Food Scraps – BioEnergy Consult Blog
March 28, 2013 March 30, 2013 by Salman Zafar, posted in Biogas, Waste-to-energy	
Rather than sitting in a landfill, organic wastes such as food leftovers are put into anaerobic digesters that produce biogas rich in methane. This biogas can be used as fuel for heat and power generation, and the stuff that’s leftover can be used as composting material.
Energy, Technology, & Policy
Americans throw away about 30% of all food produced domestically each year, and since at least 8% of the U.S. energy budget goes towards bringing food to tables across the country, energy waste is closely tied to food waste [1]. In fact, all of that wasted food equates to about 350 million barrels of oil per year [1].
The energy embedded in food waste comes from many sectors of the food industry: production, transportation, storage, and preparation. Since food waste is a cultural problem, it is not likely that it will stop any time soon. A better solution to waste prevention could be to take advantage of the energy potential of food in our landfills. Rather than sitting in a landfill, organic wastes such as food leftovers are put into anaerobic digesters that produce biogas rich in methane [2]. This biogas can be used as fuel for heat and power…
Tagged Anaerobic digestion, Biogas, Food Scraps, Food Waste, food waste to energy, Renewable Energy, Waste-to-energyLeave a comment	
Energy from Food Wastes
June 11, 2012 June 14, 2012 by Salman Zafar, posted in Anaerobic Digestion, Biogas, Solid Waste Management, Waste-to-energy	
Jay F. Nelson
Animal waste may become our next source of green energy.
Private corporations in the U.K. have begun investing big bucks to convert leftover food and animal byproducts into a new source of green energy that produces electricity and cuts costs.
Marketplace BBC World Service recently reported that big U.K. chains such as Walmart and Tesco are now actively running some of their stores on electricity converted from leftover foods.
Fish heads, old lamb chops, stale sandwiches, and chicken fat represent just a few of the food waste products whose biogas can be burned to create electricity.
How do you get electricity from stale sandwiches?
Basically speaking, large vats of rotting organic waste ferment in the absence of oxygen in a kind of biogenic bath. Fermentation produces biogases, such as methane, which can be burned to run the machinery that generates green electricity. Anyone who’s kept a compost pile knows that…
Tagged animal waste, Bioenergy, Biogas, electricity, Energy, England, Food Scraps, Food Waste, Sustainability, Tesco, UK, USA, WalmartLeave a comment	
Transforming food waste into energy
February 19, 2012 February 19, 2012 by Salman Zafar, posted in Anaerobic Digestion, Biogas, Biomass Energy	
Anaerobic digestion, which is commonly used to treat wastewater solids, naturally produces methane as it breaks down organic matter. Harnessing methane to produce heat, electric power or biofuel (also known as biomethane)—and offset facility power needs— is becoming an important energy management option.
Divert organic matter – stuff made from plants and animals, such as food waste and yard clippings – away from landfills and transform it into energy is one of the methods that will bring great results. That reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfills and turns trash into a substantial source of clean energy.
Successfully harnessing energy from organic waste will help the DoD and other agencies meet U.S. federal regulations that require renewable energy sources—7 percent by 2013, as mandated by the 2005 Energy Policy Act, and 25 percent by 2025, as mandated by the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act.
If 50% of the US food waste…
Tagged Biogas, Food Scraps, Food Waste, food waste management, Waste-to-energyLeave a comment	
September 14, 2011 September 14, 2011 by Salman Zafar, posted in Agricultural Residues, Biochemical, Biomass Utilization, Cleantech, Composting, Industrial Waste Management, Solid Waste Management	
It seems everyone is concerned about the environment and trying to reduce their “carbon footprint”. I hope this trend will continue and grow as a nationwide way to live and not turn into a fad. Composting has been around for MANY years. Composting is a great way to keep biodegradables out of the landfill and to reap the reward of some fabulous “black gold”. That’s what master gardeners call compost and it’s great for improving your soil. Plants love it. Check out 10 Rules to Remember About Composting.
Layer your compost bin with dry and fresh ingredients: The best way to start a compost pile is to make yourself a bin either with wood or chicken wire. Layering fresh grass clippings and dried leaves is a great start.
Remember to turn your compost pile: As the ingredients in your compost pile start to biodegrade they will start to get hot. To avoid your compost pile rotting and stinking you need to turn the pile to aerate it. This addition of air into the pile will speed up the decomposition.
Add water to your compost pile: Adding water will also speed up the process of scraps turning into compost. Don’t add too much water, but if you haven’t gotten any rain in a while it’s a good idea to add some water to the pile just to encourage it along.
Don’t add meat scraps to your pile: Vegetable scraps are okay to add to your compost pile, but don’t add meat scraps. Not only do they stink as they rot, but they will attract unwanted guests like raccoons that will get into your compost bin and make a mess of it.
If possible have more than one pile going: Since it takes time for raw materials to turn into compost you may want to have multiple piles going at the same time. Once you fill up the first bin start a second one and so on. That way you can allow the ingredient in the first pile to completely transform into compost and still have a place to keep putting your new scraps and clippings. This also allows you to always keep a supply of compost coming for different planting seasons.
Never put trash in your compost pile: Just because something says that it is recyclable it doesn’t mean that it should necessarily go into the compost bin. For example, newspapers will compost and can be put into a compost pile, but you will want to shred the newspapers and not just toss them in the bin in a stack. Things like plastic and tin should not be put into a compost pile, but can be recycled in other ways.
Allow your compost to complete the composting process before using: It might be tempting to use your new compost in your beds as soon as it starts looking like black soil, but you need to make sure that it’s completely done composting otherwise you could be adding weed seeds into your beds and you will not be happy with the extra weeds that will pop up.
Straw can be added if dried leaves are not available: Dried materials as well as green materials need to be added to a compost bin. In the Fall you will have a huge supply of dried leaves, but what do you do if you don’t have any dried leaves? Add straw or hay to the compost bin, but again these will often contain weed seeds so be careful to make sure they are completely composted before using them.
Egg Shells and Coffee grounds are a great addition: Not only potato skins are considered kitchen scraps. Eggshells and coffee grounds are great additions to compost piles because they add nutrients that will enhance the quality of the end product.
Never put pet droppings in your compost pile: I’m sure you’ve heard that manure is great for your garden, but cow manure is cured for quite a while before used in a garden. Pet droppings are far to hot and acidic for a home compost pile and will just make it stink.
Contributed by Roxanne Porter whose original blogpost can be viewed at http://www.nannypro.com/blog/10-rules-to-remember-about-composting/.
Tagged Anaerobic digestion, Biodegradable waste, biofertilizer, Biomass, Biomass Energy, cleantech, Compost, Composting, emissions, environment, Fertilizer, Food Residuals, Food Scraps, Guidelines, Organic Fertilizer, organic wastes, Roxanne Porter, RulesLeave a comment	
Significance of Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste
July 3, 2011 August 19, 2011 by Salman Zafar, posted in Anaerobic Digestion, Biogas, Biomass Energy, Clean Energy, Waste Management, Waste-to-energy	
Tagged Anaerobic digestion, Biogas, Biomass Energy, clean energy, energy-from-waste, environment, Food Residuals, Food Scraps, Food Waste, Food Wastes, Landfills, organic wastes, Waste-to-energy2 Comments	