Innovative Community-Centric Biofuel Production System: Harvesting Energy from Food Waste

for Sustainable Development

Summary

In the heart of our community lies a dual-faced challenge and opportunity—food waste. It
stands as a symbol of both the untapped potential for sustainable energy and the pressing issue of
inefficient waste management.

The proposed solution for San Nicolas' food waste problem involves the installation of an
innovative biofuel production system, featuring a compact biodiesel machine tailored to the
community's needs. This machine prioritizes user-friendliness and real-time monitoring capabilities,
serving as an automated batch processor to address waste disposal, energy scarcity, and pollution.

Producing biofuel from organic materials, such as food waste, allows for the creation of a locally
produced fuel with a cleaner burn. In addition to promoting sensible food consumption and garbage
disposal, the project seeks to introduce sustainable energy practices into San Nicolas and usher in a
new era.

The primary beneficiaries of installing innovative biofuel machines are the residents and
businesses of San Nicolas, who can actively participate in sustainable energy production.

By offering an alternate energy source, the innovative biodiesel machine empowers locals and
businesses and enhances the community's long-term sustainability and resilience. This strategy
addresses both the requirement for energy and the problem of food waste while promoting cooperation
and community involvement.

Background and Problem

In the scenic municipality of San Nicolas, the serenity of its landscapes belies a growing concern
at the crossroads of environmental sustainability and the escalating demands for energy. Recognizing
the pivotal need for innovative solutions, the research initiative titled Innovative Community-Centric
Biofuel Production System: Harvesting Energy from Food Waste for Sustainable Development “emerges
as a beacon of hope for a more ecologically balanced future.

The core concept revolves around harnessing the latent energy within food waste, a resource
abundantly available in the community. This approach aligns seamlessly with the global shift towards
sustainable energy practices, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fuel sources. However,
the successful realization of this vision encounters a critical challenge—the absence of accessible
technology tailored to the community's unique needs.

In the pursuit of sustainable development through biofuel production, San Nicolas grapples
with the deficiency of a streamlined and efficient biodiesel machine. Conventional technologies,
designed for larger scales and industrial settings, fall short of meeting the practical demands of a
community-centric approach. The absence of a locally adaptable biodiesel machine becomes a
bottleneck, hindering the smooth integration of biofuel production into the fabric of everyday life.
 This research identifies the pressing need for a technology that harmonizes with the scale of
San Nicolas, ensuring both accessibility and efficiency. Bridging this technological gap is imperative to
propel the community towards self-sufficiency in energy, foster environmental stewardship, and
unlock the full potential of biofuel production from food waste for the sustainable development of San
Nicolas.

Beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries of this innovation are the residents and businesses of San Nicolas. By
introducing a community-centric biodiesel machine, local entrepreneurs, and households can actively
participate in sustainable energy production. This innovation seeks to empower the community,
offering an alternative energy source while addressing the issue of food waste. Based on the 2020
Census by Population and Housing (CPH), San Nicolas Municipality is composed of 23,908 residents
and 5,209 households. The residents use fuel as a part of their daily lives. It is used in cooking and
vehicles.

Proposed Solution to the Problem Presented

In response to the critical technological bottleneck hindering the integration of biofuel

production from food waste in San Nicolas, we propose a comprehensive and innovative solution—the
development of a compact biodiesel machine meticulously tailored to the scale of local businesses and
households. This groundbreaking technology aims not only to address the immediate problem but also
to revolutionize the community's approach to energy sustainability. Recognizing the diverse range of
individuals engaging with the biodiesel machine, our proposed solution prioritizes user-friendliness.
The machine will incorporate intuitive controls, ensuring that even those without extensive technical
expertise can operate it effortlessly.

Biodiesel has the potential to significantly contribute to making transportation fuels more
sustainable. Due to the complexity and nonlinearity of processes for biodiesel production and use, fast
and accurate modeling tools are required for their design, optimization, monitoring, and control. Data-
driven machine learning (ML) techniques have demonstrated superior predictive capability compared
to conventional methods for modeling such highly complex processes (Mortaza Aghbashlo, et al.,
2021).

