Mapping methane emissions over a Dutch landfill by drone

The challenge

The aim was to find possible defects in the landfill cover, see differences across the site and, in future, estimate annual emissions. The usual method is a fixed walking route each year, which measures in ppm at ground level. From the air, the sensor measures in ppm·m along the laser path, so the two methods are not directly comparable. Changes in height and turns in the flight line can also disturb the airborne readings.

The solution

The team used a DJI M300 with the SkyHub onboard computer, a Laser Falcon methane sensor and UgCS software:

• True Terrain Following actively controlled the drone's height to keep measurement disturbance low.
• UgCS planned precise low-altitude flights over complex terrain, recorded full motion video (FMV) with methane readings and showed detections to the pilot in real time.
• SkyHub logged every methane reading with GPS coordinates to an SD card for post-flight analysis.
• All processed data was combined in a GIS, with an orthophoto as the base layer for flight paths, readings, emission maps and site infrastructure.

The results

• 24 flights of about 25 minutes each covered the site, giving about 55,000 measuring points in three days.
• The data was processed into highly detailed emission maps, plus an orthomosaic of the current state of the landfill.
• Automated flights standardised data collection and lowered noise in the measurements.
• The setup allowed flexible, last-minute scheduling, which matters because methane inspections depend on weather and other variables.

Nick Cornelissen of Aerial Intelligence said the team first ran many tests in controlled conditions, changing one parameter at a time, and that they were very positive about the combination of technologies.

Where this applies in India

The same workflow can map methane across large waste sites:

• municipal landfills and legacy dumpsites;
• capped landfills where the cover needs checking for defects;
• waste-to-energy and biogas sites with gas collection systems;
• environmental consultants who survey several sites a year.

SPH Engineering's methane detection training is also available through HobiTech.

The equipment, available from HobiTech

Methane detector	Laser Falcon was used in this project. See our current methane detection systems.
Onboard computer	SkyHub by SPH Engineering
Terrain following	True Terrain Following
Flight planning	UgCS - Drone Flight Planning Software: see UgCS PRO, UgCS EXPERT and UgCS ENTERPRISE
Drone	DJI M300 was used in this project. Ask us for current compatible drones.

Case study by SPH Engineering, published December 2022. This page summarises it in our own words; the surveys were carried out by Antea Group Nederland and Aerial Intelligence, not by HobiTech. Read the original case study on SPH Engineering ↗