Current status of anaerobic digestion of food waste in the United States

Dalke, Rachel; Demro, Delaney; Khalid, Yusra; Wu, Haoran; Urgun‐Demirtas, Meltem

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2021.111554

Cited by 81 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…However, large uncertainties of actual CH 4 emissions from different sludge management methods should be incorporated into future life cycle analysis. Considering that the U.S. EPA has qualified biogas from WRRFs as a cellulosic transportation biofuel (category D3) under the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard program in 2014, it provides financial incentives for WRRFs to increase biogas production as D3 fuels allowing for lower renewable volume obligations and hence a higher value than other forms of renewable fuel pathways . As for fugitive emissions, the vacuum pump for dissolved biogas recovery has been commercialized and provides practical ways to further improve biogas capture efficiency and reduce direct emissions from AD effluent.…”

Section: Outlook and Research Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methane Emissions from Municipal Wastewater Collection and Treatment Systems

Song

Zhu

Willis

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Municipal wastewater collection and treatment systems are critical infrastructures, and they are also identified as major sources of anthropogenic CH4 emissions that contribute to climate change. The actual CH4 emissions at the plant- or regional level vary greatly due to site-specific conditions as well as high seasonal and diurnal variations. Here, we conducted the first quantitative analysis of CH4 emissions from different types of sewers and water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). We examined variations in CH4 emissions associated with methods applied in different monitoring campaigns, and identified main CH4 sources and sinks to facilitate carbon emission reduction efforts in the wastewater sector. We found plant-wide CH4 emissions vary by orders of magnitude, from 0.01 to 110 g CH4/m3 with high emissions associated with plants equipped with anaerobic digestion or stabilization ponds. Rising mains show higher dissolved CH4 concentrations than gravity sewers when transporting similar raw sewage under similar environmental conditions, but the latter dominates most collection systems around the world. Using the updated data sets, we estimated annual CH4 emission from the U.S. centralized, municipal wastewater treatment to be approximately 10.9 ± 7.0 MMT CO2-eq/year, which is about twice as the IPCC (2019) Tier 2 estimates (4.3–6.1 MMT CO2-eq/year). Given CH4 emission control will play a crucial role in achieving net zero carbon goals by the midcentury, more studies are needed to profile and mitigate CH4 emissions from the wastewater sector.

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Section: Outlook and Research Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methane Emissions from Municipal Wastewater Collection and Treatment Systems

Song

Zhu

Willis

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…This system choice is highlighting local, national and international political and societal diversities. Sweden, for example, sends 85% of its collected organics to biogas production via anaerobic digestion [59] whereas in Australia, anaerobic digestion is still somewhat vestigial (242 in 2016, half of which are capped landfills that frequently flare rather than use the biogas) although increasingly of interest, as in other parts of the world [60,61].…”

Section: Kerbside Collection Systems In Australia (The Inputs)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Using Post-Kerbside Organics Treatment Systems to Engage Australian Communities with Pro-Environmental Household Food Waste Behaviours

et al. 2022

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Dealing with the wicked problem of global food waste and loss is a complex and challenging area. In Australia, increased political will has landed the diversion of domestic food waste from landfill squarely at the feet of local government (councils), often requiring significant change to kerbside collections systems. This paper discusses how post-kerbside household food waste treatment systems can encourage pro-environmental behaviours. To achieve this, current food waste literature is examined against kerbside domestic waste collection measurable outcomes (diversion rates, system uptake and contamination rates). The hypothesis is that specific interventions can establish, or rebuild, community trust, responsibility and pro-environmental behaviours around food waste avoidance and diversion. Two post-kerbside systems—commercial composting and anaerobic digestion—provided the framework. Two themes emerged from the study: (1) the benefits of connecting the community with the interactions of household food waste inputs with post-treatment outputs (compost, soil conditioners, digestates and biogases); and (2) providing engaged communities with pathways for sustainable, pro-environmental actions whilst normalizing correct kerbside food waste recycling for the less engaged (habitual behaviours, knowledge and cooperation). The paper contributes to understanding how councils can connect their communities with the issues of household food waste.

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“…Food waste disposed to open dumpsites is responsible of at least 6% of the greenhouse gas emissions globally and almost 9% of that generated by food industry [25,26]. In developed countries like United States, anaerobic digestion is a successful method for the management and transformation of food waste into valuable products at large scale [27]. The anaerobic co-digestion of Sargassum spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomethane production kinetics during the anaerobic co-digestion of Sargassum spp. and food waste using batch and fed-batch systems in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Castro

Rodríguez

Rivera

2022

Mater Renew Sustain Energy

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Collecting Sargassum spp. biomass and using it for the generation of renewable energy is a sustainable approach to mitigate the costs associated to this weed management. The biomethanation of this algal biomass with other organic waste to produce biogas promotes the integrated sustainable management of these materials while generating gaseous fuel for the tourism industry. The purpose of this work is to determine the percentage Sargassum spp. biomass during the anaerobic co-digestion of this brown algae with food waste that results in the best biogas composition, methane yield, production kinetics, and digestate. The biomethanation was conducted in 1200 L fed-batch and bench scale batch biodigestors and the kinetic parameters were estimated using the modified Gompertz model. The methane yield of Sargassum spp. and food waste combinations in 0.58 OLR at fed batch and 15 g/L organic load at batch were comparable. The methane yield produced in the 100% Sargassum spp. fed-batch anaerobic biodigester was 101.3 ± 23.6 N. L CH4/kg, but up to 615.5 ± 78.4 N. L CH4/kg in the 45% Sargassum spp. / 55% food waste biodigestor. The anaerobic co-digestion of Sargassum spp. and food waste in the batch system showed methane production rates as high as 14.6 ± 0.3 N.L CH4/kg.day. Higher H2S were detected in the biogas of the biodigesters fed with larger percentages of the Sargassum spp. with more than 5000 ppm during mono-digestion. Our results suggest that 55% Sargassum spp. and 45% food waste are the most promising feed combination under the studied conditions for the anaerobic co-digestion of these feedstock at larger scale.

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Current status of anaerobic digestion of food waste in the United States

Cited by 81 publications

References 81 publications

Methane Emissions from Municipal Wastewater Collection and Treatment Systems

Methane Emissions from Municipal Wastewater Collection and Treatment Systems

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Using Post-Kerbside Organics Treatment Systems to Engage Australian Communities with Pro-Environmental Household Food Waste Behaviours

Biomethane production kinetics during the anaerobic co-digestion of Sargassum spp. and food waste using batch and fed-batch systems in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

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