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Estimating Degradable Organic Carbon (DOC) Values & the Impact of Non-MSW Materials

In landfills, biogas production is the result of anaerobic degradation of organic wastes. The amount of degradable organic carbon (DOC) in landfilled organics (e.g. paper, food, yard waste, wood) dictates the amount of carbon available for conversion to biogas. Due to its high methane content (i.e. 50-70%), entities, such as U.S. EPA and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), maintain inventories of landfill gas emissions. When estimating emissions, guideline DOC values for MSW or total (bulk) waste are typically used. However, these guideline values may not be representative of landfilled waste stream(s), especially as MSW composition changes and as more non-MSW materials are accepted at MSW landfills.

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