Research Projects

Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills and dumping sites are major anthropogenic sources of methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) with a global warming potential 85 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. These emissions primarily result from the anaerobic decomposition of organic waste, further compounded by lack of gas collection, incomplete landfill capping, inadequate waste compaction, or cracks in cover soils. As CH4 is also a precursor to ground level ozone, its uncontrolled emissions contribute not only to GHG concentrations but also to urban air pollution. As reported by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2021-22, India generated approximately 160,038 tonnes per day (tpd) of MSW,72.5% of which was accounted for by the urban local bodies (Delhi alone accounts for 11% of the total urban MSW), making it a priority issue. About 75% of the MSW generated in urban areas is collected and disposed of in poorly managed and unsanitary dumping sites, with 70-90% of these sites being open dumps (Chakraborty and Kumar, 2016; Jha et al., 2008). These unregulated landfills and dumping sites are significant sources of methane emissions. Projections indicate that methane emissions in India will increase from 6.88 Gt CO₂-eq in 2010 to 8.59 Gt CO₂-eq by 2020 (USEPA, 2012). Thus, managing CH4 is crucial for mitigating climate change. The CH4 challenge is set to be further intensified by the projected MSW waste generation, expected to be more than double the rate of population growth by 2050 (Maasakkers et al., 2022). Additionally, landfills frequently catch fire in summers due to CH4, posing a operational-safety hazard (Dua, 2024). Hence, detecting landfill- and dumpsite-based uncontrolled CH4 emission hotspots and quantifying them is crucial for climate mitigation, public health protection, and regulatory compliance. Conventional monitoring methods vary in accuracy and spatial coverage, leading to partial emission estimations with high uncertainty. Therefore we propose a scalable framework for high resolution methane emissions measurement using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) CH4 sensors and thermal sensors, and its validation with satellite based mass balance and first order decay (FOD) model estimates based on IPCC guideliness. Emphasis shall be placed on hot zones, recent active cells, seasonal variations, low and high temperature conditions, diurnal variations, and climatic zones. By focusing on the identification of hotspots (highly active cells), the study will also identify the strategies for the reduction of methane emissions and potential for landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) through CH4 capture and utilization. While UAV-based methane sensing using TDLAS is a proven technique in controlled landfill environments, its performance in India's diverse and informally managed waste landscapes remains untested. These settings differ significantly in waste heterogeneity, topography, and atmospheric conditions—factors that can influence both detection accuracy and gas plume dispersion. Moreover, there is currently no validated emission dataset or monitoring protocol applicable to Indian municipal dump typologies. This project will generate the first high-resolution emission maps using UAV-CH₄ spectroscopy in such contexts, and assess their potential for integration into India's climate and waste governance frameworks.

Top-down emission, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Atmospheric remote sensing, gas-to-energy, GHG, Emission inventory