Int. J. Environment and Pollution, Vol. 36, Nos.

1/2/3, 2009 287

The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns:

a simple heuristic model for the city of Palermo

Salvatore Barbaro*
Department of Energy and Environmental Researches,
University of Palermo,
Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy
E-mail: sbarbaro@unipa.it
*Corresponding author

Angelo Bonanno
Italian National Research Council (IAMC – CNR),
Mazara del Vallo TP 91026, Italy
E-mail: Angelo.bonanno@irma.pa.cnr.it

Maria Letizia Boscia

“Soil Unit” of the Agency for the Environment Protection of the
Province of Trento,
Piazza V. Veneto 4,
Torbole Sul Garda (Trento), Italy
E-mail: marialetizia.boscia@provincia.tn.it

Gianfranco Rizzo and Salvatore Aronica

Department of Energy and Environmental Researches,
University of Palermo,
Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy
E-mail: gfrizzo@dream.unipa.it
E-mail: Aronica@dream.unipa.it

Abstract: In this study, the landfill of Palermo, is investigated as a potential

source of the unusual methane concentrations found in the urban context. The
source for these pollution episodes is identified by means of a simple heuristic
method. A cross-correlation analysis between wind data and methane
concentration levels is also used to confirm the hypotheses formulated. Doppler
Sound Detection And Ranging (SODAR) measurements are used to investigate
the air masses dynamics at the landfill, in order to better support the
adopted assumptions. This interpretative method can be adopted in the first
assessment stages of the environmental site performance in order to single out
the candidate pollution sources in urban areas, before any analytical
computation takes place. In this sense, the method is intended as a viable tool
in decision-making processes where in local administrations are currently
involved in the selection of sustainable policies for the correct management
of the territory.

Copyright © 2009 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

288 S. Barbaro et al.

Keywords: air pollution; landfill; urban solid waste; methane emission; urban
pollutants concentration; heuristic models.

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Barbaro, S., Bonanno, A.,
Boscia, M.L., Rizzo, G. and Aronica, S. (2009) ‘The impact of landfills on the
air quality of towns: a simple heuristic model for the city of Palermo’,
Int. J. Environment and Pollution, Vol. 36, Nos. 1/2/3, pp.287–304.

Biographical notes: Salvatore Barbaro graduated in Mechanical Engineering

at the University of Palermo in 1974. Since 1981, he was a first Researcher,
then Professor and, since 2003, he has been a full-time Professor of
Environmental Technical Physics at the University of Palermo. He is
also interested in problems of atmospheric and acoustic environmental
impact valuation in urbanised areas, actively cooperating in studies and
conventions, both in national and international contexts. He developed
his scientific activity essentially by being interested in three principal
research fields: thermal techniques and heat transmission, solar energy
and climatology, measurement, valuation and control of the environmental
quality. He is the author of various scientific publications in national and
international reviews.

Angelo Bonanno is an Electronic Engineer; since 27 July 2001, he has been a

researcher at the ‘Istituto per l’Ambiente Marino Costiero’ of the Italian
National Research Council (IAMC – CNR) in Mazzara del Vallo (TP – Italy).
He has been working since 1992 with the Interdisciplinary Group of
Oceanography of IAMC – CNR, dealing with analysis of acoustic signals
collected during surveys carried out onboard research vessels. He got the
Doctorate in Environmental Technical Physics at the University of Palermo.
He is involved in many research projects funded by the European Community,
in collaboration with researchers of the Acoustics Laboratory of VNIRO in
Moscow, of the Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia di Fuengirola (Spain) and of
the University of Malaga (Spain).

Maria Letizia Boscia is an Environmental Engineer in the field of the

environmental assessment of waste and energy systems. She was awarded
in 2005 a national Italian award for her degree thesis concerning the
pollutant emissions of the landfill of the town of Palermo. Currently, she is
working with the Agency for the Environmental Protection of the Province
of Trento (Italy).

