Food Waste to Energy

Much of the food we produce every year, ends up in the trash. Just consider USA, which wastes
108 billion pounds of food annually. 1Composting is one way to manage this waste. The other,
and perhaps more effective, way to deal with this waste is to convert it into energy. Sounds
extraordinary, right? Today we will elaborate on this process which is scientifically known as
“anaerobic digestion”.

How does this work?2

The food waste is transported to a waste processing facility where it is sorted by humans or
machines to get rid of anything that could contaminate the process. Following that, the food is
added to a digestion tank. Because the process is anaerobic, oxygen is eliminated. Food
decomposes naturally as a result, but adding microorganisms speeds up the process. Methane
gas is released during the processing of food waste. Instead of being released into the
atmosphere as is typically the case, this gas is kept inside a sealed tank while food waste is
being converted to electricity. The gas can then be used to power electricity generators, which
will provide energy.

Useful By-products3
The digested waste that has released methane is called the digestate. This can be sold, after
some processing, as animal bedding, compost or fertiliser, or used in the production of bio-
plastics. The marketability of the by-product further boosts the financial prospects of this
project.

A Threat becomes an opportunity

A lot of people don’t understand how food waste poses issues when it is dumped in landfills.
After all, food waste is decomposable, unlike plastic waste, right? But what they don’t realize is,
that during the process of decomposition, the waste will release methane, a greenhouse gas
more potent than carbon dioxide. By turning methane into energy, we are successfully turning
a threat into an opportunity. Apart from that, I think we can all agree that landfills are an
eyesore in our countryside. They harm our environment and emit terrible odours.

1
https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/our-approach/reduce-food-waste#:~:text=Each%20year%2C
%20108%20billion%20pounds,food%20in%20America%20is%20wasted.

2
https://www.trvst.world/waste-recycling/food-waste/converting-food-waste-to-energy/

3
https://www.epa.gov/agstar/how-does-anaerobic-digestion-work#:~:text=Anaerobic%20digestion%20is%20a
%20process,in%20the%20absence%20of%20oxygen.
Reliable source of energy
In conventional energy generation, fossil fuels are burned in order to run the generators. This
results in greenhouse gas emissions, which are the prime cause of the climate change that we
are suffering from today. Furthermore, fossil fuels take millions of years to form, and the world
is quickly running out of its reserves of this precious resource. Hence, we see an increased focus
on renewable sources such as wind and solar power. Biogas produced by this process, can be a
welcome addition to this group.
We will always produce food, and there is no reason to believe that we will ever stop wasting it.
So, on the flip side of things, we will always have this energy source to rely on. Furthermore,
every country on earth can use this source, provided they develop the technical infrastructure.
Added to this, this process is also not dependent on any environmental factors, such as
weather.

Final Word
Governments should encourage waste segregation and the establishment of food waste
processing facilities so that we are able to further develop this technology. This is specifically
important for countries that do not have ample fossil fuel reserves or those that are suffering
the effects of climate change. We will have to look for innovations such as this as we fight
climate change whilst trying to maintain our living standards.