Food waste such as banana peels, vegetable trimmings and pizza crusts still end up in the waste bin too often. However, this organic waste offers an untapped opportunity to generate sustainable energy. PreZero Netherlands will use BioTransformers from Circ, with which companies can generate clean energy from their own food waste. This helps them reduce their carbon footprint and significantly reduce their energy bills.
Worldwide, almost a third of all food produced is wasted, while in the Netherlands approximately a quarter of vegetable, fruit and food waste (GFE) ends up as industrial waste. This means a major loss of valuable raw materials that could be used for other purposes.
Sustainability for companies
PreZero uses biodigesters to support companies that produce more than thirty kilos of GFE per day in making their business operations more sustainable. “Food waste, as a valuable raw material, can very well be used to generate sustainable energy,” says Femke Hendriks, Director of Material Resource Management at PreZero Netherlands. “With Circ's BioTransformers, we will help our customers to extract clean energy from their organic residual flows in a smart, environmentally conscious way. An additional advantage is that the BioTransformer processes the food waste on location. This makes placing and transporting GFE containers unnecessary and results in additional CO2 reductions.”
From food waste to energy
Using modern technology, software and AI, Circ has developed a smart and small-scale biodigester that converts vegetable, fruit and food waste into biogas and/or electricity. The technology functions similar to a cow's digestion: food waste is weighed, analyzed and then 'chewed' and reduced in size for optimal processing. During filling, all GFE flows are weighed and analyzed to optimize each phase of the fermentation. A distinction is made between different types of food to get a good idea of the content. The BioTransformer uses reinforced steel teeth to then 'chew' and crush all the GFE to maximize mixing. All this shredded material mixes with water to break it down further before being 'digested'. The reactor is the 'belly' of the machine: a series of bacteria are used here to break down and digest the GFE. During the final step, the output is filtered after which the biogas can be used directly for heating, cooking or to create sustainable electricity.
Insight into food waste
Thanks to artificial intelligence and advanced software, the fermentation process is continuously optimized. Photo recognition software records all food remains, providing insight into the composition of the waste. With the accompanying Circ BioTransformer app, companies can monitor exactly how much biogas and electricity is produced and what CO2 reduction this results in. This not only offers them the opportunity to realize their sustainable ambitions, but also to detect and tackle waste in a targeted manner.
Source: Prezero
