Dr. Kyle Daun, co-investigator on the Mitigation of Methane Emission Hot-spots from Municipal Landfills project and Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, is pioneering innovative methods for measuring and mitigating harmful methane emissions using a hyperspectral camera, or “Hyper-Cam”. This technology is developed by Québec City--based Telops, a partner to the project.
Unlike a conventional camera that captures a single image, the Hyper-Cam captures hundreds of images of the same scene – each at a different wavelength. At its core is a high-speed infrared camera capable of capturing changes quickly enough to visualize wind moving across a field by detecting variations in ambient water vapour absorption. The Hyper-Cam, along with specialized algorithms, is being used to identify the exact locations of a hot-spot, leading to emission detection with increased accuracy.
The research team measuring methane at a Waterloo Region landfill.
The research team heading out to a Waterloo Region landfill to collect cover soil samples and measure methane flux.
Landfills account for about 20% of Canada's methane emissions and represent a significant opportunity for reducing Canada’s overall emission budget.
At the same time, Dr. Laura Hug, Principal Investigator and Professor in the Department of Biology, is studying the microbes living in the cover soils at landfills to understand how much methane is being consumed by these microbes at hot-spots before it is released into the atmosphere.
Partners at the Region of Waterloo are providing site access for the team to local landfills to run experiments and conduct research. Together, Dr. Daun’s and Dr. Hug’s research will allow the team to make recommendations for reducing methane emissions at landfill sites.