By Wally Kennedy
wkennedy@joplinglobe.com
LAMAR, Mo. — The flares at the Prairie View Landfill have been burning excess methane for years.
When Lamar City Administrator Lynn Calton looks at them, he thinks of one thing: “Dollar bills going up in the air.”
That loss is about to change. Lamar is preparing to harness the methane in the old Lamar Landfill and the newer Prairie View Landfill for production of electricity. A $6 million project that has been five years in the making is about to kick into high gear.
Two 1.6-megawatt generators have been purchased to generate electricity by burning methane. The lines that feed the flares will be diverted to the generators. The energy from the generators will go to a transformer, and from there it will be transmitted via a new power line to an electrical substation in Lamar. The power line alone will cost about $1 million.
In addition to trash from Lamar, the Prairie View Landfill receives trash from towns that include Springfield, Joplin and Carthage.
Said Calton: “This is the second largest landfill in the state. We love trash.”
A typical house in Lamar uses about 1,000 kilowatts of electricity a month. Calton said the generators would produce enough energy to power 2,300 houses. There are about 2,200 houses in Lamar.
“We’ll provide electricity to the whole town — at least the residential side,” he said. “It’s not enough to power the industrial side.”
But more power could be coming. As the Prairie View Landfill continues to grow, it will produce more methane. Calton said the plan is to add three generators in the future. That would produce a total of 9.6 megawatts of electricity.
“Right now, our peak load for both residential and industrial is 18 megawatts,” Calton said. “We will not be able to get all of our electricity from the landfill, but a lot of it. We’re hoping that it will keep electricity prices constant for Lamar.”
A spokesman for Allied/Republic Waste said the Prairie View Landfill could operate 25 to 30 years into the future, depending on the flow of waste to the landfill. That flow decreased this year when compared with last year.
Last year, the landfill received 2,300 tons of waste per day. That has dropped to 1,500 to 1,600 tons per day this year. Kurt Bodendorfer, general manager of Allied/Republic Waste, said the decline is a reflection of the state of the economy. Building construction, a major contributor to landfill waste, is down, he said. Another factor, he said, is the impact of recycling.
This is the third Allied/Republic Waste landfill in the state to convert methane into electrical energy. A landfill at Jefferson City provides energy for a state prison there, saving taxpayers $250,000 a year. A landfill near Kansas City is generating 40 percent of the electricity needed by a nearby concrete plant.
The methane is produced by the decomposition of waste in the landfill. Of the total gases produced, about 55 percent is methane. Because the methane is “dirty,” it must be filtered, cooled and condensed before it can be used by the generators.
Low maintenance
Calton said Lamar’s energy production will not be labor intensive. The plant will be remotely monitored from an office in Lamar. Operation and maintenance costs are projected to be low.
Mayor Keith Divine said the landfill was operated by BFI before Allied took over and then Republic Services. He said the transition of ownership has gone smoothly. He said the city has received no complaints about the landfill.
“It’s a clean operation,” he said.
Calton noted that in terms of climate change, methane is a much more harmful gas when compared with others.
“Why not recycle that by eliminating methane burn-off to produce electricity?” he said. “We pay Allied for the methane. We make money, and they make money.”
Landfill facts
The Lamar Landfill was closed in 1999. It covers 45 acres about three miles north of Lamar. The Prairie View Landfill opened when the Lamar Landfill closed. It occupies 40 acres on the outskirts of Lamar and could be enlarged by an additional 60 acres. It is expected to remain in operation for 25 to 30 years, according to a spokesman for Allied/Republic Waste, owner of the landfills.
Home
<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0>Landfill gas to help power Lamar<font color="#ff0000"> w/ landfill methane production info</font>
- Local & State News
-
-
Water company cites reconnections
Matt Andrews, a worker with Missouri American Water Co., guides equipment Friday afternoon in connection with a water main project at 28th Street and Bird Avenue. Company officials are crediting a mild winter for contributing to the company’s reconnections since the May 22 tornado.
The May 22 tornado has caused a dramatic drop in water usage for the Missouri American Water Co., but things are starting to turn around — one reconnection at a time.
Continued ... - Survivor of ’78 Connor collapse dead at age 64
- County asks for dismissal of sheriff’s suit
- Winter weather back in forecast
- Weather service upgrading radar at Springfield station
-
- Sports
-
-
Colgan's Cichon wins No. 500
The 500-win plateau is an achievement that does not come without some winning formula.
- Prep Roundup: Joplin's Wood breaks school record
- Hester, Lions prep for Emporia State
- MSSU's Gibson sets career highs in consecutive games
- PSU women seek record-tying 22nd win
-
- Crime & Courts
-
-
Authorities term deaths of teens murder-suicide
Authorities say a teenage woman apparently shot her estranged boyfriend several times before turning the gun on herself and taking her own life.
- Woman accused of endangering three children
- Kansas City man facing drug charge after brief chase
- Miami man killed while trying to seek help after accident
- Homeless man waives hearing on arson charge
-
Authorities term deaths of teens murder-suicide
- Death Notices
-
-
Mabel M. Deffenbaugh
Mabel M. Deffenbaugh, 99, a retired food service employee for Crowder College, passed away Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.
- Sue McDonough
- Seneca Mathews
- Lucille M. Williams
- Jimmie D. Fair
-
Mabel M. Deffenbaugh
- Opinion
-
-
Our View: Santorum's Achilles' ear
Rick Santorum knocked everyone for a loop this week, not just with his victory in Missouri but with the landslide size of the thing.
Continued ... - Our View: Are school loans next 'debt bomb'?
- Our View: A better way of limit terms
- Your View: Is it our fault?
- Your View: No way to run a school
-
Our View: Santorum's Achilles' ear
- Business
-
-
Obama call for manufacturing revival a tough goal
President Barack Obama is making a strong election-year push for an economic revival “built on American manufacturing.” But he faces an uphill slog, with little consensus even within his own party on how to do it.
Continued ... - Stocks fall sharply as Greek deal is held up
- Budget deficit drops to $27 billion in January
- Feds slap CA utility for San Onofre ammonia leak
- Chicago officials make plans for potential massive protests of G-8, NATO summits
-
Obama call for manufacturing revival a tough goal
- Lifestyles
-
-
Can't miss movies: 2012 features big-buzz blockbusters
Sure, it’s only February, but we’re already planning out our trips to the multiplex over the next 10 months.
- Play, concert geared toward Valentine’s crowd
- Dance party pairs electronic music with sci-fi costumes
- Titanic 100th anniversary under way
- Joe Hadsall: ‘Skyrim’ should have addiction warning
-
- National News
-
-
Obama budget predicts $1.3T deficit for 2012
The White House on Friday confirmed a report that President Barack Obama’s new budget predicts a $1.3 trillion deficit for the ongoing fiscal year. The deficit would drop to $901 billion next year under the administration’s tax and spending policies.
- Navy names littoral combat ship after Gabrielle Giffords
- Under fire, Obama adjusts his birth control policy
- They’re back: Social issues overtake US politics
- Requirements for consumer health insurance summaries unveiled
-
- Obituaries
-
-
Marvin R. Correll
Marvin R. Correll, of Columbus, Kan., passed away Feb. 9, 2012, at Landmark Hospital in Joplin, Mo.
- Judith Ann Johnson
- Seneca Black Elk Mathews
- Gisela A. “Annie” Putman
- Marceline “Marcy” Jewell Johnson
-






