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Sustainable Methods for Food Waste Valorization

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2019) | Viewed by 35046

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Prof. Dr. Thomas A. Trabold

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Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology, 111 Lomb Memorial Drive 81-2169, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
Interests: sustainable food production; food waste-to-energy conversion; sustainable energy systems; fuel cells
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Dear Colleagues,

The global food industry continues to be burdened by the problem of food waste, as we attempt to minimize the environmental impacts of feeding an ever-growing population. In fact, it is widely reported that 30 to 40% of food produced is never consumed by humans. Although ongoing technical improvements and consumer education will help reduce the fraction of food that is wasted, it is inevitable that there will still be massive volumes of food materials needing proper disposition at the end-of-life. This Special Issue comprises papers addressing challenges and opportunities in sustainable methods for food waste valorization across the farm-to-fork spectrum; from agriculture through all downstream phases of food processing, distribution and consumption. Topics of interest include methods for food waste valorization through dehydration, composting, waste-to-energy conversion (e.g., anaerobic digestion, fermentation, transesterification, gasification, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, etc.), and upcycling to value-added products, such as fertilizer, animal feed and nutritional supplements. Additionally within scope are assessments of embodied water and energy resources in food waste, comparative analysis of sustainable waste disposition methods and incumbent technologies (such as landfilling and wastewater treatment), as well as case studies involving environmental and/or economic evaluation of commercially deployed food waste valorization systems.

Prof. Dr. Thomas A. Trabold
Guest Editor

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Keywords

food waste
valorization
composting
anaerobic digestion
fermentation
pyrolysis
gasification

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Feasibility and Barriers for Anaerobic Digestion in Mexico City

by Nina Tsydenova, Alethia Vázquez Morillas, Álvaro Martínez Hernández, Diana Rodríguez Soria, Camilo Wilches and Alexandra Pehlken

Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4114; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154114 - 30 Jul 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4552

Abstract

Due to the high organic fraction in municipal solid waste (MSW) composition in Mexico City, anaerobic digestion (AD) is considered as a viable treatment method for organics in this study. The most feasible way refers to the waste from the wholesale market Central de Abasto, which is predominantly organics. This work aims to perform a business plan and discuss the barriers for AD technology in Mexico. In this case study, the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) approach is applied to estimate the profitability of the project. The net present value of this project is positive, and the model resulted in a payback period of 7 years. Identified barriers to feasibility of energy generation through biogas of MSW in Mexico include the need for large investment, low profitability through sales of electricity, and no use for generated heat. An attractive panorama for clean energy in Mexico was not evidenced, even though the Energy Reform took place in 2013. However, the environmental analysis also demonstrates a positive environmental impact of 730 kg CO₂ per 1 Mg of MSW. Therefore, support incentives are needed to promote the use of other by-products of the AD process, such as heat and digestate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Methods for Food Waste Valorization)

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15 pages, 1794 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste with Unconventional Co-Substrates for Stable Biogas Production at High Organic Loading Rates

by Swati Hegde and Thomas A. Trabold

Sustainability 2019, 11(14), 3875; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143875 - 16 Jul 2019

Cited by 61 | Viewed by 5875

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is widely considered a more sustainable food waste management method than conventional technologies, such as landfilling and incineration. To improve economic performance while maintaining AD system stability at commercial scale, food waste is often co-digested with animal manure, but there is increasing interest in food waste-only digestion. We investigated the stability of anaerobic digestion with mixed cafeteria food waste (CFW) as the main substrate, combined in a semi-continuous mode with acid whey, waste bread, waste energy drinks, and soiled paper napkins as co-substrates. During digestion of CFW without any co-substrates, the maximum specific methane yield (SMY) was 363 mL gVS⁻¹d⁻¹ at organic loading rate (OLR) of 2.8 gVSL⁻¹d⁻¹, and reactor failure occurred at OLR of 3.5 gVSL⁻¹d⁻¹. Co-substrates of acid whey, waste energy drinks, and waste bread resulted in maximum SMY of 455, 453, and 479 mL gVS⁻¹d⁻¹, respectively, and it was possible to achieve stable digestion at OLR as high as 4.4 gVSL⁻¹d⁻¹. These results offer a potential approach to high organic loading rate digestion of food waste without using animal manure. Process optimization for the use of unconventional co-substrates may help enable deployment of anaerobic digesters for food waste management in urban and institutional applications and enable increased diversion of food waste from landfills in heavily populated regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Methods for Food Waste Valorization)

