Quantifying Energy Recovery Potential from Organic Food Waste in Food Processing Facilities

Objective/short description

This project aims to quantify the energy recovery potential from organic food waste in various Orkla Foods Sverige  food processing facilities. It will assess suitable technologies based on the specific characteristics of each food waste stream. It will be coordinated with a parallel thesis on nutrient extraction from food waste to compare environmental and economic outcomes.

Background

Food systems contribute around 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with food processing playing a significant role due to its high energy consumption. In Europe, this sector accounts for about 12% of industrial energy use. Food waste further intensifies the environmental impact, responsible for roughly 8–10% of global GHG emissions. In processing facilities, about 5% of raw materials typically become organic waste, such as peels, trimmings, and other biodegradable by-products.

These waste streams present untapped potential for energy recovery. Technologies like anaerobic digestion can convert organic waste into biogas for electricity and heat generation. The process also produces digestate, a nutrient-rich by-product that can be used as biofertilizer, contributing to circular and sustainable food systems.

Other approaches to managing food waste include nutrient and compound extraction, where valuable components such as proteins, fibers, or antioxidants are recovered and reintroduced into the food or pharmaceutical industries. This complementary pathway will be explored in a parallel master's thesis at the Department of Sustainable Development at KTH. Both projects will be coordinated to evaluate and compare the environmental and economic performance of energy recovery versus nutrient extraction, with the most suitable strategy determined based on the specific characteristics of the food waste streams analyzed.

This project is a task within the project PLENTY – a Centre for a Symbiotic and Circular Food Provisioning  and in cooperation with the company Orkla Food Sverige .

Task description

• Literature Review on Food Waste in Processing Facilities: Review and synthesize existing research on the quantity, composition, and characteristics of food waste generated in the food processing industry.

• Data Collection and Quantification of Food Waste Streams: In collaboration with the parallel master's thesis project, identify and quantify food waste and loss streams in selected food processing facilities.

• Technology Review for Energy Recovery: Identify and evaluate technologies suitable for recovering energy from different types of food waste, based on their physical and chemical characteristics.

• Selection and Evaluation of Suitable Recovery Technologies: Select appropriate energy recovery technologies for each case study facility, and assess their feasibility in terms of technical, operational, and economic factors.

• Assessment of Energy, Cost, and Environmental Impact: Estimate potential energy savings, cost reductions, environmental impacts (e.g., GHG emissions reduction), and payback periods for the selected technologies.

• Comparison with Nutrient and Compound Recovery: Coordinate with the parallel thesis project to compare the effectiveness and sustainability of energy recovery versus nutrient/compound extraction, based on environmental and economic indicators.

• Benchmarking and Performance Metrics: Propose relevant benchmarking indicators (e.g., energy recovered per ton of waste, CO₂ savings per kWh, etc.) to evaluate and compare energy recovery potential across different facilities or waste types.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this thesis project, the student will be able to:

• Analyze and quantify food waste streams in different food processing sectors.

• Evaluate and compare suitable energy recovery technologies based on waste characteristics and facility needs.

• Assess potential energy savings, environmental benefits, and economic feasibility of selected recovery measures.

• Compare energy recovery with alternative valorization pathways, such as nutrient and compound extraction.

• Develop practical recommendations and benchmarking metrics for sustainable food waste management in industry.

• Communicate complex technical findings effectively through structured reports and presentations tailored to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Duration

Starting in January 2026

Supervisors/Examiner