Chapter 22
Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Solid Waste Enhanced Cellulolytic Capacity Through High-Solids Operation Compared to Conventional Low-Solids Systems
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Christopher J. Rivard , Nicholas J. Nagle , Rafael A . Nieves , Abolghasem Shahbazi , and Michael E. Himmel 2
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Applied Biological Sciences Branch, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, C O 80401-3393 Plant Science and Agricultural Engineering Department, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, N C 27412 Anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste (MSW) represents a waste disposal option that results in the production of a gaseous fuel (methane) and an organic residue suitable for use as a soil amendment. The rate-limiting step in this process is the hydrolysis of polymeric substrates, such as cellulose. Increasing the digester sludge total solids approximately 4-5 fold (high-solids systems) allows for enhanced process organic loading rates (6.6-fold) over conventional low-solids digester systems. Cellulase enzyme activities were quantitatively recovered from the sludge solids of laboratory-scale anaerobic digester systems fed a processed M S W feedstock using a detergent extraction protocol. Levels of β-D-glucosidase and exoglucanase activity were similar for both low- and high-solids systems on a sludge solids basis, while endoglucanase activity was 3-fold greater in the high-solids system. Additionally, the high-solids system functions with 82% fewer microbes per gram of sludge as compared to the low-solids system. Further analysis of discrete cellulase activities was performed using non-denaturing (native) gel electrophoresis and zymogram activity staining for endoglucanases. Partial purification of discrete cellulase activities from anaerobic digester sludge was carried out by recycling free-flow isoelectric focussing using the Rainin RF-3 system. Preliminary data indicates both cationic and anionic forms of both β-D-glucosidase and endoglucanase while exoglucanase activity was determined only in fractions with a pH value greater than 4.
The anaerobic digestion process takes place through the synergistic action of a consortium of microorganisms with biocatalytic activities including polymer hydrolysis, fermentation, acidogenesis, and methanogenesis. Numerous reviews have been published detailing the level of understanding of the anaerobic digestion process 0097-6156/94/0566-0438$08.00/0 © 1994 American Chemical Society
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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and the terminal steps of methane production (1-10). The hydrolytic bacteria i n these consortia use cellulase enzymes to depolymerize cellulose to simple sugars. The anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic materials, such as municipal solid waste ( M S W ) and biomass, is limited by the rate of hydrolysis (9,11). The primary biodegradable polymer i n biomass and M S W is cellulose. Extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, such as cellulases, amylases, lipases, and proteases, have been shown to be present i n anaerobic digester effluents (72). A l s o , preliminary experiments indicate that hydrolytic enzymes added to the anaerobic digestion process in situ increase rates of conversion (73). Y e t the types, activities, stabilities, and relative concentrations of these enzymes have not been examined rigorously. Although similar i n some characteristics to the rumen systems, little information is available specifically on the characteristics of most of the cellulolytic enzymes produced by anaerobic bacteria found i n digesters fed high-cellulose feedstocks, such as M S W . Dramatic improvements in digester performance may eventually be possible using knowledge of the types and levels of enzyme activities, both naturally occurring and from augmentation (73), i n the anaerobic digestion system. This work serves to further evaluate the relative levels of cellulase enzymes present i n both conventional low-solids, continuously stirred tank reactor ( C S T R ) systems and novel high-solids systems. Additionally, the level of hydrolytic enzyme is correlated with preliminary evaluations of total active microbial populations resident in these systems to obtain a picture of the relative cellulolytic capacity of these systems. Materials and Methods Feedstocks. The M S W feedstock used in this study was obtained from Future Fuels, Inc., Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The M S W was processed using a combination of mechanical and manual separation. The M S W feedstock was obtained i n two fractions: the food/yard waste fraction and the paper and paperboard materials (also referred to as refuse-derived fuel [ R D F ] i n the form of densified pellets). The food/yard waste fraction was stored at 4°C until it was blended with the R D F - M S W fraction. Most of the mixed M S W was stored at -20°C until it was used. The mixed M S W feedstock was determined to be 72.7% total solids (TS) and 12.5% ash; 87.5% of the total solids (TS) was present as volatile solids ( V S ) . Previous investigations of the anaerobic bioconversion of M S W feedstocks identified the need for nutrient supplementation (74). Therefore, a nutrient solution as previously described (74), was added to adjust the moisture content of the feedstock, as well as to ensure sufficient nutrients for robust biological activity. Anaerobic Digester Operation. The laboratory-scale high-solids reactors used i n this preliminary study were described previously (75). Each consists of a cylindrical glass vessel positioned with a horizontal axis and capped at each end. The agitator shaft runs horizontally along the axis of the cylinder and mixing is achieved with a rod-type agitator (tines) attached to the shaft at 90-deg angles and i n opposing orientation. Shaft rotation is provided by a low-speed, high-torque, hydraulic motor (Staffa, Inc.,
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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England). The glass vessel was modified with several ports including two 3/4-in. ports for liquid introduction and gas removal and a 2-in. ball valve (Harrington Plastics, Denver, Colorado) used for dry feed introduction and effluent removal. The four high-solids reactors used i n this study were maintained at 37°C i n a temperature-controlled warm room. The reactors were batch fed daily by adding the relatively dry M S W feedstock and a liquid nutrient solution. Sludge was removed from the reactors on a semi-weekly basis and stored at 4°C until it was analyzed. Four low-solids anaerobic digesters with 3.5-L working volumes and semicontinuous stirring (15 m of each 1/2 h) were constructed and operated as previously described (16,17). The digesters were operated i n a temperature-controlled warm room to maintain the 37°C constant temperature. The anaerobic reactors were batch fed daily as described above for the high-solids systems with the exception of the addition of water to maintain a 14-day retention time. In the batch feeding protocol, a volume of effluent equivalent to the volume of feed added was removed daily to maintain the reactor sludge volume at 3.5 L . In the operation of the reactors, the solids retention time was equivalent to the hydraulic retention time (i.e., 14 days). Feedstock/Digester Effluent Analysis. The solids concentrations of both feedstocks and digester effluent samples were determined using 1-g aluminum weigh tins. A 20to 30-g sample was loaded into preweighed tins and dried for 48 h at 45°-50°C. The dried sample was then cooled to room temperature in a laboratory desiccator and weighed using a Sartorius balance (Model 1684MB). The percent T S was calculated on a weight/weight basis, and the percentages of V S and ash were determined by combustion of the dried samples at 550°C for 3 h in a laboratory-scale furnace. Feedstock materials were analyzed for levels of chemical oxygen demand ( C O D ) as previously described (18). The C O D assay employed the microdetermination method with commercially available "twist tube" assay vials (Bioscience, Inc., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania). Levels of volatile organic acids ( ( V Q iso- and normal-acids) were determined by gas-liquid chromatography ( G L C ) using a Hewlett-Packard M o d e l 5840A gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector, a M o d e l 7672A autosampler, and a M o d e l 5840A integrator (all from Hewlett-Packard). The chromatograph was equipped with a glass column packed with Supelco 60/80, Carbopack C/0.3%, Carbowax 2 0 M / 0 . 1 % H P 0 for separations. The feedstock was also analyzed with respect to specific polymer content as determined by the standard forage fiber analyses of acid detergent fiber ( A D F ) and neutral detergent fiber ( N D F ) as previously described (79). 3
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G a s A n a l y s i s . Total biogas production i n high-solids reactor systems was measured daily using pre-calibrated wet tip gas meters (Rebel Point Wet T i p Gas Meter C o . , Nashville, Tennessee). Total biogas production i n low-solids C S T R systems was determined from calibrated water displacement reservoirs. The composition of the biogas produced was determined by gas chromatography as previously described (20). For this analysis, a G o w - M a c (Model 550) gas chromatograph equipped with a Porapak Q column and a thermal conductivity detector was used.