Gianfranco Rizzo has been a Full-time Professor of Environmental

Technical Physics at the University of Palermo since 1994. He is the author
of about 200 scientific publications in journals, conferences and research
reports. He is the Chairman of the Degree Course in ‘Environment and
Land Engineering’ at the University of Palermo; the Chairman of the PhD
course on ‘Environmental Technical Physics’; responsible for several
research projects concerning indoor climate control, energy and environment
and a member of the Work Group UNI in the sector ‘Microclimate’.
He has teaching experience in the University of Luanda (Angola) and
research experience at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (Berkeley, CA) and is
a referee of international scientific journals. His research interests include
indoor thermal comfort in residential and museum buildings, environmental
impact of building materials, pollution from the transportation sector, energy
and environmental sustainability of the built environment and indoor
environment engineering.
 The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns 289

Salvatore Aronica is an Engineer in Telecommunications Electronics presently

involved in a SODAR system project devoted to the analysis of the ABL
(Atmospheric Boundary Layer), in collaboration with the IAMC Institute of the
Italian Research National Council in Mazara del Vallo (Sicily), where he also
attended a Master’s Course in marine and coastal-marine environment
monitoring. In particular, he has concentrated his attention to studying ABL in
marine environment, by installing the SODAR system on the Research Vessel
‘Urania’, during some research cruises. In 2003, he participated in the study of
the ABL at the landfill site of Palermo. Currently, he is attending an Energetic
PhD course at the University of Palermo.

1 Introduction

Human societies are characterised by a linear way of production, which manages

resources almost without feedbacks, ‘from the cradle to the grave’. Consequently,
waste represents the major environmental problem to deal with in urban contexts.
In fact, this way of producing freights and services only considers ‘once’ the energy
and material contribution of resources. In other words, provided that a resource
has offered its contribution for only one goal, it is simply considered as waste to
be disposed.
As a result, our towns are surrounded by disquieting locations, dedicated to the
storage of a huge amount of materials that are assumed to have reached the end of their
life cycle.
Apart from other kinds of pollution related to waste management (Campbell, 1996;
Christensen et al., 2001; Cossu et al., 1996; Eikmann, 1996; Frechen, 1996; Gregory
et al., 1997), in the last few decades, pollution created by biogas emissions has become
an increasingly relevant environmental problem: on a small scale, this is a problem as
traces of undesired substances present in the air create pollution; on a global scale, this is
a problem as growing concentrations of methane have been detected and are presumed to
affect climate changes.
Since this situation, obviously, assigns to landfills a preeminent role in the
management of waste produced by municipalities, local administrations are called to
adopt proper actions with the aim of correctly managing the problem and of mitigating
its undesired effects on the environment and on human health. In order
to achieve these goals, administrators should have at their disposal easy and viable
tools for the evaluation of pollutant effects produced by waste management
facilities and, in general, for the environmental ranking of pollution sources in urban
contexts.
With this aim, this work can be considered as a contribution to the assessment of a
simple methodology allowing the singling out of the most responsible source for
methane concentration in urban areas. Such a heuristic method is essentially based on a
phenomenological approach that tries to put in the correct relationship among the
methane emission sites, the orography of the zone and the local climatic characteristics of
the site.
It is well known that the term ‘heuristics’ denotes a strategy adopted for solving an
issue. The heuristic approach is typical for an expert who builds a mental model of his
own and rapidly finds the best solution.
290 S. Barbaro et al.

In the technical and scientific literature, a number of applications of the heuristic or

meta-heuristic methods are reported – for example, interpreting molecular spectra, setting
up and assessing plans within the social sciences, conceiving an architectural work,
studying the behaviour of reinforced concrete buildings and so on.
A wide list of applications also exists concerning the diagnosis, prognosis or
prevention of air, water and soil pollution as well as environmental policies and
sustainable developments (Du, 2001; Husted, 2004; Meyers, 2003; Pennington, 1999,
2001; Veiga and Meech, 1994).
The approach here is applied to the emissions released by the landfill of the town of
Palermo, in Sicily. A cross-correlation procedure between wind data gathered at the tip
and the urban concentration values is applied in order to justify the adopted empirical
assumptions. Moreover, experimental data from SODAR equipment are utilised for
confirming the hypotheses assumed with the profile of the nocturnal Stable Boundary
Layer (SBL) at the landfill site.

2 The Palermo landfill

The landfill of Palermo, in the territory named Bellolampo was begun in the 1960s as a
site in which the inhabitants of the outer city would discharge their waste without any
control or limitation. Only since the 1980s this process has been regulated by realising a
controlled refuse tip. In 2003, about 615 thousands tons of waste ware deposited in the
landfill, with a yearly increase of nearly 4% in weight.
Presently, the collected biogas from Bellolampo tip is used to produce electrical
energy through a valorisation plant which has five 1 MW generation modules. Table 1
summarises the monthly averages of biogas volume and flow, which have been treated
by the biogas valorisation plant and the average percentages of methane and oxygen
detected in each volume for the year 2003.

