A closed loop case study of decentralized food waste management: System performance and life cycle carbon emission assessment

Hailin Tian; Miao Yan; Jieyu Zhou; Qinglian Wu; Yong Wei Tiong; Heng Thong Lam; Jingxin Zhang; Yen Wah Tong

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165783

A closed loop case study of decentralized food waste management: System performance and life cycle carbon emission assessment

Hailin Tian
, Miao Yan
, Jieyu Zhou
, Qinglian Wu
, Yong Wei Tiong
, Heng Thong Lam
, Jingxin Zhang
, Yen Wah Tong^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Environment

Guangdong University of Technology
National University of Singapore
Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE)
CAS - Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion
Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Food waste (FW) has become a worldwide issue, while anaerobic digestion (AD) has appeared as a widely adopted technology to recover energy and resources from FW. Compared to many existing case studies of centralized AD system, the comprehensive study of decentralized micro-AD system from both system energy efficiency and carbon emission perspective is still scanty, particularly system operated under ambient temperature conditions. In this study, an actual decentralized micro-AD system with treating capacity of 300 kg FW/d for a local hawker center in Singapore was reported and evaluated. The results showed that 1894.5 kg of FW was treated and 173 m³ biogas with methane content of 53 % was produced during the experimental period of 75 days. The methane yield results showed a high FW degradation efficiency (87.87 %). However, net energy consumption and net carbon emission were observed during the experimental period. Nevertheless, energy self-efficiency and carbon neutrality, even net energy output and carbon reduction, can be achieved by increasing daily FW loading and biogas engine efficiency. Specifically, the FW loading for system energy self-efficiency was identified as 159 kg/d for engine efficiency of 35 % at a high kitchen waste/table waste ratio (63 %/37 %, with covid-19 dine-in restrictions); while they were 112 and 58 kg/d for engine efficiency of 25 % and 35 %, respective, at a low kitchen waste/table waste ratio (31 %/69 %, without covid-19 dine-in restrictions). The carbon emission ranged from 156.08 kg CO₂-eq/t FW to −77.35 kg CO₂-eq/t FW depending on the FW loading quantity and engine efficiency. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis also showed that the used electricity source for substitution influenced the carbon emission performance significantly. The obtained results imply that the decentralized micro-AD system could be a feasible FW management solution for energy generation and carbon reduction when the FW loading and engine electrical efficiency are carefully addressed.

Original language	English
Article number	165783
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	899
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165783
State	Published - 15 Nov 2023

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Keywords

Anaerobic digestion
Carbon emission
Decentralized system
Energy efficiency
Food waste

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10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165783

Cite this

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title = "A closed loop case study of decentralized food waste management: System performance and life cycle carbon emission assessment",

abstract = "Food waste (FW) has become a worldwide issue, while anaerobic digestion (AD) has appeared as a widely adopted technology to recover energy and resources from FW. Compared to many existing case studies of centralized AD system, the comprehensive study of decentralized micro-AD system from both system energy efficiency and carbon emission perspective is still scanty, particularly system operated under ambient temperature conditions. In this study, an actual decentralized micro-AD system with treating capacity of 300 kg FW/d for a local hawker center in Singapore was reported and evaluated. The results showed that 1894.5 kg of FW was treated and 173 m3 biogas with methane content of 53 \% was produced during the experimental period of 75 days. The methane yield results showed a high FW degradation efficiency (87.87 \%). However, net energy consumption and net carbon emission were observed during the experimental period. Nevertheless, energy self-efficiency and carbon neutrality, even net energy output and carbon reduction, can be achieved by increasing daily FW loading and biogas engine efficiency. Specifically, the FW loading for system energy self-efficiency was identified as 159 kg/d for engine efficiency of 35 \% at a high kitchen waste/table waste ratio (63 \%/37 \%, with covid-19 dine-in restrictions); while they were 112 and 58 kg/d for engine efficiency of 25 \% and 35 \%, respective, at a low kitchen waste/table waste ratio (31 \%/69 \%, without covid-19 dine-in restrictions). The carbon emission ranged from 156.08 kg CO2-eq/t FW to −77.35 kg CO2-eq/t FW depending on the FW loading quantity and engine efficiency. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis also showed that the used electricity source for substitution influenced the carbon emission performance significantly. The obtained results imply that the decentralized micro-AD system could be a feasible FW management solution for energy generation and carbon reduction when the FW loading and engine electrical efficiency are carefully addressed.",

keywords = "Anaerobic digestion, Carbon emission, Decentralized system, Energy efficiency, Food waste",

author = "Hailin Tian and Miao Yan and Jieyu Zhou and Qinglian Wu and Tiong, \{Yong Wei\} and Lam, \{Heng Thong\} and Jingxin Zhang and Tong, \{Yen Wah\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2023",

month = nov,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165783",

language = "英语",

volume = "899",

journal = "Science of the Total Environment",

issn = "0048-9697",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A closed loop case study of decentralized food waste management

