Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8153-5476

Date Available

8-20-2025

Year of Publication

2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (MSBiosyAgE)

College

Agriculture, Food and Environment

Department/School/Program

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Faculty

Dr. Jian Shi

Faculty

Dr. Michael Montross

Faculty

Dr. Fazleena Badurdeen

Abstract

The escalating global burden of municipal solid waste (MSW), projected to reach 3.88 billion tons annually by 2050, calls for innovative valorization strategies to mitigate environmental impacts and promote a circular bioeconomy. This thesis investigates the conversion of MSW into two high-value products: sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics. Chapter one presents comprehensive physicochemical characterization and pyrolysis-GC/MS analysis of MSW feedstocks. The physicochemical results reveal that densification enhances handling and storage properties, while pyrolysis-GC/MS analysis indicates that plastic-rich MSW streams produce bio-oils with favorable hydrocarbon profiles suitable for SAF production, potentially contributing to decarbonization efforts in the aviation sector. Chapter two explores microbial conversion of the pyrolytic bio-oil aqueous fraction (BAF) by Haloferax mediterranei archaea for PHA biosynthesis. Results show that low BAF concentrations (0.1%) support moderate PHA production (0.133 ± 0.04 mg/mL on Day 4), while higher concentrations highlight the need for detoxification or other strategies to mitigate the effects of inhibitory compounds. This work explores valorizing an underutilized byproduct of MSW pyrolysis to produce a biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics, whose global production is projected to exceed 1,000 million tons by 2050. By integrating thermochemical and microbial pathways, this study demonstrates MSW’s potential as an abundant, low-cost feedstock for sustainable materials and fuels, contributing actionable insights for advancing waste-to-resource innovations within circular bioeconomy frameworks.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.410

Funding Information

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office under the Award Number DE-EE0001295.

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