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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Theoretical Methane Yield. The theoretical methane yield for the M S W feedstock was calculated as previously described (27) from the feedstock C O D value. The ratio of actual methane yield for a given anaerobic fermentation system to the theoretical methane yield calculated from the feedstock C O D value is a measure of the extent of the organic carbon conversion of the substrate added. Cellulase Enzyme Assay Methodology. Digester samples from both low-solids and high-solids systems fed the M S W feedstock were sampled on a weekly basis over a 4-week period for analysis. Digester sludge samples were first diluted to l % - 2 % T S . The diluted samples were then split into two equal 30-mL samples. One of the samples was used for analysis of T S content. The second sample was used for enzyme assessment. For enzymatic assays, the diluted digester sludge sample was subjected to centrifugation at 15,000xg for 20 m at room temperature to concentrate the particulate fraction. The supernatant was discarded and the pellet was resuspended in 15 m L of 100 m M Tris buffer at p H 7.0. Triton X - 1 5 5 was then added to obtain a final concentration of 0.1% (voVvol) and the sample was gendy mixed for 16-20 h at 4°C. The samples were then centrifuged at 15,000xg for 20 m at 4°C. The supernatant was removed and filtered using a 0.45-pm disposable Acrodisk syringe filter (Gelman Sciences, A n n Arbor, Michigan). The filtered supernatant was then assayed for various cellulase enzyme activities. A s a control, the supernatant from the initial particulate concentration was assayed for enzyme activity and no activity above the assay background was determined. The determination of 6-D-glucosidase ( E C 3.2.1.21), endoglucanase ( E C 3.2.1.4), and exoglucanase ( E C 3.2.1.74) i n detergent extracts of digester sludge samples was determined as previously described (22). One modification to the assay protocol for "apparent" exoglucanase activity was the substitution of phosphateswollen cellulose i n 100 m M Tris, p H 7.0, for Whatman #1 filter paper strips. Large-Scale Enzyme E x t r a c t i o n Protocol. Large amounts of active high-solids anaerobic digester sludge (1-2 kg) were extracted by dilution (1:10) with 100 m M Tris, p H 7.0. The Triton X - 1 5 5 was added to a final concentration of 0.1% (vol/vol). The slurry was mixed for 24 h at 4°C using a reciprocal shaker to extract active hydrolytic enzymes from the sludge solids. Following incubation, the preparation was centrifuged at 5000xg for 15 m and 4°C, the pellet was discarded and the supernatant again centrifuged at 17,000xg for 5 m . The pellet was again discarded and the supernatant filtered through progressive Capsule filters including 3 pm, 0.45 pm, and 0.2 p m (Gelman Sciences, polyurethane membrane). The filtered supernatant was then concentrated 50-fold using an A m i c o n stirred cell with a polysulfone 10,000-MW cutoff (PM10) membrane. The concentrated sample was stored at 4°C until it was analyzed. Electrophoresis, Zymogram Activity Staining, and Preparative Isoelectric Focusing. T o verify carboxymethylcellulose degrading activity (CMCase) and to visualize the location of the endoglucanases, the concentrated digester extract was electrophoresed and visualized by zymogram staining (23). For this procedure, the
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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sample was electrophoresed on Pharmacia native gradient Phastgels and immediately placed on agar media containing C M C . The agar plates were incubated at 37°C for 60 m and endoglucanase activity was visualized as cleared zones after staining with Congo red dye. Identical gels were prepared and stained for total protein using Coomassie blue. Isoelectric focusing employing continuous recycle was performed using the R F - 3 instrument (Rainin, Woburn, Massachusetts). The instrument was operated as recommended by the manufacturer. Briefly, the instrument was filled with a 3% solution containing ampholytes (Protein Technologies Inc., Tucson, Arizona) i n a 10% glycerol ( v o W o l ) solution. The ampholyte solution contained a stipulated p H range of 3-10. The ampholyte solution was prefocused for 15 m and approximately 8 m L of concentrated digester extract was applied i n the middle of the gradient. The proteins were focused for 1 h at 1500 V , followed by focusing at 500 V for 30 m . Fractions were collected and the specific sample p H was determined. Prior to the determination of specific cellulase activities, the fractions were adjusted to p H 7 with either 0.1 M HC1 or 0.1 M N a O H .
Total Microbial Enumerations.
