Food Processing Waste Could Reduce GHG Emissions & Make Money

乍看上去

• A new study has revealed potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make money by finding a second life for industrial food-processing waste products.
• Scientists have proposed production opportunities ranging from sustainable fuels, biogas and electricity to useful chemicals and organic fertilizer.
• The study collected a total of 46 waste samples, including 14 from large Ohio food processing companies, and divided them into four broad categories.
• A waste type’s energy density and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio were major determinants for its repurposing potential.
• This could lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in profits for food processing companies.

细节

一项新研究

A new study has revealed potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make money by finding a second life for industrial food-processing waste products such as potato peels, fried dough particles, and cheese whey.

Valorization

Scientists have taken the first step at estimating the best large-scale uses for food processing waste, first analyzing its contents and, based on those findings, proposing production opportunities ranging from sustainable fuels, biogas and electricity to useful chemicals and organic fertilizer.

This process is known as valorization, or determining the potential value of something “that is otherwise valueless or even a drain on resources for a company – when you have to spend money to get rid of it.”

Food Waste

About 2% of the 80 billion pounds of food discarded annually in the United States is attributable to food manufacturing and processing – with food waste solids sent to landfills or composted, and liquids poured into sewers.

在这项研究中，研究人员共收集了 46 个废物样本，其中 14 个来自俄亥俄州的大型食品加工公司，并将它们分为四大类：蔬菜类、富含脂肪类、工业污泥类和淀粉类。

In the big picture, a waste type’s energy density – based on calorific value – and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio were major determinants for its repurposing potential.

Low-calorific vegetable wastes aren’t great for energy production, but they are plentiful organic sources of flavonoids, antioxidants and pigments that could be extracted and used in health-promoting compounds.

The proposed conversion technologies require energy to operate and also yield some secondary waste, but the valorization modeling lays groundwork for further “cradle to grave” analyses that would help quantify the environmental benefits of large-scale food – and other industry – waste reduction.

结论

This research, which was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, has revealed potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make money by finding a second life for industrial food-processing waste products.

Scientists have proposed production opportunities ranging from sustainable fuels, biogas and electricity to useful chemicals and organic fertilizer.

The study collected a total of 46 waste samples, including 14 from large Ohio food processing companies, and divided them into four broad categories: vegetable, fat-rich, industrial sludge and starchy.

A waste type’s energy density and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio were major determinants for its repurposing potential.

低热量的蔬菜废料不利于能源生产，但它们是类黄酮、抗氧化剂和色素的丰富有机来源，可以提取这些物质并用于促进健康的化合物。

The proposed conversion technologies require energy to operate and also yield some secondary waste, but the valorization modeling lays groundwork for further “cradle to grave” analyses that would help quantify the environmental benefits of large-scale food – and other industry – waste reduction.

This could lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in profits for food processing companies.