landfill. The flare will remain at each location for up to ten (10) days, then moved to the next location. The testing of all three wells should be completed by the end of October.
“Landfill gas in created within cells that contain organic waste in the landfill site,” said Corey Popick, chief executive officer. “The testing we are doing is part of the design process to confirm volume and pressure of landfill gas generation. The test will help us determine the flow rate of the gas within the landfill cells. This information will help us identify the next steps we will need to take to manage the gas.”
Landfill gas, also known as LFG, occurs when organic substances are combined with non-organic waste and buried in a landfill. The organic waste decomposes in an anaerobic state (without oxygen), creating methane, carbon dioxide, and non-methane organic compounds, also known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
“The best way to reduce methane is to separate organics from other waste streams and manage them separately, as Claystone is doing with our organics processing program,” said Popick. “While increasing composting will help reduce the creation of future landfill gas, we still need to manage the existing gas, and this is often done through gas collection and methane conversion, with a system such as combustion.”
Claystone has obtained a permit from Beaver Emergency Services Commission for the flaring and will be working with the department to address any concerns or calls that may come in. This includes having local staff on call evenings and weekends to respond in case anything unusual is reported.
“Seeing a flare stack can be concerning for people, especially at night and could easily be mistaken for a fire at the landfill,” said Popick. “We want to ensure that people in the area understand what is happening, that this is part of our business operations.”
Popick also wants to confirm that the LFG flaring is different from flaring that takes place in the energy industry. LFG methane conversion through combustion produces lower emissions than releasing LFG gas directly to the atmosphere.
Updates on the flaring, including when the flare is being moved to a different location, will be posted on the Claystone Waste Facebook account. We have also created a Landfill Gas web page with more information on landfill gas.
ABOUT CLAYSTONE WASTE
Claystone Waste Ltd. is a municipally controlled corporation that provides leading waste management, waste collection, and composting services for municipalities, industry, and businesses in central Alberta. Claystone operates a Sanitary Class II Landfill located in Beaver County, Alberta. The facility is one of the largest in Western Canada and provides advanced waste treatment, recycling, and remediation technologies. Claystone Waste is community-owned by the municipalities of Beaver County, Town of Tofield, Town of Viking, Village of Holden and Village of Ryley.
Media contact for further information:
Jackie Sargent
Communication and Public Relations Advisor
Email: Jackie.sargent@claystonewaste.com
Phone: 780-293-3365
