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Paper waste is a raw material for a lot of products with different added value. The engineering, economic and environmental aspects of paper waste recycling are analysed for production of composite material, cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals, bricks with paper components, porous carbon, film of biopolymer, enzymatic sugar and bioenergy: bioethanol, hydrogen and biofuel. Through multicriteria analysis, it was possible to determine the most feasible paper waste recycling product in case of four product groups: egg packaging boxes, cardboard, reused paper, cellulose nanomaterials (nanofibers and nanocrystals). The production of cellulose nanofibres and cellulose nanocrystals has an advantage over egg packaging and cardboard production as well as reusable paper.

The contribution of domestic lignocellulosic waste and its potential for biodegradation by components, for each category of paper and cardboard, have scarcely been reported. To achieve integral proposals, for managing this type of waste, is essential to know each individual contribution to the &ldquo, paper and cardboard&rdquo, category. The objective of this study was to characterize the paper and cardboard waste from the domestic solid waste stream, in the city of Morelia, Mexico, and estimate its methane generation potential (CH4). The generation of lignocellulosic waste was studied in a housing complex of social interest. The domestic lignocellulosic residues (DLW) that were chemically characterized were derived from paper and cardboard. The average daily generation was 0.5 kg/inhabitant. The highest content of lignin was found in newspaper (24.5%), and toilet paper was the material with the lowest lignin content (1%). The bond paper had a DLW of higher YCH4, when degraded anaerobically, in a semi-solid phase and a mesophilic regime. The variety of paper and cardboard, such as DLW, presented differences in their generation (kg/person), chemical composition (lignin content), and their potential for anaerobic biodegradability.