Modular Landfill Remediation for AI Grid Resilience

Abstract

Rising AI electricity demand and persistent landfill methane emissions constitute coupled constraints on U.S. digital infrastructure and decarbonization. While China has achieved a rapid 'de-landfilling' transition through centralized coordination, the U.S. remains structurally 'locked in' to landfilling due to fragmented governance and carbon accounting incentives. This paper proposes a modular legacy landfill remediation framework to address these dual challenges within U.S. institutional constraints. By treating legacy sites as stock resources, the proposed system integrates excavation, screening, and behind-the-meter combined heat and power (CHP) to transform environmental liabilities into resilience assets. A system analysis of a representative AI corridor demonstrates that such modules can mitigate site-level methane by 60-70% and recover urban land, while supplying approximately 20 MW of firm, islandable power. Although contributing only approximately 5% of a hyperscale data center's bulk load, it provides critical microgrid resilience and black-start capability. We conclude that remediation-oriented waste-to-energy should be valued not as a substitute for bulk renewables, but as a strategic control volume for buffering critical loads against grid volatility while resolving long-term environmental liabilities.