Specialized LCI Data for a High-Risk and Underrepresented Waste Practice

Open burning of municipal waste and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE / e-waste) remains a critical waste-management reality in many developing countries. Yet this practice is largely absent from commercial LCI databases, creating a major data gap for researchers, consultants, governments, and environmental analysts.

DEISO supplies waste-specific estimated LCI data for open burning scenarios using a dedicated estimation model designed to quantify pollutant releases from poorly controlled combustion processes in open sites without flue-gas cleaning.

What DEISO Delivers

• Waste-specific estimated LCI data for open burning of municipal waste and e-waste
• Emissions inventory outputs suitable for LCA and emissions analysis
• Functional-unit-based results using 1 kg of waste input
• Support for single waste streams or mixed waste scenarios
• Technical documentation and structured deliverables in Microsoft Excel and report format

Emission Coverage and Technical Scope

The model estimates emissions generated when waste is openly burned without combustion gas cleaning. Emissions to the atmosphere are explicitly considered, including:

• Total particulate mass
• PM > 10
• PM 2.5–10
• PM < 2.5
• Heavy metals and other relevant components
• Continuous process-specific CO and CH4 emissions
• Carbon dioxide corrected for the carbon content of CO and CH4

For particulate emissions, oxide formation and elemental transformations are incorporated to improve technical realism and inventory completeness.

Waste-Specific Modeling: Why Composition Matters

Open burning emissions are strongly influenced by the composition of the waste itself. For this reason, DEISO’s service is waste-specific rather than generic.

Recyclable Material Recovery and Residue Adjustment

Open burning is sometimes used to isolate recyclable materials from composite waste, particularly in the case of copper wires and printed wiring boards. To improve inventory realism, DEISO can account for recovery rates of specific metals such as:

• Iron
• Aluminum
• Copper

Recycled fractions can be subtracted before determining releases to land. Recycling-rate assumptions may be based on client data, government publications, technical reports, or DEISO-led parameter research where available.

This is particularly important when modeling residue composition, land releases, and realistic waste-handling behavior after burning.

Process Parameters and Site-Specific Inputs

The model includes parameters that characterize the open combustion process itself. Many of these are associated more with the burning site than with the waste type alone.

• Site condition and open-combustion status
• Choice of receiving soil compartment
• Industrial soil or agricultural soil release assumptions
• Waste composition and recyclable metal fractions
• Location-specific operational conditions

Agricultural soil release scenarios can also be estimated where relevant, which may materially affect human-health-oriented impact assessment results.

Multi-Site and Multi-Region Support

DEISO can compile and manage different parameter sets for different sites, countries, or records. This enables support for:

• Multiple open burning sites across different regions
• Country-level or city-level comparative inventories
• Scenario analysis based on site condition changes
• Customized data supply for international projects and studies

Climate-Sensitive and Context-Relevant Estimation

Different climatic conditions are considered when estimating emissions, which is important for improving the local relevance of the resulting inventory.

This service is therefore suitable for developing-country applications where local conditions materially affect burning behavior and emissions outcomes.

Client Input Requirements

Clients typically provide the input parameters required for estimation. In many cases, these are relatively simple and can often be obtained from:

• Municipalities and local waste authorities
• Waste management engineers and technical experts
• Government websites and official data sources
• Literature and technical publications
• National reports and engineering records

Based on the project scope, DEISO uses these inputs to estimate a complete emissions inventory for open burning of municipal waste, e-waste, or both.

Optional Parameter Research by DEISO

If the required site or process parameters are not available from the client side, DEISO can perform the data investigation and parameter collection as an additional service.

In such cases, we investigate the target city or country, review available technical sources, and develop the parameter set needed for estimation—subject to scope and data accessibility, and typically for an additional fee.

Typical Deliverables

• Estimated LCI inventory in Microsoft Excel format
• Supporting technical report or documentation
• Waste-specific emissions inventory outputs
• Structured results suitable for downstream LCA modeling and interpretation

Who This Service Is For

• LCA practitioners and environmental consultants
• Research institutions and academic teams
• Municipalities and public-sector waste authorities
• International development and environmental projects
• Organizations requiring specialized emissions data for open burning practices

Strategic Value

This is a high-specialization technical data service designed for projects where no credible off-the-shelf dataset exists. DEISO helps clients close one of the most difficult waste-LCI gaps in developing-country modeling: open burning of municipal waste and e-waste under uncontrolled conditions.

The result is stronger study defensibility, more realistic inventories, and better decision support for complex waste and environmental assessments.