Bio

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF INTERESTS:
I have been involved in research on various aspects of solid waste since 1983 including biological refuse decomposition, methane production, the biodegradation of hazardous wastes in landfills, policies for the long-term management of landfills, and factors contributing to heat generation and accumulation in landfills. I also work on the application of life-cycle analysis to evaluate emissions associated with alternate solid waste management strategies.

https://barlaz.wordpress.ncsu.edu/

Publications

• Critical analysis of literature on landfill gas collection efficiency and its application to emissions estimates , Waste Management (2026)
• AI-powered municipal solid waste management: a comprehensive review from generation to utilization , Frontiers in Energy Research (2025)
• Evaluation of Fluorochemical Leaching from Lithium-Ion Batteries Under Simulated Solid Waste Landfill Conditions , Environmental Science & Technology (2025)
• Nationwide Estimate of Volatile Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Emissions from U.S. Landfills via Landfill Gas , Environmental Science & Technology (2025)
• Release of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Municipal and Construction and Demolition Waste Landfills and Wastewater Treatment Plants in North Carolina , ACS ES&T Water (2025)
• Techno-economics of hydrocarbon fuel production and recyclables recovery from landfill-destined municipal solid waste: AI-enhanced materials recovery facility design , Journal of Cleaner Production (2025)
• Economic and environmental comparison of emerging plastic waste management technologies , Resources Conservation and Recycling (2024)
• Linking microbial population dynamics in anaerobic bioreactors to food waste type and decomposition stage , Waste Management (2024)
• Measurement and Temperature Prediction from Ash Disposed in Landfills Using a Quasi-Adiabatic Flow Reactor , ACS ES&T Engineering (2024)
• Release of Volatile Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Plant Fiber-Based Food Packaging and Municipal Solid Waste to Gas under Simulated Landfill Conditions , Environmental Science & Technology (2024)