Bibliometric Analysis of Landfill Mining: worldwide research evolution

Abstract

Landfill Mining (LFM) aims to recover resources by partially or completely excavating waste stored in landfills. Research on Enhanced Landfill Mining (ELFM) has been advanced to include the combined valuation of waste as both materials and energy carriers. In this article we present an overview of the literature on the global development of landfill mining based on domestic waste. Here we analyze the existing information on the chronological and geographic distribution in countries that publish in the area, and to describe the dynamics of the conceptual and scientific knowledge. The analyzed articles were retrieved from Scopus, using the “Landfill* Mining” search term. The LFM research on co-occurrence network (1990-2022) found 29 terms in the first decade, increasing to 52 terms in the second decade and, finally, 234 terms in the third decade, indicating the importance of the LFM research field in present days. Four prominent aspects of LFM research can be observed: a. LFM provides an efficient contribution to waste management strategy, b. the objectives of LFM are similar to those of Circular Economy, c. LFM uses advanced techniques for identifying metals and chemical elements; and d. there is a need for ecological and ecotoxicological assessment, and determination of microorganisms and microplastics in the mined material.