A analysis staff on the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an city food waste administration framework to determine acceptable waste administration options for cities based mostly on the moisture of their waste.
Chen Guaghao, HKUST Chair Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, led a examine into the food waste composition, wastewater era, vitality consumption and treatment of 29 massive cities all over the world.
The examine discovered the important thing issue affecting food waste treatment effectivity was its moisture load, and that larger moisture hundreds had been linked to elevated treatment prices and emissions.
The HKUST staff, in collaboration with researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, then developed the Urban Biowaste Flux (UBF) framework, which recognized which cities had situations to undertake an built-in waste administration system – diverting food waste into the sewage community and mixing it with landfill or incineration.
The examine discovered that cities akin to Hong Kong, the place contemporary substances and soup-based diets are frequent, had been extra prone to generate wetter food waste streams.
The HKUST researchers learnt that utilizing food waste grinders to divert waste into the town’s sewage system might enhance general waste treatment effectivity.
“Using Hong Kong as an example, our analysis of food waste and wastewater samples shows that food waste accounts for 57.78 per cent of the total chemical oxygen demand entering the biowaste treatment system,” mentioned HKUST PhD Student Dr Zou Xu.
“This demonstrates why we must rethink how food waste is managed.”
By making use of an built-in waste administration system to Hong Kong as dictated by the UBF framework, the researchers discovered that landfill expenditure might lower by about $105,724,836, leading to an 11 per cent discount in Hong Kong’s whole waste-management prices.
Researchers additionally discovered that the built-in treatment might cut back Hong Kong’s direct and oblique greenhouse fuel emissions by a mixed 46.61 per cent.
“Our study shows that among 29 cities worldwide, 27 would reduce per capita annual energy consumption by about 20.60 per cent, and 26 would reduce per capita greenhouse gas emissions by about 22.60 per cent if integrated treatment were adopted,” mentioned Guangaho.
“Of course, cities differ, and never all can be suited to the identical mannequin, however for these with excessive food waste moisture load and excessive solid-waste processing prices, built-in treatment is a sensible path ahead.
“We hope this research provides a scientific foundation for cities to formulate more appropriate strategies for food waste management.”
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