Microorganisms as facilitators of energy and resource recovery from landfills

Microorganisms in landfills are the key players in breaking down the solid waste materials and in converting that waste to useful and recoverable, revenue-generating products such as renewable natural gas. However, the degradation of solid waste, including organic materials, is often slower than predicted. It is therefore necessary to understand how these microorganisms are working together to break down solid wastes and what is limiting their degradation and natural gas production rates.