Abiotic decomposition of municipal solid waste under elevated temperature landfill conditions.

Abiotic decomposition of simulated Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) was investigated for thermal reactions that impact landfill gas components such as methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen. The gas composition and temperature were monitored as a function of heating rate and time. The tests were conducted at 483 kPa (70 psig), 55 wt% moisture, and 30 to 60 W controlled heat input in the presence of biological inhibitors.

The impact of pressure, moisture and temperature on pyrolysis of municipal solid waste under simulated landfill conditions and relevance to the field data from elevated temperature landfill.

Experiments were conducted with simulated Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to understand the impact of pressure, moisture, and temperature on MSW decomposition under simulated landfill conditions. Three experimental phases were completed, where the first two phases provided baseline results and assisted in fine tuning parameters such as pressure, temperature, gas composition, and moisture content for phase three. The manuscript focuses on the results from third phase.