A s a measure of the total viable microbial numbers from sludge samples of both high- and low-solids reactor systems, a rich plating medium was utilized to obtain growth of a wide spectrum of microorganisms. The growth medium contained the following components per liter of distilled water: K H P 0 , 0 . 7 g; K H P 0 , 0.54 g; M g S 0 7 H 0 , 1.0 g; C a C L ^ H A 0.2 g; N H C 1 , 0.5 g; yeast extract (Difco), 7.5 g; bacto-peptone (Difco), 7.5 g; glucose, 5.0 g; trace vitamin solution (24), 10 m L ; trace mineral solution (24), 10 m L ; cysteine HC1, 0.3 g; resazurin, 0.001 g; and agar, 15.0 g. The medium components were prepared under anaerobic conditions as previously described (25) using 500-mL serum botties. Following sterilization of the agar growth medium, the agar was tempered i n a 60°C water bath. The tempered agar medium was transferred to an anaerobic chamber (Coy Laboratory Products, Inc., A n n Arbor, Michigan). Sterile disposable petri dishes were previously transferred to the chamber to allow outgassing of oxygen from the plates. The agar medium was transferred to petri dishes and allowed to solidify. Poured plates were maintained within the chamber for 5 days to reduce moisture i n advance of spread plating. Representative digester sludge samples were serially diluted i n 9m L blanks containing 50 m M K H P 0 buffer ( p H 7.4). During dilution, the sludge samples were repetitively vortexed to dislodge microbial cells that might be associated with the particulate fraction of the sample. A 0.1-mL aliquot of each dilution within the series was pipetted onto individual plates and spread plated. The inoculated plates were allowed to incubate for 7 days within the chamber at room temperature (20°C). Following incubation, the plates were removed from the chamber and colonies were counted using a darkfield counter. 2
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Results The anaerobic bioconversion of an actual M S W feedstock was compared using laboratory-scale digestion systems. In this study, a conventional low-solids C S T R
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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system is compared to a novel high-solids completely mixed system. Both systems were fed an identical M S W feedstock. Various fermentation parameters, such as p H , V S , and polymer conversion demonstrated that both systems were stable and operating at steady state (data not shown). The data shown i n Table 1 indicate that while similar levels of overall bioconversion occurred i n the two systems, the high-solids system was functioning at 6.6 times the organic loading rate and with 4.4 times more sludge solids (i.e., corresponds to less process water i n industrial applications). The hydrolysis of cellulose, the major polymer of most biomass and M S W feedstocks, has been demonstrated to represent the rate-limiting step i n anaerobic bioconversion for these materials (9,77). W e have developed protocols for quantitatively recovering active digester-resident enzymes for study in order to generate informed strategies for further system enhancement. The comparison of discrete cellulase enzymes extracted from the low- and high-solids digester systems is shown i n Table 2. In general, similar levels of p-glucosidase and exoglucanase are present when compared on a per gram of sludge solids basis. In contrast, however, levels of endoglucanase activity were approximately 3-fold greater i n the high solids system. It should be noted that the level of sludge solids is significantly greater in the high-solids system and, thus, the overall level of hydrolytic enzyme activity per unit volume is greater (and far greater in the case of endoglucanase activity), as compared to the low-solids system (26). The low- and high-solids digester systems were also examined for total active microbial numbers utilizing a complex growth medium. Table 3 indicates that based upon sludge total solids, the high-solids digester system functions with 82% fewer microbes per gram sludge solids as compared to the conventional low-solids system. The ratios of discrete cellulase activities to total microbial numbers may be used to compare the cellulolytic productivity of the digester system. The data shown in Figure 1 indicate that the high-solids system exhibits increased cellulolytic productivity (5-19 fold) over the conventional low-solids system. Additionally, the concept of enzyme retention may be especially important here as the high-solids sludge may play a role i n stabilizing and storing active enzymes. However, littie is known about the digester-resident cellulase enzymes present especially i n high-solids anaerobic digester systems. Hampering this work is the complex nature of sludge, which presents a significant problem to the purification of active enzyme for detailed study. Protocols were developed to extract and concentrate active cellulase enzymes from the high-solids system. Initial analysis of concentrated digester extract by native gradient-gel electrophoresis is shown i n Figure 2. Identical gels were examined for endoglucanase activity and total protein, both of which are not well separated and appear as a smear. This inability to separate proteins i n this system is most likely due to the presence of detergents and microbe-derived lipids, protein, and nucleic acids. A recent technological advancement is the use of recycling free-flow isoelectric focusing for preparative purification of proteins from crude mixtures. Free-flow isoelectric focusing allows for the large-scale separation of proteins by isoelectric p H using ampholytes. The system is also relatively unaffected by precipitates (often prevalent i n crude protein extracts) because of the unobstructed "free-flow" design
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994. Biogas Productivity rnL/L'd 918 ± 129 6225 ± 880
Organic Loading Rate g COD/Lni
2.3
15.3
L o w Solids
H i g h Solids
Digester
4.9 ± 0.3 21.5 ± 0.3
549 ± 77 3741 ± 529
59.8 60.1
Effluent Total Solids %
Methane Productivity rriL/L»d
Methane content %
Comparison of Anaerobic Bioconversion of M S W Feedstock for Low- and High-Solids Digestion Systems
Table 1.
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69.9
68.2
% Bioconversion (based on C O D )
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994. T a b l e 3.
