A Study on the Material Flow Analysis of Food Waste Recycling Processes in Daejeon Metropolitan City
Food waste, a putrescible form of waste, comprised of 30% of the total municipal solid waste stream in Daejeon Metropolitan City (DMC) in 2012. Proper management of food waste is a challenging task for local government. This study was conducted to determine material flows when treated food waste in various recycling facilities. Material flows in the recycling processes were collected by site surveys, field trips and discussion with operators and governmental employees. Material flow analysis (MFA) was conducted to quantify the flow of food waste from generation to disposal for the year 2012. MFA along with its mass transfer coefficients were determined based on the inputs, outputs and waste fluxes. According to the mass transfer coefficient results, treatment efficiency for the dry and wet feed manufacturing facility was found to be higher than other treatment facilities. Water consumption was higher for the composting site, resulting in large volume of wastewater (mass transfer coefficient 1.539). While large amounts of screening materials such as plastic, chopsticks, aluminum foils, and bottle caps were generated at the composting site, mass transfer coefficients (0.312) at the dry and wet feed facility were relatively high, implying effective treatment of food waste occurring. The results of this study help to facilitate waste management policy decision-makers in developing effective food waste management techniques in DMC.