Process Design Guided by Life Cycle Assessment to Reduce Greenhouse Gas-Related Environmental Impacts of Food Processing

Dion M. F. Frampton, Nawshad Haque, David I. Verrelli, Geoff J. Dumsday and Kim Jye Lee-Chang
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Dion M. F. Frampton: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart 7000, Australia
Nawshad Haque: CSIRO Energy, Melbourne 3168, Australia
David I. Verrelli: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia
Geoff J. Dumsday: CSIRO Manufacturing, Melbourne 3168, Australia
Kim Jye Lee-Chang: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart 7000, Australia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-14

Abstract: Food processing can generate large amounts of carbohydrate-rich waste that inevitably has environmental and social impacts. Meanwhile, certain heterotrophic marine microorganisms, including algae and thraustochytrids, have the potential to convert carbohydrate-rich substrates into oil-rich biomass over relatively short time frames. To assess the merits of this apparent synergy, an initial conceptual process was developed based on the use of raw potato processing waste as feed in an algal bioreactor to produce bio-oil for further use within the food industry. A practical flowsheet was established with a conventional 200 kL bioreactor whereby the unit processes were identified, the mass balance developed, and estimates made of the various material and energy demands. These inputs were used to develop a baseline life cycle assessment (LCA) model and to identify opportunities for reducing environmental impacts. With the functional unit (FU) being 1 tonne cooking oil, the baseline configuration had a greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of 2.4 t CO 2 -e/FU, which is comparable to conventional process routes. More detailed LCA revealed that electricity for stirring the bioreactor contributed approximately 78% of the total GHG footprint. By adjusting the operating conditions, the most promising scenario produced 0.85 t CO 2 -e/FU—approximately four times less than the conventional process—and shows the potential advantages of applying LCA as a tool to develop and design a new production process.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; potato waste; heterotrophic cultivation; process flow sheet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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