Sustainable Food Waste Management Research Articles

Effects of moisture content of food waste on residue separation, larval growth and larval survival in black soldier fly bioconversion

In order to foster sustainable management of food waste, innovations in food waste valorization technologies are crucial. Black soldier fly (BSF) bioconversion is an emerging technology that can turn food waste into high-protein fish feed through the use of BSF larvae. The conventional method of BSF bioconversion is to feed BSF larvae with food waste directly without any moisture adjustment. However, it was reported that difficulty has been experienced in the separation of the residue (larval excreta and undigested material) from the insect biomass due to excessive moisture. In addition to the residue separation problem, the moisture content of the food waste may also affect the growth and survival aspects of BSF larvae. This study aims to determine the most suitable moisture content of food waste that can improve residue separation as well as evaluate the effects of the moisture content of food waste on larval growth and survival. In this study, pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste with different moisture content (70%, 75% and 80%) was fed to BSF larvae in a temperature-controlled rotary drum reactor. The results show that the residue can be effectively separated from the insect biomass by sieving using a 2.36mm sieve, for both types of food waste at 70% and 75% moisture content. However, sieving of the residue was not feasible for food waste at 80% moisture content. On the other hand, reduced moisture content of food waste was found to slow down larval growth. Hence, there is a trade-off between the sieving efficiency of the residue and the larval growth rate. Furthermore, the larval survival rate was not affected by the moisture content of food waste. A high larval survival rate of at least 95% was achieved using a temperature-controlled rotary drum reactor for all treatment groups. The study provides valuable insights for the waste management industry on understanding the effects of moisture content when employing BSF bioconversion for food waste recycling.

Comparative LCA of Alternative Scenarios for Waste Treatment: The Case of Food Waste Production by the Mass-Retail Sector

Food waste is one of the most important issues taken into account by the European Union due to its negative environmental, economic and social impacts. The treatment of food waste through recycling processes represents a solution for food waste minimisation. Concerning, in particular, the retail sector, it is necessary to define strategies for retail-oriented sustainable food waste management. The aim of this study is to compare the potential environmental impacts related to five scenarios (landfill, incineration, composting, anaerobic digestion and bioconversion through insects) for the disposal/treatment of food waste produced by a mass retail company operating in Messina (Italy) through the application of the Life Cycle Assessment method, in order to find the best treatment solution. Results based on the treatment of a functional unit of 1 tonne of food waste show that the bioconversion scenario represents the most preferable solution considering all of the impact categories analysed through the CML 2 baseline 2000 method, except for Global Warming, for which higher environmental performances are connected to the anaerobic digestion scenario. The incineration and the bioconversion scenarios show the highest environmental benefits when the production of alternative energy sources and valuable materials is evaluated through the inclusion of the avoided productions in the analysis.

EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Food

EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Food

Maize Processing Waste Water Upcycling in Mexico: Recovery of Arabinoxylans for Probiotic Encapsulation

Maize is a major source of food in Mexico. In order to improve its nutritional value, maize kernel is exposed to an alkali treatment that generates large volumes of waste water containing gelling arabinoxylan. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the capability of maize waste water arabinoxylans (MWAX) to encapsulate probiotics. The rheological, structural, and microstructural characteristics of this bio-based material were also investigated. MWAX gels at 10% (w/v) were able to encapsulate Bifidobacterium as probiotic model. The MWAX gel containing 1 × 107 CFU/mL of probiotics presented a storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli of 50 and 11 Pa, respectively. The average mesh size of the MWAX gel was around 11 times smaller than the Bifidobacterium cell magnitude. MWAX gels with or without probiotics were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The interior of the Bifidobacterium loaded gels was composed of a pore-like network of MWAX through which probiotics were distributed. The probiotic encapsulating MWAX gels appeared to be less porous than the empty gels. MWAX capability to encapsulate Bifidobacterium may be important in designing probiotic encapsulating biodegradable gels and could represent an opportunity in sustainable food waste management and utilization through upcycling to value-added products.

A Methodology for Sustainable Management of Food Waste

As much as one-third of the food intentionally grown for human consumption is never consumed and is therefore wasted, with significant environmental, social and economic ramifications. An increasing number of publications in this area currently consider different aspects of this critical issue, and generally focus on proactive approaches to reduce food waste, or reactive solutions for more efficient waste management. In this context, this paper takes a holistic approach with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the different types of food waste, and using this knowledge to support informed decisions for more sustainable management of food waste. With this aim, existing food waste categorizations are reviewed and their usefulness are analysed. A systematic methodology to identify types of food waste through a nine-stage categorization is used in conjunction with a version of the waste hierarchy applied to food products. For each type of food waste characterized, a set of waste management alternatives are suggested in order to minimize environmental impacts and maximize social and economic benefits. This decision-support process is demonstrated for two case studies from the UK food manufacturing sector. As a result, types of food waste which could be managed in a more sustainable manner are identified and recommendations are given. The applicability of the categorisation process for industrial food waste management is discussed.