T2 - System performance and life cycle carbon emission assessment

AU - Tian, Hailin

AU - Yan, Miao

AU - Zhou, Jieyu

AU - Wu, Qinglian

AU - Tiong, Yong Wei

AU - Lam, Heng Thong

AU - Zhang, Jingxin

AU - Tong, Yen Wah

PY - 2023/11/15

Y1 - 2023/11/15

N2 - Food waste (FW) has become a worldwide issue, while anaerobic digestion (AD) has appeared as a widely adopted technology to recover energy and resources from FW. Compared to many existing case studies of centralized AD system, the comprehensive study of decentralized micro-AD system from both system energy efficiency and carbon emission perspective is still scanty, particularly system operated under ambient temperature conditions. In this study, an actual decentralized micro-AD system with treating capacity of 300 kg FW/d for a local hawker center in Singapore was reported and evaluated. The results showed that 1894.5 kg of FW was treated and 173 m3 biogas with methane content of 53 % was produced during the experimental period of 75 days. The methane yield results showed a high FW degradation efficiency (87.87 %). However, net energy consumption and net carbon emission were observed during the experimental period. Nevertheless, energy self-efficiency and carbon neutrality, even net energy output and carbon reduction, can be achieved by increasing daily FW loading and biogas engine efficiency. Specifically, the FW loading for system energy self-efficiency was identified as 159 kg/d for engine efficiency of 35 % at a high kitchen waste/table waste ratio (63 %/37 %, with covid-19 dine-in restrictions); while they were 112 and 58 kg/d for engine efficiency of 25 % and 35 %, respective, at a low kitchen waste/table waste ratio (31 %/69 %, without covid-19 dine-in restrictions). The carbon emission ranged from 156.08 kg CO2-eq/t FW to −77.35 kg CO2-eq/t FW depending on the FW loading quantity and engine efficiency. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis also showed that the used electricity source for substitution influenced the carbon emission performance significantly. The obtained results imply that the decentralized micro-AD system could be a feasible FW management solution for energy generation and carbon reduction when the FW loading and engine electrical efficiency are carefully addressed.

AB - Food waste (FW) has become a worldwide issue, while anaerobic digestion (AD) has appeared as a widely adopted technology to recover energy and resources from FW. Compared to many existing case studies of centralized AD system, the comprehensive study of decentralized micro-AD system from both system energy efficiency and carbon emission perspective is still scanty, particularly system operated under ambient temperature conditions. In this study, an actual decentralized micro-AD system with treating capacity of 300 kg FW/d for a local hawker center in Singapore was reported and evaluated. The results showed that 1894.5 kg of FW was treated and 173 m3 biogas with methane content of 53 % was produced during the experimental period of 75 days. The methane yield results showed a high FW degradation efficiency (87.87 %). However, net energy consumption and net carbon emission were observed during the experimental period. Nevertheless, energy self-efficiency and carbon neutrality, even net energy output and carbon reduction, can be achieved by increasing daily FW loading and biogas engine efficiency. Specifically, the FW loading for system energy self-efficiency was identified as 159 kg/d for engine efficiency of 35 % at a high kitchen waste/table waste ratio (63 %/37 %, with covid-19 dine-in restrictions); while they were 112 and 58 kg/d for engine efficiency of 25 % and 35 %, respective, at a low kitchen waste/table waste ratio (31 %/69 %, without covid-19 dine-in restrictions). The carbon emission ranged from 156.08 kg CO2-eq/t FW to −77.35 kg CO2-eq/t FW depending on the FW loading quantity and engine efficiency. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis also showed that the used electricity source for substitution influenced the carbon emission performance significantly. The obtained results imply that the decentralized micro-AD system could be a feasible FW management solution for energy generation and carbon reduction when the FW loading and engine electrical efficiency are carefully addressed.

KW - Anaerobic digestion

KW - Carbon emission

KW - Decentralized system

KW - Energy efficiency

KW - Food waste

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85166482155

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165783

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165783

M3 - 文章

C2 - 37495140

AN - SCOPUS:85166482155

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 899

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

M1 - 165783

ER -

A closed loop case study of decentralized food waste management: System performance and life cycle carbon emission assessment

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

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