1
|
Graupman M, Vikesland PJ, Bolyard SC, Brazil B, Mondal PP, Bezbaruah AN, Rusch KA, Caro D, Iskander SM. Evaluating the Ecological Footprint of Landfills: A Framework and Case Study of Fargo, North Dakota. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:21113-21123. [PMID: 37932027 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
There is growing interest in better understanding the environmental impacts of landfills and optimizing their operation. Accordingly, we developed a holistic framework to calculate a landfill's Ecological Footprint (EF) and applied that to the Fargo, North Dakota, landfill. Parallelly, the carbon footprint and biocapacity of the landfill were calculated. We calculated the EF for six scenarios (i.e., cropland, grazing land, marine land, inland fishing ground, forest land, and built land as land types) and six operational strategies typical for landfills. Operational strategies were selected based on the variations of landfill equipment, the gas collection system, efficiency, the occurrence of fugitive emissions, and flaring. The annual EF values range from 124 to 213,717 global hectares depending on land type and operational strategy. Carbon footprints constituted 28.01-99.98% of total EF, mainly driven by fugitive emissions and landfill equipment. For example, each percent increase in Fargo landfill's fugitive emissions caused the carbon footprint to rise by 2130 global hectares (4460 tons CO2e). While the landfill has biocapacity as grazing grass in open spaces, it remains unused/inaccessible. By leveraging the EF framework for landfills, operators can identify the primary elements contributing to a landfill's environmental impact, thereby minimizing it.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Malachi Graupman
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58102, United States
| | - Peter J Vikesland
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Stephanie C Bolyard
- North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Raleigh, North Carolina 27603, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, United States
| | - Brian Brazil
- Waste Management, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879, United States
| | | | - Achintya N Bezbaruah
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58102, United States
| | - Kelly A Rusch
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58102, United States
| | - Dario Caro
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate Growth and Innovation, Circular Economy and Industrial Leadership Unit, Sevilla 41092, Spain
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde 4000, Denmark
| | - Syeed Md Iskander
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58102, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang Z, Hu B, Jiang W, Qiu H. Construction of ecological security pattern based on ecological carrying capacity assessment 1990–2040: A case study of the Southwest Guangxi Karst - Beibu Gulf. Ecol Modell 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
|
3
|
Song S, Zhang S, Wang T, Meng J, Zhou Y, Zhang H. Balancing conservation and development in Winter Olympic construction: evidence from a multi-scale ecological suitability assessment. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14083. [PMID: 30237422 PMCID: PMC6147948 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32548-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Optimizing spatial patterns of land development and minimizing the ecological impact of concentrated construction is the key to realizing regionally sustainable development. The reasonable assessment of the ecological effects of the Winter Olympic construction on areas where the mountainous ecosystem is ecologically sensitive and vulnerable is urgent for responsible urban and regional development. Here, we assess the multi-scale suitability of ecologically compatible development in Winter Olympic regions using the ecological suitability assessment method based on GIS spatial analysis. We found the Chongli District had relatively high ecological structure and function resistances at a basin scale and that the towns where Olympic facilities located also had larger ecological resistance. The integrated suitability assessment showed the prior and moderate zones for suitable large-scale development and utilization in Chongli were smaller than those in other counties. The total loss area of natural ecological systems (forests, shrubs and meadows) for a new ski resort is 117.27 hm2, which will lead to ecosystem function loss such as water and soil conservation and will potentially impact ecological systems. This research will be a useful reference for exploring the multi-scale balancing of conservation and development for Winter Olympic regions, and in turn, for concentrated global constructions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Song
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- School of Environmental & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, China
| | - Tieyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Jing Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Yunqiao Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- College of Environmental & Resource Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| |
Collapse
|