Fluorescence-based rapid assessment of the biological stability of landfilled municipal solid waste

Fluorescence Excitation–Emission Matrix (EEM) combined with fluorescence regional integration (FRI) and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) was employed to tracing the properties and behavior of the water-execrable organic matter (WEOM) from landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW) for assessing the biological stability. The 3-components PARAFAC model developed showed the WEOM dominated by two humic-like materials (components C1 and C2) which were highly correlated and behave similarly in this work, and a protein-like material (component C3). The percent fluorescence response Pi,n from FRI and maximum fluorescence intensity Fmax of the components from PARAFAC proved to be sensitive indicators of the bulk properties and transformation of WEOM during landfill stabilization. C1/C3 Fmax ratio was found to be the most sensitive indicator of the biostablization state of the landfilled MSW and can be considered a reliable parameter. These results reveal that EEM–PARAFAC/FRI enabled a rapid and accurate assessment of biological stability of landfilled MSW.