Decomposition of forest products buried in landfills

Published Date
November 2013, Vol.33(11):2267–2276, doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2013.07.009

Author 

• Xiaoming Wang ^a,,
• Jennifer M. Padgett ^a,1
• John S. Powell ^b,2
• Morton A. Barlaz ^a

• aDepartment of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Campus Box 7908, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7908, United States
• bDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Campus Box 7905, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, United States

Received 29 November 2012. Accepted 4 July 2013. Available online 12 August 2013.

Highlights

• •
  This study tracked chemical changes of wood and paper in landfills.
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  A decomposition index was developed to quantify carbohydrate biodegradation.
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  Newsprint biodegradation as measured here is greater than previous reports.
• •
  The field results correlate well with previous laboratory measurements.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the decomposition of selected wood and paper products in landfills. The decomposition of these products under anaerobic landfill conditions results in the generation of biogenic carbon dioxide and methane, while the un-decomposed portion represents a biogenic carbon sink. Information on the decomposition of these municipal waste components is used to estimate national methane emissions inventories, for attribution of carbon storage credits, and to assess the life-cycle greenhouse gas impacts of wood and paper products. Hardwood (HW), softwood (SW), plywood (PW), oriented strand board (OSB), particleboard (PB), medium-density fiberboard (MDF), newsprint (NP), corrugated container (CC) and copy paper (CP) were buried in landfills operated with leachate recirculation, and were excavated after approximately 1.5 and 2.5 yr. Samples were analyzed for cellulose (C), hemicellulose (H), lignin (L), volatile solids (VS), and organic carbon (OC). A holocellulose decomposition index (HOD) and carbon storage factor (CSF) were calculated to evaluate the extent of solids decomposition and carbon storage. Samples of OSB made from HW exhibited cellulose plus hemicellulose (C + H) loss of up to 38%, while loss for the other wood types was 0–10% in most samples. The C + H loss was up to 81%, 95% and 96% for NP, CP and CC, respectively. The CSFs for wood and paper samples ranged from 0.34 to 0.47 and 0.02 to 0.27 g OC g⁻¹ dry material, respectively. These results, in general, correlated well with an earlier laboratory-scale study, though NP and CC decomposition measured in this study were higher than previously reported.

Keywords

Landfills

Municipal solid waste

Forest products

Anaerobic decomposition

Biogenic carbon storage

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 Table A.1

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 919 513 4421; fax: +1 919 515 7908.

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