title: Measurement of carbon storage in landfills from the biogenic carbon content of excavated waste samples.
abstract: Landfills are an anaerobic ecosystem and represent the major disposal alternative for municipal solid waste (MSW) in the U.S. While some fraction of the biogenic carbon, primarily cellulose (Cel) and hemicellulose (H), is converted to carbon dioxide and methane, lignin (L) is essentially recalcitrant. The biogenic carbon that is not mineralized is stored within the landfill. This carbon storage represents a significant component of a landfill carbon balance. The fraction of biogenic carbon that is not reactive in the landfill environment and therefore stored was derived for samples of excavated waste by measurement of the total organic carbon, its biogenic fraction, and the remaining methane potential. The average biogenic carbon content of the excavated samples was 64.6±18.0% (average±standard deviation), while the average carbon storage factor was 0.09±0.06g biogenic-C stored per g dry sample or 0.66±0.16g biogenic-C stored per g biogenic C.
authors: Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Campus Box 7908, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7908, United States. Electronic address: fbdelacr@ncsu.edu.
authors: Florentino B
authors: FB
authors: De la Cruz
authors: Jeffrey P
authors: JP
authors: Chanton
authors: Morton A
authors: MA
authors: Barlaz
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism; D007629:Kentucky; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism; D009657:North Carolina; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D002244:Carbon; C007916:hemicellulose; D002482:Cellulose; D008031:Lignin; D008697:Methane
keywords: Carbon storage; Landfill; Municipal solid waste