Graduation Date
Summer 2023
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Environmental Systems, option Energy, Technology, and Policy
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Sintana Vergara
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Chris Harmon
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Kevin Fingerman
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Fourth Committee Member Name
Dr. Arne Jacobson
Subject Categories
Environmental Systems
Abstract
A growing interest in sustainable waste management and the implementation of new policies have prompted a shift towards alternative resource recovery methods for organic waste, including food waste. To effectively assess alternative food waste treatment scenarios, it is important to evaluate the life cycle impacts associated with each scenario. The storage phase of food waste, encompassing its accumulation in kitchens, and storage in bins for collection and transportation, has been overlooked as a source of greenhouse gases in previous studies. This investigation aimed to identify the greenhouse gases emitted during the initial five-day period of low-oxygen storage. An open dynamic chamber coupled with continuous gas analysis using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to detect and quantify the flux of gas species from food waste. The analysis successfully identified and quantified carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ethyl acetate emissions. The CO2 and N2O emissions were relatively low compared to those observed in other early organic waste decomposition studies. The N2O and ethyl acetate emissions exhibited significant variability across different food waste samples, despite maintaining a consistent ratio of food types in the waste samples. The observed variability was attributed to physiochemical differences between food waste components. Key findings from this study include (1) the proposed method was effective at quantifying CO2 and N2O emissions in a gas mixture resulting from food waste decomposition, even in the presence of unknown gas species, and (2) the emissions exhibit significant variation based on the food waste composition, highlighting the necessity of a substantial sample size to accurately estimate greenhouse gas emissions for food waste as a broad category.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Burton-Tauzer, Ryley A., "Food waste storage gaseous emissions detection and quantification using infrared spectroscopy" (2023). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 679.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/679
Included in
Analytical Chemistry Commons, Biochemistry Commons, Biogeochemistry Commons, Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons, Climate Commons, Environmental Chemistry Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Food Chemistry Commons, Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Other Food Science Commons, Physical Chemistry Commons, Sustainability Commons