Table 1 Relevant parameters referring to the collected biogas (year 2003) in the
Palermo landfill

Symbol Parameters Unit Monthly average

V Treated biogas volume mc 909.141
P Biogas hourly average m3/h 1.244
E Total electric energy produced kWh 2.015.466
CH4 Average percentage of methane volume % 52
O2 Average percentage of oxygen volume % 1

A fraction of the biogas produced in Bellolampo tip, which is generated by processes of

biological degradation, flows undetected through the protection systems that shield the
tip and is dispersed in the atmosphere.
In order to highlight which effects could be linked to this diffusive phenomenon,
methane concentration data detected by ‘Belgio’ and ‘Boccadifalco’ stations, belonging
to the communal network for the detection of atmospheric pollution (see Figure 1) and
 The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns 291

located within the urban layout, was examined. In particular, from the time series (with
hourly intervals) for 2002 and 2003, we chose the episodes in which there were peaks of
CH4 compared to normal data.
The data analysis was done through the event-based model described below.

Figure 1 Position of the meteorological stations ‘Belgio’ and ‘Boccadifalco’, with respects to
Bellolampo landfill

3 The proposed heuristic method

As it has been previously pointed out, a heuristic model will be used to determine the
reasons for the methane concentrations detected at the measurement stations in the two
urban sites.
The heuristic approach utilised in this work for the problem of singling out the main
responsible source of methane concentrations is a logical IF-THEN rule-based scheme.
The model is able to easily handle uncertain or vague data, like those referring to
pollution of urban areas. This procedure can reduce the need for sophisticated analytical
approaches and can provide useful information to non-technical people.
The logical scheme of this model is shown in Figure 2.
An explication of the meaning of each box of the above-described logical scheme is
provided in the following pages.
292 S. Barbaro et al.

Figure 2 Logical scheme of the proposed heuristic model

3.1 Singling out the candidate sources of methane emissions

The potential methane sources, that are relevant to this study in the urban area of
Palermo, are preliminarily investigated. Among these sources, it will be singled out, by
means of a heuristic approach, the one that is mainly responsible of the methane
concentrations in the town.
The first candidate methane source is the methane compression and supply facility
for auto-traction: AMG (the Municipal Enterprise for Gas) realised this facility in 1999
within a deposit. Apart from refueling of buses, this complex is also used by local
government vehicles and special businesses, although in the future it will be open to
the public.
Another possible source is the methane urban distribution network: in fact, the
methanisation works, which began in 1994, are nearing their completion. Furthermore,
AMG promoted a campaign for the diffusion of methane-fuelled central heating in
condominiums and for the transformation of the old gasoline boilers in methane ones in
public schools.
Finally, Bellolampo refuse tip must be considered among the most candidate sources
of the methane that reaches the measurement stations present in the town. In the landfill,
in fact, among other biogases, methane has a presence of 53% within the whole gas
volume: this gas is produced and not intercepted by the extraction facilities already
present on the site.

3.2 Analysis of the gathered data describing concentrations of CO,

C6H6 and CH4
The data analysed in this work are available at the AMIA (Municipal Agency for
Environmental Hygiene) of Palermo. In particular, CO, C6H6 and CH4 concentrations,
wind speed and wind direction are routinely collected by the Agency in some different
 The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns 293

sites of the city. In a generic station of this network, a multiprobe system acquires, with
high frequency measurements, environmental and pollution parameters from related
sensors. AMIA provides hourly averages of each variable for public use and scientific
purposes.
In this work, measurements for wind speed and direction were collected in the
weather station located in Bellolampo landfill site (Figure 1); CO, and CH4
concentrations were acquired both at Belgio and Boccadifalco stations (see Figure 1),
while C6H6 concentrations were acquired only at Boccadifalco station. CO
Concentrations were estimated by using a carbon monoxide analyser, with a sampling
period of 10 s; CH4 concentrations were measured by means of a gas chromatographic
analyser, with a sampling period of 3 min. Concentrations of C6H6 were estimated by
using passive samplers exposed for one hour to the external environment; a gas
chromatographic analyser was then used in the laboratory to evaluate benzene
concentrations. Wind speed measurements have been collected by means of an
anemometer showing a sampling period of 1 sec.
The analysis of the hourly methane concentrations refer to data gathered continually
from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003 in Belgio and Boccadifalco stations. Some
useful considerations can be deduced from these data.
First of all, during the entire observation time, excluding the days in which some
sporadic peak episodes took place, the average hourly value for methane concentration
varied between 1.7 ppm and 2.2 ppm (see Figure 3). As far as methane is concerned, the
common and national laws do not specify levels for air quality, therefore, a threshold
value of 2.5 ppm (closely corresponding to the peak found out in the measurements) was
chosen here for the following studies.

