The Economic and Bio-Energy Production Potential of South Australian Food Waste Using Anaerobic Digestion

Unmaking Waste 2015 conference proceedings. Adelaide, SA: Zero Waste SA Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour, 2015, Online

12 Pages Posted: 22 Sep 2015

See all articles by Atiq Zaman

Atiq Zaman

Curtin University

Christian Reynolds

University of South Australia - School of Mathematics and Statistics; Centre for Food Policy, City, University of London; University of Sheffield - Department of Geography

Date Written: September 2015

Abstract

Australia is one of the highest food waste generating countries in the world per head of population with over 7.3 million tonnes of food waste generated in Australia in 2008.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising and environmentally sustainable organic waste treatment technology which digests organic waste into a stabilise residue and generate biogas, which can be used to produce energy. Despite large-scale application of AD in the USA and Europe, AD has not been applied widely in Australia. This paper investigates the challenges and opportunities of managing organic waste in South Australia using AD. Following a comprehensive literature review of AD technologies in relation to challenges, barriers and scope of implication in the global context, the study forecast the bio-energy production potential in South Australia using AD. This paper finds that the small AD plant could generate 39kWh from around 589 tonnes of food waste annually. The study also forecast the bio-energy potential by 2021 and if 15% of South Australia’s food waste (of year 2021) were treated with AD, a 256kWh energy could be generated. The addition of poultry waste would dramatically increase the proposed plant size up to 3556kWh. This would be a large energy plant that would be a considerable contributor to the SA power grid, provide a level of SA energy security. The payback time for all plant sizes is between 2.5-3.5 years.

Keywords: organic waste, waste management, waste-to-energy, anaerobic digestion, renewable energy policy

Suggested Citation

Zaman, Atiq and Reynolds, Christian and Reynolds, Christian, The Economic and Bio-Energy Production Potential of South Australian Food Waste Using Anaerobic Digestion (September 2015). Unmaking Waste 2015 conference proceedings. Adelaide, SA: Zero Waste SA Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour, 2015, Online, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2663948

Atiq Zaman

Curtin University ( email )

Kent Street
Bentley
Perth, WA WA 6102
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://www.curtin.edu.au

Christian Reynolds (Contact Author)

Centre for Food Policy, City, University of London ( email )

Northampton Square
London, EC1V OHB
United Kingdom

University of South Australia - School of Mathematics and Statistics ( email )

Australia

University of Sheffield - Department of Geography ( email )

Winter Street
Sheffield, S10 2TN
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christian_Reynolds2

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
185
Abstract Views
1,143
Rank
294,681
PlumX Metrics