Module 00: Gravimetric Material Characterization for Feedstock Classification and Conversion Pathway Assignment

This paper defines gravimetric material characterization as the foundational measurement architecture for waste-to-value systems. The study formalizes Module 00 as the instrumentation layer that converts heterogeneous physical material inputs into standardized, auditable data structures used for feedstock classification and conversion pathway assignment. All inputs are expressed through wet mass, dry mass, moisture content, and dry-basis composition, enabling deterministic routing across biological conversion, thermal conversion, controlled pyrolysis, preprocessing, or reject pathways. The system operates through a fixed sequence of input, standardization, classification, routing, and aggregation. A national-scale execution using food loss and waste from Mexico’s distribution and retail sector (8.95 million tonnes per year) demonstrates system performance. The quarterly input of 2,237,500 tonnes resolves to 2,237,500,000 kg wet mass, 671,250,000 kg dry mass, and 610,837,500 kg convertible mass, with routing to Bio-Conversion based on composition. Boundary-condition testing confirms routing behavior across regimes, including plastics-dominant streams routing to controlled pyrolysis and high-inert streams triggering reject/hold conditions. System validation identifies and resolves unit normalization and persistence defects, while isolating remaining API response contract issues. Module 00 establishes the boundary condition layer for downstream modules governing conversion, emissions, economics, MRV, and reporting, translating physical material flows into structured system inputs.