According to the article released by Jing Zeng, et al. (2022), Food waste can be converted into
fuels such as bio-methane, bio-hydrogen, bio-ethanol, and bio-diesel by different biotechnologies. Food
wastes as raw materials for biofuel preparation are mainly classified into protein, fat, starch, sugar,
and cellulose. Carbohydrate-rich wastes such as straw, bagasse, grape and apple pomace, and kitchen
garbage can produce biofuels, which can be converted into biofuels through anaerobic digestion,
aerobic digestion, and microbial fermentation processes. Co-substrates are increasingly used to
increase biofuel production and to overcome the shortcomings of a single substrate. The main raw
materials for each biofuel are different.
 The researchers aim to engage with the community, local businesses, and households to gain
insights into their specific needs and preferences. This collaborative approach ensures that the
biodiesel machine aligns with the community's expectations, making it a valuable asset in promoting
widespread adoption of biofuel production. To enhance the efficiency of the biodiesel machine, the
researchers propose the integration of real-time monitoring capabilities. This feature allows users to
track the biofuel production process, ensuring optimal yield and quality. Additionally, it facilitates
proactive maintenance, minimizing downtime and contributing to the long-term sustainability of the
biodiesel machine. The researchers aim to offer training and teaching programs as part of their
integrated strategy to empower the local population. To acquaint people with the operation, upkeep,
and safety procedures of the biodiesel machine, workshops and training sessions will be held. In
conclusion, our suggested approach aims to bring in a new age of sustainable energy practices in San
Nicolas, going beyond the simple creation of a biodiesel machine. Our goal is to transform the
production and use of biofuel by means of innovation, teamwork, and community involvement, thereby
augmenting San Nicolas's total resilience and ecological consciousness.

Methods/Details of the Proposed Solution

Pre-treatment procedures are crucial methods in the handling of problems in food waste to
clear out the wastes and maintain the cleanliness of our community. People buy large portions of food,
over-preparing and improper storage that leads to leftovers and food waste. In order to avoid that, we
have to carefully plan what to buy, how large to serve and proper storing of foods and think of ways on
how to reuse or recycle food waste.

Food waste conversion to Biofuel is the vital pre-treatment procedure. Carbohydrate, lipid, and
other nutrient-containing materials present in food waste can be converted to bioethanol, biodiesel,
hydrogen, and methane. As we mix food waste with water to make a slurry (typically 100 g of food
waste in 1 L of water) and then vigorously mixed with nonpolar organic solvents such as n-hexane and
diethyl ether, we can produce biofuel. This process helps in lowering the rate of wasted food and leads
to a better environment.

Dosing unit is a crucial step because it cleans and holds the food waste and activates the
compounds found in it. The rotor powers the revolving armature, while the impeller helps to raise the
liquid flow pressure through the cavitation reactor. It contains a rotor and stator together with a small
air gap within that enables the machine to spin smoothly, this component is essential as it grinds and
extracts food waste. The cavitator reactor also activates the materials such as glucose after the
extraction process, allowing for further processing. Liquid pollutants will be extracted from the gas
streams by the separation system. Devices near the inlet will aid in the first separation. The liquid will
proceed to the hose when the solid items have been removed from it.

The Innovation of Biofuel will come to the process of biodiesel machines. It is an automated
batch processor that will convert gallons of food to gallons of premium-grade biodiesel. With the use of
a Biodiesel processor, it will be easier to convert food waste to biofuel. This way, we can resolve many
issues like waste disposal, energy scarcity, pollution, and availability.
 After the production process of Biofuel, post-treatment procedures to further improve the
community's condition. We can convince other people to plan what to buy, to estimate how large to
serve and to properly store leftovers. The researchers encourage the residents to instead of dumping
their leftover foods, we can convert it to something that is beneficial to us whenever we are cooking or
driving so that we can avoid food waste and we can have a cleaner environment.

Cost Analysis

Materials Costs

Injector Assembly Php. 4299.00

Pipe Php. 3204.00

Suction Line Php. 2163.00

Dosing Pump Php. 2117.00

Chemical Storage Container Php. 2171.00

Impeller Php. 1230.00

Stator Php. 1370.00

Rotor Php. 1173.00

Mist Extractor Php. 1499.00

Inlet Device Php. 1281.00

Container Php. 745.00

Hose Php. 329.00

Total: Php. 21,581.00

Illustration
Dosing Unit

Cavitation Reactor
Separator System

References

Special Release on Household Population, Number of Households, and Average Household Size of the
Municipality of San Nicolas. (2022, June 15). Philippine Statistics Authority CALABARZON. Retrieved
May 31, 2023, from https://rsso04a.psa.gov.ph/article/special-release-household-population-
number-households-and-average-household-size-14

Aghbashlo, M., Peng, W., Tabatabaei, M., Kalogirou, S. A., Soltanian, S., Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha, H.,
... & Lam, S. S. (2021). Machine learning technology in biodiesel research: A review. Progress in Energy
and Combustion Science, 85, 100904. Retrieved July, 2021, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360128521000022

Zeng, J., Zeng, H., & Wang, Z. (2022). Review on technology of making biofuel from food waste.
International Journal of Energy Research, 46(8), 10301-10319. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/er.7868