Landfill gas and biogas are formed when organic materials such as municipal waste, food waste or manure anaerobically decompose to form methane and carbon dioxide. The formation of landfill gas and biogas present both an issue and an opportunity for society. Landfill gas and biogas can be used as an energy source to produce heat, electricity, natural gas, and vehicle fuel. Conversely, if left uncontrolled to vent to the atmosphere, it is a harmful greenhouse gas that is twenty-one more times potent than carbon dioxide.
This presentation will discuss the basics of landfill gas and biogas formation including the conditions required for production. Capture, collection and treatment methods for landfill gas and biogas will be reviewed including recent trends in monitoring collection efficiencies. The use of landfill gas and biogas to produce electricity and renewable natural gas including vehicle fuel will be discussed including the examples of existing projects and financial and sustainability criteria of those projects. Lastly, the next generation of emission monitoring technologies including satellites, drones, rovers and fixed sensors will be reviewed for the forward-thinking upcoming engineer.
The presenters will discuss their careers as engineers working on landfill gas and biogas projects locally, nationally, and internationally and share their insights into a career in the landfill gas and biogas industries.
Dennis Fenn, ND CE ’69, has over 47 years of experience in solid waste management, including domestic and international assignments. His experience is in planning, design and construction management for transfer and recycling facilities and landfills, with specific experience with landfill environmental controls including leachate and methane gas collection and treatment, liner systems, and groundwater monitoring systems. He has worked on landfill gas to energy projects including power generation and CNG vehicle fuel. After four years as a commissioned officer for the US Public Health Service, he began his career in consulting engineering and was co-founder and senior manager for Cornerstone Engineering. He is married to Maggie “Kelly” for 55 years, has two daughters and five granddaughters and resides in South Bend, IN and Northfield, IL.
Mark Torresani has 37 years of experience as an engineer, project manager, and construction manager on local, regional, national, and international biogas and solid waste projects. He works on developing and integrating the design, construction, and operation of biogas and waste-related project actions into a comprehensive solution. He has prepared regulatory submittals, permitting and construction plans, specifications, and operating plans. His project experience ranges from solid waste planning, and initial site investigations to site closure, operations assistance, needs analysis, economic analysis, site redevelopment, construction management, and expert testimony. Mr. Torresani has provided numerous lectures at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and at conferences on biogas systems and solid waste design and construction management. He developed the patented BioCNG™ system.
Mr. Torresani’s approach to projects is to consider all aspects of design, construction, operation, economics, sustainability, and end-use options. His experience with site development, operations, and troubleshooting of existing landfills and biogas to energy systems gives him valuable experience with problem-solving. Since 2005 Mr. Torresani has worked on developing technologies and expertise in converting biogas to renewable natural gas (RNG). This work includes his work that led to the patented BioCNG system. Due to his experience on numerous sites and developing biogas systems, Mr. Torresani is known as an expert in landfill siting, biogas system design, and construction.