Figure 3 Typical behaviour of methane concentrations at Belgio (left) and

Boccadifalco (right) stations

The episodes in which the methane concentration trespassed the above-mentioned

threshold were recorded only during night time and, typically, between 2.00 and
6.00 am.
At Belgio station in the year 2002, as far as 64 occurrences of methane concentration
peaks (that is trespassing a concentration of 2.5 ppm) were observed. In 2003, 72 were
detected. In Boccadifalco station, in the years 2002 and 2003, respectively 31 and 44
peaks were detected (Table 2).
294 S. Barbaro et al.

Table 2 Number of peak events of CH4 concentration in the years 2002 and 2003

Number of peak events of CH4 concentration

Belgio Boccadifalco
2002
Winter 29 7
Spring 17 16
Summer 7 5
Autumn 11 3
Total 64 31
2003
Winter 14 4
Spring 23 21
Summer 18 13
Autumn 17 6
Total 72 44

When these peaks occurred, the concentration data of other pollutants was also taken into
consideration. In particular, as the peaks of CH4 took place during the night, those
pollutants originating from secondary photochemical reactions occurring in the
atmosphere when UV radiation is present, were purposely overlooked. At Boccadifalco
station, we therefore analysed the benzene and carbon monoxide concentrations.
At Belgio station, we only analysed the carbon monoxide, as benzene is not detected by
the measuring facility. By analysing the benzene concentration paths, we deduced that
there is no time correspondence between the methane peak events and those of C6H6 and
CO; in fact, the daily-recorded concentration peak of carbon monoxide between 8.00 and
9.00 am is due to car traffic (see Figure 4).
Finally, it must be noted that the above-defined CH4 peaks are not linked to
atmospheric pressure as they were indifferently gathered in conditions both of high and
low pressure.

Figure 4 Contemporary presence of carbon monoxide and benzene with the methane
concentrations at Boccadifalco station
 The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns 295

3.3 Correlation between peak concentrations and wind direction analysis

The preliminary results shown in Section 3.2 must be integrated with the other
considerations based on wind study that could provide useful suggestions in order to
properly interpret the methane concentrations in the urban context.
First of all, it is important to remark that the CH4 peaks were recorded at wind speeds
corresponding to less than 1 m/s (wind calmness).
In Figure 5, a typical path of mean hourly methane concentration values gathered at
Belgio station is shown (left), along with the corresponding occurrence of weak winds
observed at the landfill site (right).

Figure 5 Mean hourly methane concentration values gathered at Belgio station (left) and
corresponding occurrence of weak winds observed at the landfill site (right)

The analysis of such behavioural correlations, as shown in Figure 5, allowed us to verify

that while the presence of peaks of CH4 concentration was recorded at Belgio station,
wind direction observed at the landfill site fell between the 11th and 15th sector of the
wind rose. Having this in mind, it is relevant to notice that the azimuthal direction of
Belgio station in respect to Bellolampo landfill is approximately 80°
(see Figure 1).
In correspondence to the peaks recorded at Boccadifalco station, we noticed that the
wind direction fell between the 13th and 1st sector of the wind rose. Having this in mind,
it is relevant to notice that the azimuthal direction of Boccadifalco station in respect to
Bellolampo landfill is approximately 150° (see Figure 1).

