Project Number:

3254

Hardwick Landfill Flare, Post-Closure

SERVICE:

Air and Solid Waste Permitting & Specification

DESCRIPTION:

The Hardwick Landfill, a mixed C&D and MSW landfill, was closed a few years before this project took place. The flare and hydrogen sulfide pretreatment system were the right fit for the landfill at the time of closure. Since the final caps have been placed, however, the landfill gas production has decreased dramatically.

Tech selected a smaller utility flare to better match the existing and future landfill gas production expectations. The new flare has less than half the current flare capacity and therefore can be operated more hours per day in the long run, once intermittent operation will be required. This will allow for a steady-state operation.

In addition to the flare permitting, Tech satisfied the MassDEP that hydrogen sulfide removal prior to the flare was no longer needed. The potential sulfur dioxide impacts were significantly lower than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and also the inlet concentration was trending downward. Tech provided a graphic representation of the pretreatment system inlet concentration data that demonstrated pretreatment was no longer necessary.

Although MassDEP prefers enclosed flares for active landfills, this utility flare was approved without hydrogen sulfide pretreatment based on the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) assessments provided in the application that demonstrated that this option met the regulatory criteria.

Print   Email

Key Points

  • A closed landfill found that its gas production decreased drastically within a few years after closure, and required a smaller utility flare.
  • Tech selected a better-fit flare for the landfill, and convinced the MassDEP that this was an appropriate choice.