IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v208y2025ics1364032124007664.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Carbon footprints of centralized and decentralized food waste utilization pathways

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Lei
  • Li, Huan
  • Yang, Li
  • Du, Xinrui
  • Zhou, Yingjun
  • Sun, Guofen
  • Liu, Jianguo

Abstract

Food waste is usually utilized in centralized treatment facilities and is sometimes treated in decentralized facilities; however, the latter has not been evaluated systematically regarding carbon emissions. This study surveyed fifty-nine centralized and decentralized food waste treatment projects in Shenzhen, and incineration, anaerobic digestion, composting, and emerging technologies such as insect bioconversion and organic acid production were applied. Their carbon footprints were analyzed based on real data covering collection and transport, energy and material consumption, secondary pollutant control, and impurity disposal. The results showed that centralized facilities had a lower overall carbon footprint, although carbon emissions from their collection and transportation were higher. Anaerobic digestion performed best with an average carbon emission of −136.63 kg CO2-eq/t, followed by black soldier fly larvae cultivation (−12.86 kg CO2-eq/t), incineration (−11.02 kg CO2-eq/t), and organic acid production (−6.86 kg CO2-eq/t). All decentralized facilities were operated with net carbon emissions because they consumed a large amount of electricity or thermal heat without the full use of organic matter in the food waste. An optimal route was recommended by combining centralized anaerobic digestion and decentralized squeezing dewatering with adequate oil recovery, and this can make the overall carbon emission decrease from −6.72 kg CO2-eq/t to −17.75 kg CO2-eq/t. These results can provide decision-makers with guidance on food waste management to support net zero and sustainable development goal 12 and 13.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Lei & Li, Huan & Yang, Li & Du, Xinrui & Zhou, Yingjun & Sun, Guofen & Liu, Jianguo, 2025. "Carbon footprints of centralized and decentralized food waste utilization pathways," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:208:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124007664
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.115040
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032124007664
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2024.115040?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Moult, J.A. & Allan, S.R. & Hewitt, C.N. & Berners-Lee, M., 2018. "Greenhouse gas emissions of food waste disposal options for UK retailers," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 50-58.
    2. Zhao, Yuanhao & Wang, Changbo & Zhang, Lixiao & Chang, Yuan & Hao, Yan, 2021. "Converting waste cooking oil to biodiesel in China: Environmental impacts and economic feasibility," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    3. Jones, R.E. & Speight, R.E. & Blinco, J.L. & O'Hara, I.M., 2022. "Biorefining within food loss and waste frameworks: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    4. Kuznetsova, Elizaveta & Cardin, Michel-Alexandre & Diao, Mingzhen & Zhang, Sizhe, 2019. "Integrated decision-support methodology for combined centralized-decentralized waste-to-energy management systems design," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 477-500.
    5. Yu Liu & Anna Syberfeldt & Mattias Strand, 2020. "Applying Life Cycle Assessment to Simulation-Based Decision Support: A Swedish Waste Collection Case Study," Progress in IS, in: Rüdiger Schaldach & Karl-Heinz Simon & Jens Weismüller & Volker Wohlgemuth (ed.), Advances and New Trends in Environmental Informatics, pages 165-178, Springer.
    6. Jin, Yiying & Chen, Ting & Chen, Xin & Yu, Zhixin, 2015. "Life-cycle assessment of energy consumption and environmental impact of an integrated food waste-based biogas plant," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 227-236.
    7. Tian, Hailin & Wang, Xiaonan & Lim, Ee Yang & Lee, Jonathan T.E. & Ee, Alvin W.L. & Zhang, Jingxin & Tong, Yen Wah, 2021. "Life cycle assessment of food waste to energy and resources: Centralized and decentralized anaerobic digestion with different downstream biogas utilization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jinhang Li & Yuping Han & Mengdie Zhao, 2025. "Decomposition and Decoupling Analysis of the Driving Factors of the “Water–Carbon–Ecological” Footprint in the Eleven Provinces and Municipalities of the Yangtze River Economic Belt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-25, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sun, Chihe & Xia, Ao & Liao, Qiang & Fu, Qian & Huang, Yun & Zhu, Xun, 2019. "Life-cycle assessment of biohythane production via two-stage anaerobic fermentation from microalgae and food waste," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 395-410.
    2. Eftychia Ntostoglou & Dilip Khatiwada & Viktoria Martin, 2021. "The Potential Contribution of Decentralized Anaerobic Digestion towards Urban Biowaste Recovery Systems: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-21, December.
