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Household Food Waste to Biogas in Västerås, Sweden: A Comprehensive Case Study of Waste Valorization

Author

Listed:
  • Tingting Liu

    (Institute of Circular Economy, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China)

  • Qian Zhang

    (Institute of Circular Economy, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China)

  • Xiaowen Kang

    (Energy Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, NDRC, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Jiaqi Hou

    (Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China)

  • Tao Luo

    (Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Yi Zhang

    (Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China)

Abstract

Sustainable large-scale household food waste (HFW) reutilization is difficult worldwide. This study presents a systematic and in-depth analysis of the case of Västerås, Sweden, where biogas has been produced from HFW for years and utilized as renewable vehicle fuel. Various aspects are covered, including the logistic flow, energy recovery, environmental benefits, cost-benefit analysis, and social survey. In 2017, 8879 tons of food waste were collected from Västerås city, which could generate 590,000 Nm 3 biomethane and support 21 biogas-powered buses. A reduction of 1052.9–1541.2 tons of CO 2-eq was estimated by replacing fossil fuels in vehicles and centralized composting units for HFW. The actual operating profit of this process amounted to 6.604 million Swedish Krona (SEK), and the maximized environmental economic benefit was estimated to be 3.15–3.73 million SEK/year. The active participation of the residents to source-separate their HFW was crucial to the success of the project, and the driving factors were tentatively identified as value orientation and facility convenience. With information pooled from various sectors, this study constructs a comprehensive reference case for industrial, academic, and municipal entities that are interested in similar practices in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Tingting Liu & Qian Zhang & Xiaowen Kang & Jiaqi Hou & Tao Luo & Yi Zhang, 2022. "Household Food Waste to Biogas in Västerås, Sweden: A Comprehensive Case Study of Waste Valorization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-22, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:19:p:11925-:d:921363
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. 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).
    2. Nancy Brett, 2023. "From Benefits to Value(s): Biogas Systems Valuation Practices from a Swedish Regional Perspective," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 16(5), pages 128-128, September.

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