LNK LLC is a pioneer in the use of biogas energy in landfills in Ukraine. LNK LLC has been working in the alternative energy market since 2010.  Between 2013 and 2019, the company built 6 landfill gas-fired power plants in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Mykolayiv, Chernihiv and Kirovohrad regions, with a total installed capacity of 5.9 MW.

Task:

The landfill in Kropivnitskiy has been in operation since 1953.  The main problem of the landfill is the numerous spontaneous combustion and decaying odours of waste.

Landfill gas is a form of biogas, produced during the decomposition of organic waste in an oxygen-free environment. The main components of LFG are the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change: methane and carbon dioxide. The former is the most dangerous from a climatic point of view and is the main culprit of spontaneous combustion of landfills.

As part of the implementation of the degasification programme, the following objectives have been identified:

• improving the overall environmental situation in the city due to the absence of methane emissions into the atmosphere.
• eliminating the threat of spontaneous combustion of the landfill.
• neutralisation of unpleasant odours from the landfill area.

Outcome:

The solution to the problems was the landfill degassing process patented by LNK using energy recovery – landfill gas.

In 2019, construction of a landfill degasification system with an installed capacity of 635 kW was started. The power plant can produce up to 5080 thousand kWh per year. Capital expenditure amounted to €1.9 million. The planned volume of electricity sales is 629,412 euros per year.

The technological process proposed by LNK includes the collection and forced pumping of landfill gas accumulating in the landfill strata from 38 artificially drilled wells, which after dewatering and desulphurization is directed to a cogeneration plant of the Austrian company INNIO Jenbacher JС 312 GS – L.L. with a capacity of 630 kW. Combustion of landfill gas in a cogeneration module makes it possible to avoid methane emissions into the atmosphere and, at the same time, to generate electricity.

Specialists from KTS Engineering proposed a container-type solution, using a special version of the Jenbacher engines, designed for the special characteristics of produced gas. An important aspect in the implementation of projects of power centres operating on LFG, is the reliability of equipment for electricity generation. It is the innovativeness and reliability of Jenbacher engines that were key factors in LNK’s choice of equipment for this project.

Solution features:

1. Energy efficiency and the environment. The generated energy of 5,080 MW/year is sufficient to cover the needs of 1,400 people throughout the year. The spontaneous combustion issues of the landfill have been completely eliminated.
2. Special version of Jenbacher engines. To achieve high reliability and efficiency, Jenbacher engines have been manufactured with a specific fuel type in mind.
3. Fast commissioning and mobility. The Jenbacher container is installed and connected at the generation site. The plant is then connected to the gas supply, the power delivery point, the district heating network and is 100% ready to start generating electricity and heat. Container solutions can be quickly disassembled and transported to another location if required.