Methods of reducing greenhouse gases in landfills and coal mines

Abstract

A method of reducing greenhouse gases while simultaneously generating carbon credits includes mitigating greenhouse gases at unregulated landfill sites or mitigating greenhouse gases at regulated landfill sites in excess of the required mitigation activities, obtaining carbon credits in an amount created by the mitigation efforts and selling or using the carbon credits in an open market to, for example, offset the costs of the mitigation efforts or to fund or support other greenhouse gas emission activities.

1 . A method of reducing greenhouse emissions at an abandoned coal mine, comprising:
 collecting a first greenhouse gas released from exposed coal seams in the abandoned coal mine prior to the first greenhouse gas entering the atmosphere outside of the abandoned coal mine;   converting at least some of the first greenhouse gas into a second, less potent greenhouse gas; and   applying for a first set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits for converting the at least some of the First greenhouse gas into the second, less potent greenhouse gas,   wherein the greenhouse gas emission reduction credits are tradable on a financial exchange.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein converting the at least some of the first greenhouse gas into the second, less potent greenhouse gas includes using the first greenhouse gas as a fuel source in an additional process or processes. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further including applying for a second set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits for reducing the use of fossil fuels in the additional process or processes as a result of using the first greenhouse gas as the fuel source in the additional process. 
     
     
         4 . A method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a landfill, comprising:
 analyzing gas mitigation measures already in place at the landfill;   analyzing by-product mitigation measures already in place at the landfill;   measuring the amount of fossil fuel used to mitigate the by-products in the by-product mitigation measures;   calculating a greenhouse gas emission reduction credit potential for the landfill by determining the amount of the first greenhouse gas needed to power the by-product mitigation measures; and   applying for a first set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits based on the amount of fossil fuel saved by using the first greenhouse gas as a fuel for the by-product mitigation measures.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the by-product mitigation measures include landfill leachate evaporation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising accounting for the monetary value of the greenhouse gas emission reduction credits in an overall budgeting process when calculating a cost of installing greenhouse gas emission reduction equipment. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first greenhouse gas is methane. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising converting the first greenhouse gas into a second, less potent greenhouse gas when powering the by-product mitigation measures. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein converting the first greenhouse gas into the second, less potent greenhouse gas includes burning the first greenhouse gas. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising diverting at least some heat generated by burning the first greenhouse gas into the by-product mitigation measures to at least partially evaporate landfill leachate. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the landfill leachate is at least partially evaporated in a submerged combustion gas evaporator. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the landfill leachate is at least partially evaporated in a concentrator having a narrowed section and a demister. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising applying for a second set of greenhouse gas reduction credits based on converting the first greenhouse gas into a second, less potent greenhouse gas. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first greenhouse gas is burned in an electrical power generator. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising diverting at least some exhaust from the electrical power generator into at least one of the by-product mitigation measures. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising applying for a second set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits based upon using the first greenhouse gas as a fuel for creating electricity in the electrical power generator instead of using a fossil fuel in the electrical power generator. 
     
     
         17 . A method of reducing greenhouse gas at a landfill, comprising:
 collecting a first landfill gas, which is a greenhouse gas, in a landfill gas collection system;   burning the collected first landfill gas, thereby forming an exhaust gas including a second, less potent greenhouse gas;   collecting landfill leachate in a landfill leachate collection system;   transporting the leachate to a landfill leachate evaporation or concentration device;   diverting a first portion of the exhaust gas to the landfill leachate evaporation or concentration device, wherein latent heat in the exhaust gas at least partially evaporates the landfill leachate; and   diverting a second portion of the exhaust gas to an industrial operation and using latent heat in the second portion of the exhaust gas as an energy source in the industrial operation.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the landfill leachate evaporation or concentration device is a submerged gas evaporator. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the landfill gas is burned in an electric power generator, and further comprising applying for a fourth set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits based on using the landfill gas as a fuel source for the power generator instead of using a fossil fuel as a fuel source for the power generator. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the landfill gas is methane and the less potent greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising
 applying for a first set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits based on transforming the landfill gas into a less potent greenhouse gas.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising applying for a second set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits based on using landfill gas as fuel in the landfill leachate evaporation or concentration device instead of using a fossil fuel in the landfill leachate evaporation or concentration device. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising applying for a third set of greenhouse gas emission reduction credits based on using latent heat from the second portion of the exhaust gas as an energy source in the industrial operation instead of using energy from fossil fuel as an energy source in the industrial operation.