0.29 ± 0.04
0.33 ± 0.12
0.24 ± 0.04
L o w Solids
L o w Solids 9.6 ± 2.2 x 10
Total C e l l Number (colony forming units, [CFU])
( C F U / g digester sludge solids)
C o m p a r i s o n of M i c r o b i a l Enumerations for L o w a n d H i g h - S o l i d s Digestion Systems
(activity units/g digester sludge solids)
exoglucanase (pmol glucose released/m)
(activity units/g digester sludge solids)
endoglucanase (pmol glucose released/m)
(activity units/g digester sludge solids)
B-D-glucosidase (pmol p N P released/m)
Cellulase Activity
C o m p a r i s o n of H y d r o l y t i c E n z y m e Levels for L o w a n d H i g h - S o l i d s Digestion Systems
T a b l e 2.
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1.7 ± 0.3 x 10
H i g h Solids
0.27 ± 0.01
1.11 ± 0 . 1 8
0.34 ± 0.06
H i g h Solids
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F i g u r e 1.
Comparison of cellulolytic productivity as determined by the ratio of discrete cellulase activity units to total microbial number for low-and high-solids digester systems described i n Tables 1-3.
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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Analysis of concentrated digester extracted proteins from the highsolids system by native gradient gel electrophoresis. Identical gels were stained for total protein using Coomassie blue and endoglucanase activity (zymogram) was determined by C M C staining with Congo red.
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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(i.e., this system does not utilize screens, gels, or gradients to control convection). The R F - 3 system was used to resolve the concentrated digester extract sample from the high-solids system. These data, shown in Figure 3, demonstrate the presence of both anionic and cationic proteins determined to possess P-glucosidase and endoglucanase activity. Dissimilar was the discovery of exoglucanase activity only in fractions with p H values in excess of 4.
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Discussion The economics of anaerobic digestion as a solid waste disposal option may be enhanced through improvements in process rates, yields, and by reducing system size. Enhancing the anaerobic digestion process by reducing reactor size requirements has been demonstrated using high-solids technology. This process is also referred to as anaerobic composting. A variety of high-solids process designs have been evaluated, including non-mixed batch processes, and mixed systems utilizing a variety of agitation systems (27). Most of these systems demonstrate operation at solids levels approaching 35%-40% T S . Furthermore, using a well-controlled, completely mixed design, we have demonstrated that the rates of conversion for the high-solids design are superior to conventional low-solids systems when treating a high cellulose content feedstock such as M S W (28). Combining the effects of reduced water content and enhanced organic loading rates, the high-solids system represents a reduction in the required reactor size of 90%-95% compared to conventional low-solids systems (27). This study further demonstrates the improvement in cellulolytic capacity afforded by operation of the anaerobic digestion system at high-solids levels. If it is assumed that the proportion of cellulolytic microbes is similar in low- and high-solids systems, the data indicate that the high-solids environment stimulates cellulase enzyme production by the hydrolytic microbial population. This conclusion is not totally unexpected, as cellulose has been demonstrated to be an effective inducer of cellulase production (2933). B y virtue of lower available water, the high-solids system maintains an environment in which the microorganisms are i n constant contact with the solid cellulosic matter, and therefore, are more consistently induced as compared to lowsolids systems. These solids may also play a role in "archiving" enzymes in an active state. However, i f strategies are to be developed for further enhancing the cellulolytic capacity of the digestion system, a thorough understanding of the digester-resident enzymes is necessary. T o this end, protocols have been developed for effectively extracting and concentrating active hydrolytic enzymes from the complex sludge material. Additionally, in this preliminary work, recycling free-flow isoelectric focusing was determined to be effective in developing partially purified cellulase enzymes. Initial focusing patterns for the crude concentrated digester extract sample indicate similarities to fungal cellulases in that the digester contains P-glucosidase and endoglucanase enzymes that are both anionic and cationic (34). Potentially quite different from fungal systems, digester exoglucanase activities were demonstrated only for proteins focusing to p H 4.0 or greater. Studies evaluating the nature of anionic and cationic cellulases and optimization of separation protocols are in progress.
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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Separation of discrete cellulase activities from concentrated digester extract using the recycling free-flow isoelectric focusing (RF-3) system.
In Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production; Himmel, M., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1994.
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Acknowledgments This work was funded by the Energy from Municipal Waste Program of the U . S . Department of Energy and managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Literature Cited
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