Improving understanding of carbon storage in wood in landfills: Evidence from reactor studies

Waste Management
F A XimenesAnnette L Cowie

Abstract

Approximately 1.5 million tonnes (Mt) of wood waste are disposed of in Australian landfills annually. Recent studies have suggested that anaerobic decay levels of wood in landfills are low, although knowledge of the decay of individual wood species is limited. The objective of this study was to establish the extent of carbon loss for wood species of commercial importance in Australia including radiata pine, blackbutt, spotted gum and mountain ash. Experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions designed to simulate optimal anaerobic biodegradation in a landfill. Bacterial degradation, identified by both light microscopy and electron microscopy, occurred to a varying degree in mountain ash and spotted gum wood. Fungal decay was not observed in any wood samples. Mountain ash, the species with the highest methane yield (20.9 mL CH4/g) also had the highest holocellulose content and the lowest acid-insoluble lignin and extractive content. As the decay levels for untreated radiata pine were very low, it was not possible to determine whether impregnation of radiata pine with chemical preservatives had any impact on decay. Carbon losses estimated from gas generation were below 5% for all species tested. Carbon losses as estimate...Continue Reading

References

Jan 13, 2006·Waste Management·Morton A Barlaz
Aug 4, 2006·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Robert J LockhartAlan J McCarthy
Jan 8, 2008·Waste Management·F A XimenesA L Cowie
Jul 14, 2011·Environmental Science & Technology·Xiaoming WangMorton A Barlaz
Aug 15, 2013·Waste Management·Xiaoming WangMorton A Barlaz
Apr 13, 2015·Waste Management·Fabiano XimenesMorton Barlaz
Jun 10, 2015·The Science of the Total Environment·Xiaoming WangMorton A Barlaz
Aug 11, 2016·Waste Management·Victoria M LopezMorton A Barlaz
Jul 6, 2017·Nature Communications·Henrik DrakeMats E Åström
Dec 6, 2017·Waste Management·Fabiano A XimenesMorton A Barlaz

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