    3. Zhuang, Rui & Wang, Xiaonan & Guo, Miao & Zhao, Yingru & El-Farra, Nael H. & Palazoglu, Ahmet, 2020. "Waste-to-hydrogen: Recycling HCl to produce H2 and Cl2," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    4. Bacenetti, Jacopo & Sala, Cesare & Fusi, Alessandra & Fiala, Marco, 2016. "Agricultural anaerobic digestion plants: What LCA studies pointed out and what can be done to make them more environmentally sustainable," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 669-686.
    5. Zhou, Hewen & Yang, Qing & Gul, Eid & Shi, Mengmeng & Li, Jiashuo & Yang, Minjiao & Yang, Haiping & Chen, Bin & Zhao, Haibo & Yan, Yunjun & Erdoğan, Güneş & Bartocci, Pietro & Fantozzi, Francesco, 2021. "Decarbonizing university campuses through the production of biogas from food waste: An LCA analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 565-578.
    6. Luciano Rodrigues Viana & Pierre-Luc Dessureault & Charles Marty & Jean-François Boucher & Maxime C. Paré, 2023. "Life Cycle Assessment of Oat Flake Production with Two End-of-Life Options for Agro-Industrial Residue Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Alonso Albalate-Ramírez & Alejandro Padilla-Rivera & Juan Felipe Rueda-Avellaneda & Brenda Nelly López-Hernández & José Julián Cano-Gómez & Pasiano Rivas-García, 2024. "Mapping the Sustainability of Waste-to-Energy Processes for Food Loss and Waste in Mexico—Part 1: Energy Feasibility Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-18, July.
    8. Chen, Ting & Shen, Dongsheng & Jin, Yiying & Li, Hailong & Yu, Zhixin & Feng, Huajun & Long, Yuyang & Yin, Jun, 2017. "Comprehensive evaluation of environ-economic benefits of anaerobic digestion technology in an integrated food waste-based methane plant using a fuzzy mathematical model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 666-677.
    9. Huang, Yi & Yi, Qun & Wei, Guo-qiang & Kang, Jing-xian & Li, Wen-ying & Feng, Jie & Xie, Ke-chang, 2018. "Energy use, greenhouse gases emission and cost effectiveness of an integrated high– and low–temperature Fisher–Tropsch synthesis plant from a lifecycle viewpoint," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1009-1019.
    10. Grzegorz Borówka & Grzegorz Semerjak & Wojciech Krasodomski & Jan Lubowicz, 2023. "Purified Glycerine from Biodiesel Production as Biomass or Waste-Based Green Raw Material for the Production of Biochemicals," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-12, June.
    11. Tong, Huanhuan & Shen, Ye & Zhang, Jingxin & Wang, Chi-Hwa & Ge, Tian Shu & Tong, Yen Wah, 2018. "A comparative life cycle assessment on four waste-to-energy scenarios for food waste generated in eateries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 1143-1157.
    12. Chen, Hao & Tackie, Evelyn Agba & Ahakwa, Isaac & Tackie, Faustina Korkor, 2024. "How do water, food, and energy resources impact environmental conditions in Ghana? A novel dynamic ARDL simulation approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    13. Atelge, M.R., 2022. "Production of biodiesel and hydrogen by using a double-function heterogeneous catalyst derived from spent coffee grounds and its thermodynamic analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 1-15.
    14. Deng, Yawen & Ng Tsan Sheng, Adam & Xu, Jiuping, 2023. "Authority-enterprise equilibrium based mixed subsidy mechanism for the value-added treatment of food waste," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    15. Amina Mohamed Ali & Md Alam Zahangir & Fatouma Mohamed Abdoul-Latif & Mohammed Saedi Jami & Jalludin Mohamed & Tarik Ainane, 2023. "Hydrolysis of Food Waste with Immobilized Biofilm as a Pretreatment Method for the Enhancement of Biogas Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-17, February.
    16. Ovidija Eičaitė & Gitana Alenčikienė & Ingrida Pauliukaitytė & Alvija Šalaševičienė, 2021. "Eat or Throw Away? Factors Differentiating High Food Wasters from Low Food Wasters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-16, September.
    17. Lam, Chor-Man & Leng, Ling & Chen, Pi-Cheng & Lee, Po-Heng & Hsu, Shu-Chien, 2017. "Eco-efficiency analysis of non-potable water systems in domestic buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 293-307.
    18. Xue, Shengrong & Zhang, Siqi & Wang, Ying & Wang, Yanbo & Song, Jinghui & Lyu, Xingang & Wang, Xiaojiao & Yang, Gaihe, 2022. "What can we learn from the experience of European countries in biomethane industry: Taking China as an example?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    19. Subramaniam, Koguleshun & Wong, Kang Yao & Wong, Kok Hoe & Chong, Cheng Tung & Chiong, Meng Choung & Ng, Jo-Han, 2024. "A synergic approach to intensify biodiesel transesterification through microfluidics and microwave irradiation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    20. Grant, Kara R. & Gallardo, R. Karina & McCluskey, Jill J., 2020. "Factors Influencing Consumers’ Expected Food Waste," Journal of Food Distribution Research, Food Distribution Research Society, vol. 51(3), November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:208:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124007664. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.