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22 pages, 12910 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification and Analysis of Attributes for Industrial Food Waste Management Modelling

by Guillermo Garcia-Garcia, Elliot Woolley and Shahin Rahimifard

Sustainability 2019, 11(8), 2445; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082445 - 25 Apr 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5149

Abstract

Due to the large quantities of food waste generated by manufacturers and the associated environmental impact of these waste streams, improving food waste management is vital for achieving a more sustainable food system. Management of food waste can be complex and the most appropriate methods may not always be selected. There are a range of aspects to consider in order to select the most sustainable option to manage food waste, such as the specific type of food waste generated, waste management options available, characteristics of food companies that generate food waste, features of the waste management processors that will manage it, and the sustainability implications of dealing with the food waste. To support food waste management decision making, this paper presents a modelling procedure to assist in identifying what type and range of information is needed to model food waste management systems, allowing the user to follow a systematic methodology to make more informed decisions. This procedure is based on the identification and analysis of qualitative and quantitative attributes necessary to model food waste management and an assessment of their relationships. Specifically, it describes a process to ensure that all relevant attributes are considered during the decision-making process. A case study with a large UK food and drink manufacturer is used to demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of this procedure. In conclusion, the systematic procedure presented in this paper provides a methodology to identify opportunities to improve the sustainability of industrial food waste management. The data obtained can be used to further undertake a life-cycle assessment study and/or to apply existing socio-economic methodologies to thoroughly assess impacts and benefits of food waste management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Methods for Food Waste Valorization)

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13 pages, 1309 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Such a Shame! A Study on Self-Perception of Household Food Waste

by Luca Falasconi, Clara Cicatiello, Silvio Franco, Andrea Segrè, Marco Setti and Matteo Vittuari

Sustainability 2019, 11(1), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010270 - 8 Jan 2019

Cited by 69 | Viewed by 9218

Abstract

Reducing food waste is globally considered as a key challenge in developing sustainable food systems. Although most food waste is generated at the household level, consumers hardly recognize their responsibility, and the factors underpinning their perception of the quantity of food wasted at home are still unclear. This paper aims to fill this gap by analyzing the results of a large-scale survey conducted in Italy. The perceived quantity of household food waste was measured through a Likert scale and analyzed by means of a logistic regression against a set of predictors, including food waste motivations, perception of the effects of food waste, and sociodemographic variables. As expected, the perceived quantity of food waste declared by respondents was very low. Among the main determinants, food shopping habits and the level of awareness about the reasons why food is wasted played a key role. In contrast, the perception of the environmental effects of food waste seemed to be less important. Differences among subsamples recruited in different areas of Italy were detected, suggesting that further studies, as well as awareness-raising policies, should also consider context-related variables. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Methods for Food Waste Valorization)

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10 pages, 698 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pet Food as the Most Concrete Strategy for Using Food Waste as Feedstuff within the European Context: A Feasibility Study

by Marta Castrica, Doriana E. A. Tedesco, Sara Panseri, Giovanni Ferrazzi, Vera Ventura, Dario G. Frisio and Claudia M. Balzaretti

Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 2035; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10062035 - 15 Jun 2018

Cited by 37 | Viewed by 8790

Abstract

Food loss and waste have a negative environmental impact due to the water, land, energy and other natural resources used to produce the wasted food, along with post-consumption disposal costs. Reducing food waste will thus help improve sustainability and decrease the environmental impact of the food system. Using food waste for animal feed is of growing importance in terms of the policies targeted at tackling food waste but the current legal framework in the European Union (EU) strongly restricts the possibility of using food waste for this purpose. The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of innovative measures for feed production in the EU and to identify the best strategies to implement them. First, a technical evaluation of a case study is presented, which is a process developed in the United States for urban food waste transformation into animal feed. Second, there is an analysis of the potential application of this process in the European Union within the current legal framework. The results reveal that the feed product derived from food waste is compliant with EU safety requirements and is nutritionally valuable. This work also suggests that the implementation of this kind of process in the European Union has great potential, provided that food surplus is recovered and treated before it turns into waste and that the different types of food surplus identified are used as feed for the right animal type in accordance with European legislation (i.e., livestock, aquarium fish, pets). On these terms, pet food can be the most concrete strategy for using food waste within the European context. In general, the implementation of feed-from-food measures to reduce food waste in Europe is already possible and does not need to wait for further policy interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Methods for Food Waste Valorization)

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