QC, PNOC to conduct gas tests in Payatas

The Quezon City government and the Philippine National Oil Company have embarked on a joint project to conduct gas production tests at the collapsed Payatas dumpsite to determine the viability of putting up a commercial natural gas production plant there.

"This complements the city government’s continuing efforts to address the environmental and safety concerns in the management and operation of the dumpsite," said Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

The mayor and PNOC-Exploration Corporation CEO Rufino Bomasang earlier signed a memorandum of agreement for the joint gas test projects. The signing was also witnessed by Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista and PNOC-EC chairman Thelmo Cunanan and Jameel Jaymalin, head of the Payatas Operations Group.

"PNOC recognizes both the environmental hazards that go with the generation of methane in dumpsites and landfills as well as the economic potentials for commercially utilizing methane gas," said Bomasang.

He said PNOC-EC hopes the tests would eventually lead to a pilot power plant project that would benefit the local communities.

Methane is a greenhouse gas with an atmosphere damaging potential that is 20 times greater than carbon dioxide.

By tapping into the dumpsite’s methane gas, PNOC-EC aims to help the Philippine government contribute to international greenhouse gas reduction and benefit from foreign exchange savings due to decreased energy imports.

A dumpsite emits a mix of gases generated by the anaerobic decomposition of organic waste. The same process occurs naturally in swamps or rice paddies and the main components of the gas are methane and carbon dioxide.

Depending on the composition of the waste, a dumpsite may emit toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide which provides the typical foul smell associated with landfills.

Traditionally, the produced gas from dumpsites can be safely disposed of by flaring but this has been considered wasteful considering that the gas can still be used as an inexpensive form of energy.

PNOC engineers said the energy in methane can be used by installing gas engine generators and providing electricity to local distribution systems or power girds. Dumpsite power generators enable methane to be reduced to carbon dioxide and water and considerably mitigate the environmental damage of the escaping gas.