Morton Barlaz

Distinguished University Professor

Dr. Morton A. Barlaz is a Distinguished University Professor of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Barlaz is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and hundreds of presentations at conferences throughout the world. In 1992, he was awarded a Presidential Faculty Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. In 2022, Dr. Barlaz was named an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow for his “distinguished contributions to the field of environmental engineering, particularly for advancing understanding of solid waste engineering and related fundamental biological and chemical processes.”

Dr. Barlaz has been active in service throughout his career. He is an associate editor for two journals (Waste Management and Journal of Environmental Engineering) and serves as co-chair of the bi-annual Intercontinental Landfill Research Symposium. He has served as chair of the Government Affairs Committee and the Lectures Committee for the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. He also serves on the Science Advisory Committee for the International Waste Working Group.

Education

Ph. D. 1988

Civil and Environmental Engineering

University of Wisconsin

M.S. 1985

Civil and Environmental Engineering

University of Wisconsin

B.S. 1978

Chemical Engineering

University of Michigan

Research Description

Dr. Barlaz has been involved in research on various aspects of solid waste since 1983. Over this time, he has conducted research on biological refuse decomposition, methane production, and the biodegradation of hazardous wastes in landfills. He has participated in two state-of-the-practice reviews of bioreactor landfills. His research forms the basis for much of the work done to assess the impact of landfills on methane emissions inventories. Dr. Barlaz is also recognized for his research on the use of life-cycle analysis to evaluate environmental emissions associated with alternate solid waste management strategies. Most recently, he has been working on the processes that contribute to heat accumulation in landfills.

Publications

Correction to “Target and Suspect Screening Integrated with Machine Learning to Discover Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Source Fingerprints”
Joseph, N. T., Schwichtenberg, T., Cao, D., Jones, G. D., Rodowa, A. E., Barlaz, M. A., … Helbling, D. E. (2024). Correction to “Target and Suspect Screening Integrated with Machine Learning to Discover Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Source Fingerprints.” Environmental Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c10350,
Economic and environmental comparison of emerging plastic waste management technologies
Liu, L., Barlaz, M. A., & Johnson, J. X. (2024), Resources, Conservation and Recycling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107531
Landfill Codisposal of On-Site Vegetation and Coal Combustion Residuals: Implications for Gas Management
Cruz, F., Setz, M., Barlaz, M., & Varsho, J. (2023, March 17), ACS ES&T ENGINEERING, Vol. 3. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.2c00332
Neutral Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in In Situ Landfill Gas by Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Titaley, I. A., Cruz, F. B., Barlaz, M. A., & Field, J. A. (2023), ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, 10(3), 214–221. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00037
Quasi-Mechanistic 3D Finite Element Model Predicts Temperatures in a U.S. Landfill
Hao, Z., Barlaz, M. A., & Ducoste, J. J. (2023, November 28), ACS ES&T ENGINEERING, Vol. 11. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.3c00289
Target and Suspect Screening Integrated with Machine Learning to Discover Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Source Fingerprints
Joseph, N. T., Schwichtenberg, T., Cao, D., Jones, G. D., Rodowa, A. E., Barlaz, M. A., … Helbling, D. E. (2023, September 11), ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 9. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c03770
Influence of Inoculum Type on Volatile Fatty Acid and Methane Production in Short-Term Anaerobic Food Waste Digestion Tests
Ding, H., Barlaz, M. A., de los Reyes III, F. L., & Call, D. F. (2022, December 9), ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, Vol. 12. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c04080
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Facemasks: Potential Source of Human Exposure to PFAS with Implications for Disposal to Landfills
Muensterman, D. J., Cahuas, L., Titaley, I. A., Schmokel, C., Cruz, F. B., Barlaz, M. A., … Field, J. A. (2022), ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, 9(4), 320–326. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00019
Critical review on PFOA, kidney cancer, and testicular cancer
Stevenson, E. D., Kleinman, M. T., Bai, X., Barlaz, M., Abraczinskas, M., Guidry, V., … Chow, J. (2021). [Review of , ]. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, 71(10), 1265–1276. https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2021.1975995
Development of Streamlined Life-Cycle Assessment for the Solid Waste Management System
Wang, Y., Levis, J. W., & Barlaz, M. A. (2021), Environmental Science & Technology, 55(8), 5475–5484. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c07461

View all publications via NC State Libraries

Grants

Effect of Surface Coatings on Biodegradability and Functional Properties of Model Pure and Blended Biopolymer Substrates, NWI Core Project
NCSU Nonwovens Institute(7/01/23 - 6/30/24)
A Life-Cycle Comparison of Landfilling and Waste-to-Energy Combustion in Montgomery County Maryland
Montgomery County(12/06/22 - 12/05/23)
Characterization of Wood Samples
Kodama Systems, Inc.(8/15/22 - 12/31/23)
Development of a fast-open source model to assess heat generation from alternative landfill disposal strategies
Environmental Research & Education Foundation(6/01/22 - 5/31/24)
Comparison of Field Measurements to Methane Emissions Models at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills
Environmental Research & Education Foundation(3/01/22 - 3/01/23)
Does the Disposal of PFAS-containing Special Wastes Impact Leachate PFAS Concentrations?
Environmental Research & Education Foundation(1/01/22 - 12/31/23)
AI-Enabled Hyperspectral Imaging Augmented with Multi-Sensory Information for Rapid/Real-time Analysis of Non-Recyclable Heterogeneous MSW for Conversion to Energy
US Dept. of Energy (DOE) - Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)(10/01/21 - 9/30/23)
Development of a Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Systems Analysis Tool (SAT) to Assist in Prioritization of Destruction Research and Management Decisions
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(3/22/21 - 3/31/22)
Development of a Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Systems Analysis Tool (SAT) to Assist in Prioritization of Destruction Research and Management Decisions
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(6/11/20 - 9/30/20)
High Performance Nonwovens Bags
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(10/01/20 - 4/30/22)