Landfill Gas Management System

The Secure Sanitary Landfill has been accepting and managing Cape May Counties waste since 1984. This waste, as it decomposes in the landfill creates landfill gas. Landfill gas (LFG) is a natural byproduct of the decomposition of organic material in the landfill. LFG is composed of roughly 50 percent methane (the primary component of natural gas), 50 percent carbon dioxide (CO2) and a small amount of other organic compounds. 

With the use of engineered controls, LFG can be captured, converted, and used as a renewable energy resource. Capturing and managing the LFG reduces odors and significantly reduces the amount of methane escaping into the atmosphere and contributing to greenhouse gasses. LFG is a renewable energy source and can be used to provide fuel to run electrical generators and boilers, generate revenue and create jobs while protecting the environment. The Secure Sanitary Landfill has a state of the art gas collection system that collects landfill gas that is generated within the waste mass.

The Secure Sanitary Landfill collects LFG using a series of vertical and horizontal wells that through a series of various sizes of vacuum pipelines, connect to two (2) 150 HP blowers that create a vacuum throughout the landfill drawing the LFG into the collection system. This system directs the collected gas to a central point where it is processed and treated. From this point, the gas can be flared to destroy greenhouse gas emissions or beneficially used in energy production. 

In 2019, the CMCMUA installed an additional 13 vertical gas wells and increased the vacuum pipe system on the southeastern side of the landfill to enhance the capabilities of the LFG collection system. A compressor building was also constructed which will provide a continuous supply of compressed air to pumps that are installed in each gas well to remove any collected liquids, keeping the well an active gas collection point. Increased pipe sizes and a liquid settling chamber will all make the existing LFG collection system more efficient and capable and collecting more LFG for use in energy production, minimizing nuisance odors, reducing greenhouse gases, and further protecting the environment of Cape May County.

Woodbine Developmental Center Uses LFG

The Woodbine Developmental Center (WDC) in Woodbine, New Jersey provides a wide range of habilitation, behavioral and medical services and supports to men with developmental disabilities. The facility is heated and cooled using two (2) boilers which are fueled by natural gas. The CMCMUA provides Landfill gas (LFG) to the WDC through a pipeline that runs from the Landfill to the WDC. The LFG supplied to the WDC supplements the fuel requirements for the boilers. In 2018, CMCMUA provided more than 40,000 cubic feet of LFG to the WDC to maintain the fuel needs for the facility.

CMCMUA Electrical Generating Station

In 2013, CMCMUA installed three (3) Jenbacher JMS 320 Electrical Generating Engines at the Secure Sanitary Landfill in Woodbine, New Jersey. Each of these three generators is capable of producing 1.0 megawatts of electricity per hour using the LFG as the sole source of fuel. The electricity is used to supply all the electrical needs of the entire Environmental Complex including the landfill, gas management system, recycling center, scale house, and maintenance facility. All excess electricity generated that is not needed by the Environmental Complex is sold to the PJM grid. Throughout 2018, all of the electrical needs of the facility were met and more than 8,260 Megawatts of electricity was sold to PJM.