Sustainable decentralized food waste composting using a pulse alternating ventilation pilot-scale device: Case study based on LCA and LCC analysis

Lin Zhu; Liyuan Liu; Chunxu Tan; Caokun Li; Boyi Le; Xiangwu Yao; Baolan Hu

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132078

Sustainable decentralized food waste composting using a pulse alternating ventilation pilot-scale device: Case study based on LCA and LCC analysis

Bioresour Technol. 2025 Jan 13:132078. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132078. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lin Zhu¹, Liyuan Liu², Chunxu Tan², Caokun Li², Boyi Le², Xiangwu Yao², Baolan Hu³

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
² College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Environmental Safety, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: blhu@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 39814154
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132078

Abstract

Currently few efficient decentralized composting reactors have been developed, and there is also little exploration into their comprehensive environmental impact and carbon emissions. This study developed a continuous pulse alternating ventilation composting pilot device, SC-PAVCR. Results demonstrated that SC-PAVCR effectively maintained the thermophilic phase during the 120-day operation period. The organic matter degradation degree reached 44.05 %, and the humic acid content increased to 91.21 g·kg^-1, accounting for 0.53 of the total organic carbon. Life cycle assessment analysis with windrow composting and machine composting revealed that SC-PAVCR reduced the normalized comprehensive environmental impact by 49 % and 25 %, respectively. The carbon emission intensity of SC-PAVCR was 44.3 kg CO₂ eq per tonne of food waste, representing a reduction of 26 % and 48 % compared to the other two technologies. The economic cost of $1.91-3.98/FU was reduced. These findings provide technical guidance for the development of low-carbon food waste composting technologies.

Keywords: Aerobic compost; Carbon emission; Economic cost; Humification.