Assessment of the Waste-to-Energy Potential from Alberta’s Food Processing Industry.

Abstract

Alberta’s food processing industry is the second largest food waste producer after the household sector. Most of the waste currently produced from the food processing industry is landfilled. Decomposing landfill waste, moreover, emits greenhouse gases (GHG), which contribute to global warming. In this paper, we estimated the amount of food waste produced by Alberta’s food processing industry by developing a geographical information system (GIS)-based model with data from food processing companies in the province. The companies were selected such that all sizes, types, and geographic locations were considered. The information was gathered on the amount and characteristics of food waste, the location of the processing facilities, and the food waste disposal method and then the total amount of food waste generated in Alberta was estimated. In addition, GIS maps were created to show the distribution of food waste throughout the province and the availability intensity. Finally, we estimated the potential energy that could be produced in the form of biogas and electricity using Alberta’s food processing waste and mapped it as well. There is a potential to generate 852 GWh of electricity per year from Alberta’s food processing waste, which is about 1% of the province’s total electricity generation. This potential capacity could help in the development of waste-to-value-added facilities in Alberta.