Source separation sewage systems as a trend in urban wastewater management: Drivers for the implementation of pilot areas in Northern Europe

Urban source separation infrastructure systems have a promising potential for a more sustainable management of household food waste and wastewaters. A renewed trend of larger implementations of pilot areas with such systems is currently emerging in Northern Europe. This study investigates the drivers behind the decision of stakeholders to implement source separation systems as well as the importance of the previously existing pilot areas in the decision-making process. By means of semi-structured expert interviews, five areas with source separation were characterized and compared. It was found that the most important drivers were on the one hand governmental, especially local environmental goals and on the other hand the ambition of the utilities to gain knowledge about future wastewater management and treatment technologies. Experiences from existing smaller pilot areas were shown crucial for decisions to implement the larger pilot areas that are currently planned, as was intensive stakeholder co-operation, due to the fact that source separation systems transcend traditional boundaries between energy, waste and water sectors. The results hold implications for policy makers and municipalities initiating a transition to more sustainable wastewater management.

Towards more sustainable management of European food waste: Methodological approach and numerical application.

Trying to respond to the latest policy needs, the work presented in this article aims at developing a life-cycle based framework methodology to quantitatively evaluate the environmental and economic sustainability of European food waste management options. The methodology is structured into six steps aimed at defining boundaries and scope of the evaluation, evaluating environmental and economic impacts and identifying best performing options. The methodology is able to accommodate additional assessment criteria, for example the social dimension of sustainability, thus moving towards a comprehensive sustainability assessment framework. A numerical case study is also developed to provide an example of application of the proposed methodology to an average European context. Different options for food waste treatment are compared, including landfilling, composting, anaerobic digestion and incineration. The environmental dimension is evaluated with the software EASETECH, while the economic assessment is conducted based on different indicators expressing the costs associated with food waste management. Results show that the proposed methodology allows for a straightforward identification of the most sustainable options for food waste, thus can provide factual support to decision/policy making. However, it was also observed that results markedly depend on a number of user-defined assumptions, for example on the choice of the indicators to express the environmental and economic performance.

Food Wastage and its Impacts on Sustainable Business Operations: A Study on Sri Lankan Tourist Hotels

Sri Lanka's hotel industry is one of the key drivers of economic growth in the island nation and the tourist arrivals have almost doubled since the end of the conflict in 2009. In order to cater to this snowballing tourist traffic, many new tourist hotels are being emerged. The hospitality sector is considered as a high energy consumer which produces a large amount of solid food waste. This has placed a huge strain on resources and created immense challenges in the efficient use of these resources as well as the disposal of their waste. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to discuss the food wastage in tourist hotels and its impact on sustainable hotel operations. Apart from that, it discusses the issues and challenges associated with the implementation of sustainable food waste management practices in hotels. The study was carried out as a qualitative study using randomly selected 20 star class hotels and the data collected through personal interviews, focused group discussions and personal observations. It was found that while the awareness of the need to minimize food wastage is high among management, and also has taken efforts to reduce the cost through food waste minimization, however, the hoteliers also have faced various challenges mainly due to the perception and behavioural patterns of customers which is beyond their control. Furthermore, the inherent characteristics of the industry have contributed for the high wastage of food. A few hoteliers have been succeeded in getting benefits from the food wastage such as installing bio gas digesters. So, one step that will help is to encourage the hotel industry to embrace and adopt food waste minimizing strategies and methods in order to achieve the environmental sustainability while increasing their financial profits.

Sustainable Food Waste Evaluation

Nationwide, people generate over 34 million tons of food waste annually, with most all of this organic waste going to landfills. Given the mass of food waste generated, cities and other planners need to understand the relative economic and environmental costs and benefits of different food waste management methods, including the management of food waste through the co-digestion of these organics in anaerobic digesters followed by the co-generation of renewable heat and power by wastewater facilities. The purpose of this research was to estimate economic and environmental costs and benefits of different food waste management alternatives not tailored to a specific location. Every effort was made to generalize and simplify the assumptions used in this report to serve as a comparative study and provide some general guidance regarding the sustainable food waste management alternatives. Because of its general nature, the content of this report should be seen as a stepping stone or template for site-specific studies. This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series . ISBN: 9781780403854 (Print) ISBN: 9781780401287 (eBook)

An Investigation of College and University Foodservice Administrators' Attitudes and Barriers to Sustainable Food Waste Management

An Investigation of College and University Foodservice Administrators' Attitudes and Barriers to Sustainable Food Waste Management

Research and Solutions: AASHE Student Award-Winning Paper: Converting Food Waste to Biogas

Biogas is a renewable source of natural gas produced by the microbial degradation of organic matter in a process called anaerobic digestion. While any organic material may be a feedstock for anaerobic digestion, waste organic matter represents a vast potential for sustainable energy production. Food waste, in particular, is a relatively untapped resource. Large amounts of food waste are produced at campus dining halls and other food service facilities. A case study was undertaken to determine biogas production and implementation potential at the University of Florida's Broward Dining Hall. Food waste quantity and current disposal methods were determined. The waste was analyzed for organic matter content and potential biogas yield. Food waste was digested in a small-scale anaerobic digester. The study demonstrated that converting food waste to biogas could provide significant supplemental energy to the dining hall and provide a closed-loop system for sustainable food waste management. By using biogas produ...