global warming

This was due to Methane Gas

Explosion, Derbyshire
An explosion occurred in a bungalow adjacent to the landfill site at Loscoe during March 1986, when a large fall in barometric pressure occurred (29 millibars in 7 hours).

The explosion destroyed one bungalow, and the resulting investigation showed two more houses had been unfit for habitation for the preceding nine months, and others for short periods.

The site was used as a brickworks from the mid-nineteenth century until the early 1970’s, the quarry in which it was situated comprised an elliptical hole with three stepped quarry faces. The quarry was part filled with inert waste products from the brick making which ceased in 1971.

Permission was then granted for the tipping of inert materials only, and from 1973 to 1975 a number of companies tipped at the site, until one firm acquired the sole rights, and in 1978 purchased the site. During 1977 a licence had been granted to tip a wide variety of wastes, including 50 tons per day of untreated domestic waste.

From 1977 to 1982 amendments to the licence were granted to increase the quantities of domestic waste tipped, despite complaints from the residents of adjacent houses of vermin and flies. Houses surrounded the site on all four sides, those on the fourth side were built in the 1970’s.

The first signs of gas generation were in 1984 when lawns and trees began to die in the surrounding gardens. Later the soil around the affected areas began to heat up. This is thought to be have been due to the presence of methane feeding bacteria.

After the explosion Derbyshire County Council monitored methane levels in the houses at regular intervals and attempts were made to draw the gas out of the tip by horizontal and vertical methane extraction wells. This proved only partially successful due to a perched water table (Open University literature 1989).

Flow rates of landfill gas generated from the site measured subsequently were 150-200 cubic metres of gas per hour at a 30-35% methane content, with 3-4% oxygen: or approximately 45-70 cubic metres of methane per hour. After the explosion this gas was extracted, and this was achieved by 17 wells, and the extracted gas was flared off through a purpose built pump and flaring unit.