| he purpose of this research was to investigate the feasibility of a food waste collection and anaerobic treatment program in Toledo, Ohio, USA given both current and theoretical levels of relevant parameters. In the United States, more than 30 million tons of food is disposed of in landfills every year. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a technology that can transform organic matter into clean energy and useful products while diverting waste from landfills. While AD has been proven on a large scale in Europe, it has not seen similar levels of development in the United States. This study evaluates the present economic prospects for the curbside collection and AD of food waste in Toledo, Ohio. It then explores the effects of modifying the values of single and multiple variables that currently act as barriers to the technology in the United States. Changes in Tipping Fees, Feed-in Tariffs, capital grants, production of compressed natural gas (CNG), and volatile solids destruction efficiency were explored. In all cases, two potential scenarios are assessed: collection of both household and commercial waste, and collection of only commercial waste. Included in the work is a novel method for estimating initial and annual waste collection costs as well as a brief assessment of projected environmental benefits. Findings indicated that current economic prospects for a food waste collection and AD program are poor, with anticipated losses of... |
