We were approached by the Asian Development Bank for a Technical Assistance project to study the Phnom Penh’s main landfill: Dangkor Landfill. The project objective was to determine whether methane extraction or incineration was the optimal method of waste reuse.
Our first step was to calculate the volume of waste, done through an aerial LiDAR survey and historical land analysis. Then came the establishment of gas wells to enable the extraction and analysis of gas composition. To do so, we drilled boreholes into the waste and installed sealable casing to prevent negative environmental effects. We built a custom gas extraction and testing device to determine the flow rates and composition of the landfill gases. Finally, a waste audit was conducted to understand the general composition of waste in the landfill. The project objective was successfully completed by compiling and analyzing all of this data.
