Evaluation and comparison of different management treatment scenarios in the case of food waste from large retailers: BMP analysis and decision tools.

In the frame of a research project between an important supermarket chain and the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence (DEIF), some strategies for the waste management from food departments of the various stores spread in Tuscany, were compared in a life cycling perspective. In particular it was considered a case in which the waste are delivered to the existing MSW treatment plants as a reference scenario, and some cases in which food waste are used for energy production in a anaerobic digestion plant dedicated and directly managed by the company (innovative scenarios). In the assessment several elements were considered, as typology (composting or anaerobic digestion plat) and location of the treatment plants, transport between the stores and the waste treatment facilities, mass and energy balances of the biostabilization process and the relative pre-treatment, production of energy and materials used in the processes and substitution of energy and materials produced.