The Delaware Congressional delegation praised the award of $999,831 in grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the University of Delaware (UD) for research to quantify and reduce emissions from municipal solid waste landfills.
“Landfills are a significant source of methane pollution, which we know is some 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere over the short term,” said Senator Tom Carper, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This grant will help make the University of Delaware a critical partner in the effort to reduce methane emissions and meet our climate goals. In addition, I am pleased to see the Biden Administration recognize the University of Delaware’s leadership in researching solutions to protect public health and our environment.”
“Paul Imhoff’s research to develop models and methods for reducing emissions from landfills has been making an impact nearly two decades,” said Levi Thompson, dean of UD’s College of Engineering. “This funding from the EPA advances his work to the next level and expands the college’s impact on solving climate challenges including plastics upcycling and greener waste management.”
While the focus has been on methane emissions from oil and gas operations, landfills account for a sizable percentage of leaks. Cutting food waste going into landfills is one option to lowering methane emissions.
In Delaware, the Solid Waste Authority captures landfill gas that is used to generate electricity and power an industrial plant.
