Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Cost Analyses for the Treatment Options of Food Waste and Human Excrement

Abstract

This study suggested environmental and economic evaluations by developing a scenario according to the various treatment options of food waste in Korea. In particular, the study evaluated the possibility about the combined treatment of food waste and human excrement after using food waste disposers (FWDs). The scenario including only composting (133 kg CO 2 equiv./ton-household organic waste) or only FWDs (125 kg CO 2 equiv./ton-household organic waste) was superior to the other scenarios in the environmental aspect and the scenario including only composting (101 USD/ton-household organic waste) was superior to the other scenarios in the economic aspect. However, the study discovered that 52% of greenhouse gas emission was reduced when sewage pretreatment was conducted in houses after using FWDs and also when biogas was collected on site and utilized in the private power station. Furthermore, the energy saving effect due to recovery of biogas has found to be larger in the environment aspect than in the economic aspect.