3.4 Exclusion of the sources not responsible for CH4 concentrations

in the urban stations
Based on what has just been asserted, it is possible to deduce that the AMG facility for
the compression and distribution of methane for auto transportation is not a possible
cause for the peak episodes. In fact, in order to detect a CH4 concentration increase at
Boccadifalco station, which was hypothetically released by such facility, the wind should
blow from North-North East (NNE), in other words in a perpendicular direction to the
one actually observed in correspondence to the peak events.
To further confirm the exclusion of this source as a cause for the observed peaks, we
also considered the time series gathered at Boccadifalco in periods earlier than the
installation of this facility. In fact, in the year 1998, similar amplitude peaks to the ones
gathered in 2002 and 2003 had been recorded, both in Belgio and Boccadifalco stations.
296 S. Barbaro et al.

On the other hand, methane leakage originating from the gas distribution network is
also to be excluded as a potential cause for the detected peaks. In fact, if the
gas distribution network was a cause, it would not be possible to explain why such peaks
take place only between 2.00 and 6.00 am and there are no high methane values
appearing during the whole day.
As observed earlier, if the wind blows with intensity below 1 m/s and towards the 3rd
and 4th quadrant of the wind rose, the biogas (carried according to wind direction) will
be of interest to the above-mentioned sites. On the other hand, if greater wind intensities
are present, there will be a corresponding remixing of the lower atmosphere layer and a
consequent absence of methane peaks.

3.5 The influence of night-time SBL

It is known that in high pressure conditions the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL)
evolves according to a well defined daily cycle within which it is possible to identify the
principal components of its structure: the Mixed Layer (ML), the Residual Layer (RL)
and the nocturnal SBL (Oke, 1991; Stull, 1988).
It is also known that during the night, the lower part of the RL transforms into the
nocturnal stable layer as a consequence of contact with the earth surface. Such layer is
characterised by statically stable air with sporadic turbulences. In fact, the night winds in
this layer are generally weak at earth surface level even when very high velocity winds
are present higher above.
Clearly, the landfill site of Palermo can be thought of as a source of pollutant inside
the SBL.
The vertical structure of lower atmosphere in Bellolampo landfill was investigated by
using a Doppler Sound Detection And Ranging (SODAR), designed and realised in the
framework of a project funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific
Research. This system is a remote sensing technique suitable, among other things, for
making Doppler measurements of wind velocity using turbulent scattering regions as
tracers. This acoustic technique, started by McAllister et al. (1969), has been rapidly
established as an important tool for probing the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) in
various parts of the world.
The SODAR facility, installed in order to study the dynamics of the lower
atmosphere layers which are in contact with the surface of Bellolampo tip, is
characterised by a monostatic triaxial configuration (Figure 6); such instrument allowed
the monitoring of the ABL evolution up to a 1 Km altitude and to estimate the wind
velocity behaviours at a very high time resolution.

Figure 6 The SODAR Doppler along with the meteorological station at the landfill site
 The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns 297

3.6 Individuation of the principal emission source

The above-mentioned consideration led to assemble a probable hypothesis as to what
justifies the presence of the CH4 peaks identified in these nocturnal times. The source
seems to be the Urban Solid Refusals (RSU) Bellolampo tip, as only such a methane
source could increase local methane concentrations.
As 53% of the biogas (generated and not collected by the specific extraction systems
in Bellolampo tip) is composed by methane, it is believed that only an atmospheric
transportation phenomenon could justify the high CH4 concentration peaks detected in
the urban area close to the tip.
The achieved results allowed to point out a near cause-effect relationship that can be
summarised as such – during night hours, if the wind speed slows down to less than
1 m/s and its direction lies approximately along the line connecting the tip with one of
the two methane measurement stations (that is Belgio or Boccadifalco), then such station
will record a greater methane concentration ( >2.5 ppm) compared to the typical level
recorded in the atmosphere (between 1.7 and 2.0 ppm).
Vice versa, if such situation does not take place or if the wind velocity is greater than
the discovered threshold, then at that same station the typical base values known in the
literature will be observed.

4 Analytical-experimental verification of the interpretative

model results

Following the previous steps, an interpretative model of the methane emission dynamics
in the urban area of Palermo has been assessed. It can be summarised by means of the
logical scheme shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7 Summarising scheme of the wind-pollutant relationship

This easy way of approaching the pollution problems is clearly very suitable for
non-technical people, as local administrators and stakeholders usually are. Furthermore,
we should aim at establishing their validity in other contexts which differ from the one in
which they were applied.
However, although the results deriving from the application of this simple heuristic
methodology sounds very reasonable, they must be verified on the basis of some
objective interpretations. Particularly, the relationships between wind regimes and
methane concentrations should be deeply investigated.
Following, a cross-correlation method is applied for the above purpose. Further,
some results of the SODAR equipment will be presented, in order to explain the role of
the ABL.
298 S. Barbaro et al.

