Field measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from biological treatment facilities of food waste in Republic of Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 452-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangjae Jeong ◽  
Seheum Moon ◽  
Jeryang Park ◽  
Jae Young Kim

The Republic of Korea is trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37% from business-as-usual levels by 2030. Reliable greenhouse gas inventory is prerequisite to making effective greenhouse gas reduction plans. Currently, Intergovernmental Panels on Climate Change default emission factors were used in biological treatment of the solid waste sector without any consideration of the biological treatment process in the Republic of Korea. In this study, greenhouse gas emissions from biological treatment facilities of food waste have been monitored in order to develop country-specific emission factors in the Republic of Korea. Greenhouse gas emissions were monitored in two composting facilities and one anaerobic digestion facility. All study sites possess a local exhaust ventilation system and odour treatment system. Continuous greenhouse gas monitoring has been conducted on gathered gases using a non-dispersive infrared detector before entering odour treatment systems. At composting facilities, the emission factors of CH4 and N2O were 0.17–0.19 g-CH4 kg-waste−1 and 0.10–0.13 g-N2O kg-waste−1, respectively. Especially, the emission factors of CH4 in composting facilities showed significantly low values compared with other countries owing to the air blowing by a pump at the studied sites. At anaerobic digestion facilities, the emission factors of CH4 and N2O were 1.03 g-CH4 kg-waste−1 and 0.53 g-N2O kg-waste−1. The emission factors estimated in this study showed a significant difference from the Intergovernmental Panels on Climate Change default value. Therefore, it is recommended to develop a country-specific emission factor in order to reflect the different processes of biological treatment of solid waste.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e0133778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong-A Park ◽  
Caleb Gardner ◽  
Myo-In Chang ◽  
Do-Hoon Kim ◽  
Young-Soo Jang

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-139
Author(s):  
Sung Jin Kang

By classifying international green and non-green trade for the period 1980–2015, this study investigates trends in green trade, exports, and imports as shares of total trade, exports, and imports, respectively. The general findings are that these green shares increased during the review period, albeit with the green shares for member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showing different trends than those of nonmember countries. Further, three countries at different stages of economic development—the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and the United States—each exhibit different trends in green trade over time. In particular, the green trade, export, and import shares of the People's Republic of China decreased over time, which is in contrast to the increases observed for the Republic of Korea and the United States during the review period. The findings suggest that efforts to persuade developing countries to accept international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should also consider the transboundary transmission of these emissions and their health effects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-13
Author(s):  
Radik Safin ◽  
Ayrat Valiev ◽  
Valeriya Kolesar

Global climatic changes have a negative impact on the development of all sectors of the economy, including agriculture. However, the very production of agricultural products is one of the most important sources of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere. Taking into account the need to reduce the “carbon footprint” in food production, a special place is occupied by the analysis of the volume of greenhouse gas emissions and the development of measures for their sequestration in agriculture. One of the main directions for reducing emissions and immobilizing greenhouse gases is the development of special techniques for their sequestration in the soil, including those used in agriculture. Adaptation of existing farming systems for this task will significantly reduce the “carbon footprint” from agricultural production, including animal husbandry. The development of carbon farming allows not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to significantly increase the level of soil fertility, primarily by increasing the content of organic matter in them. As a result, it becomes possible, along with the production of crop production, to produce “carbon units” that are sold on local and international markets. The paper analyzes possible greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and the potential for their sequestration in agricultural soils. The role of various elements of the farming system in solving the problem of reducing the “carbon footprint” is considered and ways of developing carbon farming in the Republic of Tatarstan are proposed


2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Biala ◽  
N. Lovrick ◽  
D. Rowlings ◽  
P. Grace

Emissions from stockpiled pond sludge and yard scrapings were compared with composted dairy-manure residues blended with shredded vegetation residues and chicken litter over a 5-month period at a farm in Victoria (Australia). Results showed that methane emissions occurred primarily during the first 30–60 days of stockpiling and composting, with daily emission rates being highest for stockpiled pond sludge. Cumulated methane (CH4) emissions per tonne wet feedstock were highest for stockpiling of pond sludge (969 g CH4/t), followed by composting (682 g CH4/t) and stockpiling of yard scrapings (120 g CH4/t). Sizeable nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes were observed only when temperatures inside the compost windrow fell below ~45−50°C. Cumulated N2O emissions were highest for composting (159 g N2O/t), followed by stockpiling of pond sludge (103 g N2O/t) and yard scrapings (45 g N2O/t). Adding chicken litter and lime to dairy-manure residues resulted in a very low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (13 : 1) of the composting mix, and would have brought about significant N2O losses during composting. These field observations suggested that decisions at composting operations, as in many other businesses, are driven more by practical and economic considerations rather than efforts to minimise greenhouse-gas emissions. Total greenhouse-gas emissions (CH4 + N2O), expressed as CO2-e per tonne wet feedstock, were highest for composting (64.4 kg), followed by those for stockpiling of pond sludge (54.5 kg) and yard scraping (16.3 kg). This meant that emissions for composting and stockpiling of pond sludge exceeded the new Australian default emission factors for ‘waste composting’ (49 kg). This paper proposes to express greenhouse-gas emissions from secondary manure-management systems (e.g. composting) also as emissions per tonne wet feedstock, so as to align them with the approach taken for ‘waste composting’ and to facilitate the development of emission-reduction methodologies for improved manure management at the farm level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Zahedi ◽  
Sorour Ghodrati ◽  
Mehdi Ahmadimoghaddam ◽  
Nematollah Jaafarzadeh

2021 ◽  
pp. 089033442199476
Author(s):  
JP Dadhich ◽  
Julie P. Smith ◽  
Alessandro Iellamo ◽  
Adlina Suleiman

Background There is growing recognition that current food systems and policies are environmentally unsustainable. There is an identified need to integrate sustainability objectives into national food policy and dietary recommendations. Research Aims To (1) describe exploratory estimates of greenhouse gas emission factors for all infant and young child milk formula products and (2) estimate national greenhouse gas emission association with commercial milk formulas sold in selected countries in the Asia Pacific region. Method We used a secondary data analysis descriptive design incorporating a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) concepts and methodology to estimate kg CO2 eq. emissions per kg of milk formula, using greenhouse gas emission factors for milk powder, vegetable oils, and sugars identified from a literature review. Proportions of ingredients were calculated using FAO Codex Alimentarius guidance on milk formula products. Estimates were calculated for production and processing of individual ingredients from cradle to factory gate. Annual retail sales data for 2012–2017 was sourced from Euromonitor International for six purposively selected countries; Australia, South Korea, China, Malaysia, India, Philippines. Results Annual emissions for milk formula products ranged from 3.95–4.04 kg CO2 eq. Milk formula sold in the six countries in 2012 contributed 2,893,030 tons CO2 eq. to global greenhouse gas emissions. Aggregate emissions were highest for products (e.g., toddler formula), which dominated sales growth. Projected 2017 emissions for milk formula retailed in China alone were 4,219,052 tons CO2 eq. Conclusions Policies, programs and investments to shift infant and young child diets towards less manufactured milk formula and more breastfeeding are “Triple Duty Actions” that help improve dietary quality and population health and improve the sustainability of the global food system.


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