Buffelsdraai Landfill Gas Extraction

PROJECT OVERVIEW
Buffelsdraai Landfill is a relatively young landfill near Verulam, north of Durban, and is intended to replace the Bisasar Road Landfill close to the city which is due for imminent closure. Since Buffelsdraai Landfill is still a new landfill there was no gas extraction system in place, and therefore a new system had to be built from scratch. FCE, the parent company of FGE, responded to a tender advertisement from eThekwini Municipality for the construction of a Landfill Gas Extraction and Ancillary Works CDM Project at Buffelsdraai Landfill. FCE was successful in winning the tender, and construction on the plant commenced in late March 2015.

THE PROJECT ENTAILED THE CONSTRUCTION OF:

• A series of horizontal gas extraction wells, all laid to falls for maximum condensate removal
• Two header control stations for the monitoring and control of individual gas wells
• Approximately 2,000m of HDPE gas collection piping ranging from 250mm – 110mm diameter, all laid to falls for maximum condensate removal
• A secure, fenced, earthed and drained flare compound comprising a control building to house the PLC and SCADA system and flare slab
• The refurbishment and erection of a disused flare and blower extraction system that DSW had previously installed at La Mercy Landfill
• Commissioning the plant
• Operating, monitoring and maintaining the whole system for 12 months once operational