4.1 Confirming the proposed hypotheses through a cross-correlation of the

wind data gathered at the tip and the urban concentrations values
A cross-correlation analysis (Bendat and Piersol, 1971) was carried out, on the basis of
hourly data, in order to describe the general dependence between sets of wind data and
urban concentration data. Among the typical applications of such procedure, the
cross-correlation analysis here is particularly aimed at evaluating the time delay between
the two data sets, considered as input and output of a system. Of course, the limited time
base of the present available data sets could affect this approach; anyway the continuous
activity of gathering data, undertaken by the municipal administration, could rapidly
improve this situation.
With this goal in mind, a data cross-correlation study was carried out. The wind data
at Bellolampo landfill and the methane concentration data at the two stations
were cross-correlated. To perform such analysis, we chose to consider the wind vector
component along the direction that connects the refuse tip with each measurement station
rather than the general direction of the wind (see Figure 1).
From now on, we shall indicate as V1 the wind component measured at Bellolampo
landfill site and directed along Bellolampo-Belgio line and as V2 the wind component
measured at landfill site and directed along Bellolampo-Boccadifalco line.
The adopted procedure is composed of the following steps:
1 estimate of the V1 and V2 wind velocity components at the landfill site
2 extract the CH4 time series, with V1 and V2 in the periods with methane peak
episodes (we chose not to consider the entire biennial time series in order to
focus our attention on the peak situations)
3 perform a cross-correlation analysis between CH4 and V1 (this is done with the
statistical package Systat©, release 5.0)
4 perform a cross-correlation analysis between CH4 and V2 and
5 repeat the points III and IV while considering the delays in time series, by
considering time lags of 1, 2, 3 and 4 hr.
For each of the analyses described in the steps 3, 4 and 5, plots were produced describing
the frequency distributions of the different cross-correlation values.
The analysis results are shown in Figures 8 and 9.
At Boccadifalco station (see Figure 8), the different frequency distributions show
higher cross-correlation values in correspondence to the lag factors of 0, 1 and 2. When
the time lag is increased the correlation values decrease. This consideration allows us to
point out a delay of about 1 hr between the wind reduction at Bellolampo and the high
methane observations at Boccadifalco station.
As far as Belgio station is concerned, Figure 9 shows a much more complex
situation, where the high correlation values (rather frequent) were estimated at intervals
that lie between lag factors 1 and 3.
The results that are concerned with the 2002 data, both in correspondence to
Boccadifalco and Belgio stations, show a frequency distribution not unlike what was
observed in each station in the year 2003.
The different time delay recorded in the two urban sites (that is Boccadifalco and
Belgio) is principally linkable to the different distance between the tip and the two
measurement stations. At the same time, however, it should be emphasised that while
 The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns 299

Boccadifalco station, which lies in a low building-density area, could be considered

influenced only by the orography of the territory, Belgio station is substantially inserted
in Palermo’s urban texture and is thus influenced by the complex city traffic flow.

Figure 8 The analysis results of cross-correlation between the wind and the CH4 concentrations
in the peak periods for the year 2003 (Boccadifalco station)
300 S. Barbaro et al.

Figure 9 The analysis results of cross-correlation between the wind and the CH4 concentration in
the peak periods for the year 2003 (Belgio station)
 The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns 301

The main conclusion of this analysis is that the methane emission episodes at the landfill
site do certainly affect the methane concentrations of the urban measurement stations,
while the relative values are influenced by the distance from the landfill, by the
orography of the territory and by the buildings urban layout. Anyway, the landfill site is
confirmed here as the main source of the methane concentrations in the urban context.

4.2 Further verification by using Doppler SODAR measurement

Alongside the typical ABL behaviour in high-pressure conditions that takes place in the
landfill site during day hours, gas mixing phenomena in correspondence to the layer that
is closer to the ground were also observed in the night hours (see Figure 10). The
extension of this mixed superficial layer undergoes variations that are related to
atmospheric pressure. The typical nocturnal residual stratification was recorded above
the ML.

