How does landfill gas combustion affect mercury emissions?
Mercury, although present throughout the environment, is a health concern because it can bioaccumulate through the food chain as methylated mercury, an organic, more toxic form of mercury. Sources of mercury in MSW landfills can include batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, electrical switches, thermometers, and paints. Once mercury enters the waste stream, it will ultimately be released from the landfill and is contained in uncontrolled landfill gas. However, combustion of landfill gas reduces the toxicity of landfill gas emissions by converting the organic mercury compounds, including methylated mercury, to less toxic, less hazardous, inorganic mercury compounds. According to EPA’s 1997 Mercury Study Report to Congress, MSW landfills contributed less than 0.1 percent of the total mercury released from all man-made sources in the United States in 1994. When compared on an annual basis, mercury emissions from landfill gas are significantly less than mercury emissions generated by small o
