Carbon Footprint of Food Waste Management: A Case …
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Fig. 6 GHG emissions of current and alternative scenario, per activity
6 Conclusions
The carbon footprint analysis allows the identification of carbon-intensive activities for food supply chain and food waste management networks, which can be a
useful tool for decision makers. From the evaluation performed in this chapter, it
is highlighted that the enteric fermentation and manure left in pasture are the main
responsible for GHG emissions from the agriculture sector in Brazil, which considers
the upstream steps of the food supply chain. On the other hand, the carbon footprint
of food waste management indicates the intensive contribution for GHG emissions,
with landfilling, followed by the collection and transportation practices.
The food waste management evaluation of the case study indicates, for the current
scenario, 12,48 t CO 2 e·day
−1 from food waste collection and transfer and 124,15
t CO 2 e·day
−1 from landfill disposal. In contrast, the alternative scenario shows an
opportunity of 90% of GHG reduction for the food waste management, with incorporation of an anaerobic digestion treatment unit. Finally, with one-year implementation
of this alternative scenario is expected to avoid 45,291.33 t CO 2 e emissions.
Apart from GHG emission reduction, it is worthy to mention that the alternative scenario promotes the circular economy of food waste, with the possibility of
181,586.32 kg of biosolid and 38,549.26 m
3 of biogas production. These valuable
products can be used as a resource for supply wholesalers and retailers activities
demands and on agriculture production, which brings the primary production closer
to urban consumers.
Future works should also focus on the carbon footprint evaluation of the byproducts (biosolids and biogas) recovered. For this, it is necessary to estimate the
GHG emissions from the incorporation of biosolids in the agriculture use and from
49
Fig. 6 GHG emissions of current and alternative scenario, per activity
6 Conclusions
The carbon footprint analysis allows the identification of carbon-intensive activities for food supply chain and food waste management networks, which can be a
useful tool for decision makers. From the evaluation performed in this chapter, it
is highlighted that the enteric fermentation and manure left in pasture are the main
responsible for GHG emissions from the agriculture sector in Brazil, which considers
the upstream steps of the food supply chain. On the other hand, the carbon footprint
of food waste management indicates the intensive contribution for GHG emissions,
with landfilling, followed by the collection and transportation practices.
The food waste management evaluation of the case study indicates, for the current
scenario, 12,48 t CO 2 e·day
−1 from food waste collection and transfer and 124,15
t CO 2 e·day
−1 from landfill disposal. In contrast, the alternative scenario shows an
opportunity of 90% of GHG reduction for the food waste management, with incorporation of an anaerobic digestion treatment unit. Finally, with one-year implementation
of this alternative scenario is expected to avoid 45,291.33 t CO 2 e emissions.
Apart from GHG emission reduction, it is worthy to mention that the alternative scenario promotes the circular economy of food waste, with the possibility of
181,586.32 kg of biosolid and 38,549.26 m
3 of biogas production. These valuable
products can be used as a resource for supply wholesalers and retailers activities
demands and on agriculture production, which brings the primary production closer
to urban consumers.
Future works should also focus on the carbon footprint evaluation of the byproducts (biosolids and biogas) recovered. For this, it is necessary to estimate the
GHG emissions from the incorporation of biosolids in the agriculture use and from