Figure 10 Facsimile of eco-signal intensity acquired by SODAR system in the night

between 29 and 30 March 2003

During the survey period, the SODAR system estimated vertical profiles of the wind
speed up to 1000 m, with a repetition rate of 6 sec. Facsimile plots (greyscale pictures of
acquired signals) also permitted to qualitatively analyse the vertical structure of the lower
atmosphere.
In this study, it was discovered that the methane peaks (above 2.5 ppm) were
appearing in the nighttime period (between 2 and 5 am) and in correspondence with
decreased values of horizontal wind velocity (smaller than 1 m/s).
This leads to the hypothesis that the biogas produced by the tip, in such
circumstances, is confined to the first atmospheric layer, within which a high gas
emission is recorded.
The methane that is produced at ground level within this ML remains confined to it
and moves according to the horizontal wind component acting on such layer. In such a
trend, the gas shows a relatively little dispersion in the vertical direction, whereas it
spreads out much faster in what is known as a fan fashion, in the horizontal direction.
302 S. Barbaro et al.

What has just been described can be deduced from Figure 10 (SODAR facsimile
representation) where:
• starting from 20:38 the RLs are visible as parallel lines among them
• the lower part of atmosphere is characterised by vertical movements of air
masses (nocturnal mixing layer)
• after 1:00 am the maximum altitude of the ML is around 400 m
• below such stratification an unusual vertical dynamics is present and
• biogas inputted in the lower atmospheric layer is then transported towards the
city by a weak wind.
Thus, it is possible to affirm that the biogas, transported by the weak wind, moves within
the first ABL layer, reaching one of the two (or both) monitoring stations.
In synthesis, this instrumental analysis also confirms that the landfill is responsible
for the methane concentration behaviour found in Palermo’s urban context.

5 Conclusions

A typical heuristic approach has been adopted here to investigate the pollutant
characteristics of the urban area of the town of Palermo, focusing on methane
concentrations recovered in some measurement stations of the municipal network. The
primary purpose of this study was to identify the main cause of such methane emissions.
Methane in fact can be assumed as a tracer of several pollution phenomena and, by
analysing its dynamics, it is possible to assess properly the facilities and infrastructures,
with the aim of limiting the pressure exerted by human activities on the environment in
the urban development process.
This simple phenomenological approach, that essentially proceeded by means of an
exclusion technique, allowed to point out a near cause-effect relationship that can be
summarised as such: during night hours, if the wind speed slows down to less than 1 m/s
and its direction lies approximately along the line connecting the tip with one of the two
CH4 measurement urban stations (Belgio or Boccadifalco), then such a station will record
a greater methane concentration ( >2.5 ppm) compared to the typical level recorded from
the atmosphere (between 1.7 and 2 ppm). The delay with which the CH4 peaks show at
Belgio station is almost 2 hr, whereas Boccadifalco station will record them
approximately after one hour.
On the other hand, if the wind direction does not correspond to the directions
connecting the stations (i.e. Bellolampo-Belgio or Bellolampo-Boccadifalco), or if the
wind speed is greater than the threshold here discovered, the stations will yield the
typical base levels known in the literature.
In a qualitative fashion, this study takes a step in understanding and analysing the
effects of the principal processes responsible for biogas emissions of Bellolampo landfill
as far as the air quality of Palermo, assuming that CH4 is the tracer of the emissions in the
air that are generated by the tip. In particular, the attention was focused on concentration
peaks (above 2.5 ppm) detected in two urban-network meteorological stations.
The results have been verified on the basis of a statistical analysis, by means of a
cross-correlation method, between the concentrations of methane recorded at the
measurement stations in the urban area and the wind characteristics in the whole area,
 The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns 303

including the landfill site. Moreover, the assumptions concerning the movement of the
methane released by the landfill within the ABL, have been confirmed by means of
measurements taken with a SODAR instrumentation installed in the landfill.
The investigation should certainly be carried further, by undertaking measurement
campaigns with greater space-time resolution. These measurements should also be aimed
at the acquisition of this data and integrated with simulation models of the
emissions-system and of the diffusion mechanism. This kind of further research could be
used to predict main causes of pollutant concentrations in any part of the territory in
order to eventually confirm the empirical assumptions taken here on the basis of
heuristics approaches.
Thus, the undertaken research can be considered a first investigation that should be
kept in consideration in future studies that aim at the installation of industrial facilities in
the waste site like, for example, waste thermo-valorisation plants.

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