A study of literature reporting on the oxidation of methane in various soil types has shown that the process is successfully removing more carbon emissions than first thought. Microbial oxidation is the process that takes place as a result of microscopic bacteria living in the top soil covering used to cap landfill sites, and helps reduce the amount of methane and other harmful gases being released into the atmosphere.
Current regulations from EPA in the US recommend a 10% oxidation rate, largely due to the difficulty in measuring the rate of oxidation and the lack of a standard methodology for testing and therefore enforcing the rate of oxidation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, however, recommends between 0% and 10% oxidation rate. The findings of the results show however that on average, 35% of methane is oxidised by the bacteria.
