Great Things With Garbage
The Wood County Landfill processes an average of 100 tons of solid waste per day, but that "doesn't always mean putting it in the landfill", according to the site's director, Ken Rieman. The landfill, part of the Wood County Solid Waste District, has long been an innovator in sustainable disposal options.
The landfill was instrumental in Bowling Green's wind turbine project, providing the land for the turbines after the location initially proposed was too near the Wood County Airport. The landfill had unused space - and is outside of the mandated 10 mile radius surrounding the airport - so Rieman worked with county commissioners to lease the land for the project.
The wind farm has brought tourists from around the world to the landfill's property. "It was a win-win for everybody, and I would do it for the positive publicity itself," says Rieman. The turbines have since helped to make another innovative project at the landfill possible. The three-phase electric lines run to carry the electricity generated by the wind farm turned out to be one of the components that would be needed for a methane gas generated electricity plant being built at the site.
Decomposition of waste releases methane gas which can be used as fuel, however gas from a landfill normally has numerous impurities and other corrosive elements. The generator at the landfill will use a Stirling engine - a type of external combustion engine that does not require as pure a fuel as the more typical internal combustion engine. The Wood County Landfill will be the first in the country to generate electricity with a Stirling engine.
