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When leachate is generated within methanogenic landfills, methane gas may remain dissolved in the leachate collected for sewer discharge. If no pre-treatment is undertaken which itself removes this methane, it is important that it is "stripped" (removed) from the leachate before discharge.

If methane is not stripped before discharge to sewer it is possible that pockets of methane gas may form in the sewer when the dissolved methane vapourises. This may develop an explosive mixture in air, and is therefore an explosion hazard.

In addition, in the UK and elsewhere, it is illegal in any event, to discharge an explosive substance into any public sewer.

With many landfill leachate sewer discharges planned, and in existence, ENVIROS Consulting has recently commissioned a scientifically designed methane stripping plant for Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, to design parameters resulting from detailed pilot scale studies.

This plant, for which the installation contract was undertaken by Hytech-Water of Nailsea, was designed to "strip" up to 1,000 m³/day of leachate at a cost of approximately 0.4 UKP/m³ (power and maintenance). This plant consistently reduces the dissolved methane concentration to below one tenth of the concentration theoretically capable of producing an explosive mixture in the sewer airspace.

For more information visit the Methane Stripping Web Site.

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