New partnership aims to facilitate standardized RRG assessment

The Consortium for Waste Circularity (CWC) and PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, are sponsoring a new research initiative to evaluate Regenerative Robust Gasification (RRG) at landfills and incinerators.

The University of Florida–led project aims to develop a standardized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework that will provide a standardized assessment approach, according to news release.

The two-year research and development effort is led by Bruce Welt, professor of Packaging Engineering, and Ziynet Boz, assistant professor Circular Foods and Packaging Systems, at the University of Florida. The research is focused on creating an ISO-aligned, site-specific LCA template that will enable municipalities and landfill operators to quantify greenhouse gas emissions, material recovery and circular product outputs using a consistent, science-based methodology.

The template will help support infrastructure planning, permitting and policy decisions and improve waste management strategies, according to the release.

“This Life Cycle Assessment framework provides the scientific foundation needed to assess Regenerative Robust Gasification at scale,” Mike Ferrari, CWC  president. “This structured template enables municipal projects to easily apply LCA methods using local data.”

The project will incorporate primary data from RRG trials alongside public datasets and peer-reviewed literature in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards.

“Standardization is essential to making meaningful progress on circularity,” said Jim Pittas, PMMI president and CEO. “This ISO-aligned Life Cycle Assessment framework will help communities evaluate Regenerative Robust Gasification using consistent, science-based metrics, supporting more informed infrastructure planning, permitting, and policy decisions.”