OCDO-Funded Projcets

Project reports

Landfill Cost Model for Disposal of Coal Combustion Products, Version 1.0 (January 2003)

This landfill cost model and users manual was created with funding from the Ohio Coal Development Office within the Ohio Department of Development, CONSOL Energy Inc., GAI Consultants, Inc., and Trumbull Corporation to help coal-fired power producers make decisions on CCP disposal. The model, used to predict the capital and operating costs of new landfills for CCP disposal, was developed by Deborah Kosmack and David Lewandowski of CONSOL, Gary Brendel of GAI, and Robert Barnes of Trumbull.

Designed with a high degree of flexibility to provide accurate estimates under a variety of possible scenarios, it includes templates for regulations from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky and can be readily adapted to other states. The model addresses disposal of a variety of coal combustion and flue gas desulfurization scrubber by-products including bottom ash, fly ash, and FGD by-products from five different scrubber types. The model includes design and cost algorithms to account for different land topographies and CCP types.

Operating costs in the model include activities ongoing at the landfill site as well as transportation costs to haul the waste material from the power plant to the landfill. Post-closure costs include expenses that will occur after the landfill is closed. Groundwater monitoring and site maintenance for a specified duration dictated by code regulations are two such activities. The program provides the option of treating the landfill as a commercial operation, in which costs are analyzed as an investment decision, and establishing a landfill disposal price to meat a specific internal rate of return. The model also includes design options to meet anticipated future landfill design regulations and cost escalation factors to maintain its accuracy over time.

Created in a Microsoft Excel 2000 Workbook format, with interfaces and supporting code developed in Visual Basic, the model consists of 26 spreadsheets organized into four main sections: capital costs, scrubber analysis, operating and maintenance activities, and post-closure activities. Within each of these categories are data input sheets and results sheets.

The Landfill Model and Users Manual can be accessed through the PDF files below.

Download Users Manual (PDF)

Download Landfill Model Program (Excel format)