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Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors
Jabaar, T. 2025. Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/0931f804-178f-45a9-956f-...
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613741373194240 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Jabaar, Thaakira |
| author2 | Van Rensburg, Eugene |
| author_browse | Jabaar, Thaakira Van Rensburg, Eugene |
| author_facet | Van Rensburg, Eugene Jabaar, Thaakira |
| author_sort | Jabaar, Thaakira |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Jabaar, T. 2025. Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products
under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/0931f804-178f-45a9-956f-7ccdadc220c3 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132483 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:40:58.109Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132483 Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors Jabaar, Thaakira Van Rensburg, Eugene Louw, Tobias Gorgens, Johann Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Paper -- Biodegradation. Methane -- Environmental aspects Biodegradation Landfill gases Sewage -- Purification -- Anaerobic treatment UCTD Jabaar, T. 2025. Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/0931f804-178f-45a9-956f-7ccdadc220c3 Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Organic materials in landfills undergo biological decomposition in an anaerobic environment, producing greenhouse gases (GHGs) including methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends using country-specific decay values to improve national GHG inventories. This study estimated the decay factors for paper materials to update South Africa's National GHG Inventory, which currently uses IPCC default values. Eight paper materials were investigated viz. packaging paper (PP), newsprint (NP), coated paper (CP), office paper (OP), paper sacks (PS), multilayered paper (ML), liquid board packaging (LQ), and label backing paper (LB). The anaerobic biodegradability of these materials was characterised by simulating optimal landfill conditions in bench-scale (500 mL) and pilot-scale (30 L) reactors, using leachate from a local landfill site in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Experiments included both fully submerged conditions, to estimate maximum degradation, and trickle-bed conditions to simulate typical landfill environments. Office paper produced the highest CH₄ yields of 210.3 to 266.8 mL/g VS. Label backing paper and PS followed with yields of 236.3 and 240.8 mL/g VS, respectively. Newsprint showed the lowest CH₄ yield ranging from 1.58 to 38 mL/g VS. Chemical composition analysis revealed that these differences correlated with cellulose content, which ranged from 21.9% in LQ to 51.2% in LB, while NP contained high levels of lignin that inhibited degradation. Office paper showed CH₄ yield reductions of 18-22% from bench- to pilot-scale, while NP exhibited the largest scale-dependent decrease of 151%. The trickle-bed experiment conducted with OP showed a reduced CH₄ yield (154.4 mL/g VS) compared to submerged conditions (210.3 mL/g VS), though with a shorter lag phase (7.9 versus 47.8 days). The decay factors varied significantly among paper types, ranging from 3.1% for NP to 51.7% for OP, challenging the IPCC's uniform recommendation of 50% for all degradable materials in landfills. Emission factor (EF) values determined using the IPCC AR6 GTP 100 methodology ranged from 0.081 kg CO₂ eq. (PS) to 0.748 kg CO₂ eq. (OP) for bench-scale runs, and 0.001 kg CO₂ eq. (NP) to 0.89 kg CO₂ eq. (OP) for pilot-scale runs. These values were notably lower than literature data, suggesting current GHG emissions are being overestimated, highlighting the importance of measuring both CH₄ and CO₂ in laboratory experiments as their relative contents influence EFs substantially. This study provides valuable data for improving South Africa's national GHG inventory for paper waste materials. Future research recommendations include extended duration of biodegradability studies, investigation of recycled content effects, and field-scale studies across the country’s climatic regions to better understand CH₄ and CO₂ generation from paper waste in landfills. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Masters 2025-06-09T13:34:14Z 2025-06-09T13:34:14Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132483 Stellenbosch University x, 102 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Paper -- Biodegradation. Methane -- Environmental aspects Biodegradation Landfill gases Sewage -- Purification -- Anaerobic treatment UCTD Jabaar, Thaakira Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors |
| title | Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors |
| title_full | Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors |
| title_fullStr | Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors |
| title_short | Decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench- and pilot-scale reactors |
| title_sort | decay factor characterisation of selected paper products under optimal landfill anaerobic conditions using bench and pilot scale reactors |
| topic | Paper -- Biodegradation. Methane -- Environmental aspects Biodegradation Landfill gases Sewage -- Purification -- Anaerobic treatment UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132483 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jabaarthaakira decayfactorcharacterisationofselectedpaperproductsunderoptimallandfillanaerobicconditionsusingbenchandpilotscalereactors |