Air, Climate, & Energy Research Webinar Series

Airborne Survey - Methane from U.S. Landfills

Registration

The use of next generation emissions measurement (NGEM) technology is reducing uncertainty associated with quantifying landfill methane. Through a partnership with Carbon Mapper and NASA, remote sensing data were collected using aircraft to geolocate large leaks and to quantify methane emissions from over 20% of the 2600 landfills in the US. Over this past decade, innovations in NGEM technology for landfill applications have occurred increasing transparency and improving monitoring and mitigation. Today there is wider availability of remote sensing data from satellites and aircraft. Remote sensing data are being used to inform mitigation and best practices for minimizing fugitive loss. The data are also being used to inform landfill inspections and document emission reductions. EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) is working with others at EPA, NGOs, industry, and academia to evaluate different technologies for quantifying and mitigating landfill methane. This webinar will provide an overview of ORD’s research program to evaluate NGEM technology to better detect and quantify landfill methane. ​

Presenter: Susan Thorneloe, EPA Office of Research and Development

Susan Thorneloe is a senior chemical engineer with EPA’s Office of Research and Development. Her 40-year career with EPA has focused on quantifying the impact on human health and the environment (HHE) and mitigation options for different source categories such as landfills, coal ash management, land treatment of refinery waste, waste-to-energy, composting, and contaminated soil and remediation of sites with mixtures of organics or metals. Susan’s career has resulted in tools and publications that are helping to better understand emissions and mitigation opportunities at landfills and other source categories.