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Typical Heat Content of Materials in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

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Table 4. Typical Heat Content of Materials in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
(Million Btu Per Ton)
Materials Million Btu Per Ton
Plastics
      Polyethylene terephthalate c, e (PET) 20.5
      High density polyethylene e (HDPE) 19
      Polyvinyl chloride c (PVC) 16.5
      Low density polyethylene/ Linear low density polyethylene e (LDPE/LLDPE) 24.1
      Polypropylene c (PP) 38
      Polystyrene c (PS) 35.6
      Other e 20.5
Rubber b 26.9
Leather d 14.4
Textiles c 13.8
Wood b 10
Food a, c 5.2
Yard trimmings b 6
Newspaper c 16
Corrugated Cardboard c, d 16.5
Mixed paper e 6.7
  a Includes recovery of other MSW organics for composting.
  b Energy Information Administration, Renewable Energy Annual 2004, “Average Heat Content of Selected Biomass Fuels,” (Washington, DC, 2005).  
  c Penn State Agricultural College Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Council for Solid Waste Solutions, Garth, J. and Kowal, P. Resource Recovery, Turning Waste into Energy, University Park, PA, 1993.
  d Bahillo, A. et al. Journal of Energy Resources Technology, “NOx and N2O Emissions During Fluidized Bed Combustion of Leather Wastes,” Volume 128, Issue 2, June 2006. pp. 99-103.
  e Utah State University Recycling Center Frequently Asked Questions. http://www.usu.edu/recycle/faq.htm