About 1.3 billion tons of food is thrown out around the world every year. Innovators are harnessing technology to convert it into a range of useful bioproducts – including protein fit for human consumption.
California-headquartered Greenbelt Resources Corporation‘s ECOsystem waste-to-energy technology is being used in such a way. The company is involved in a number of international projects to tackle the scourge of food waste and is currently working on an initiative in Indonesia, a country where more food is wasted than produced. And while energy is one of the most common resources it produces, food can also be the ultimate end game.
“The ECOsystem process converts the food waste into multiple bioproducts including, in some cases, a high-quality protein feed for human consumption designed to help meet the growing global demand for more protein sources,” said Greenbelt CEO Darren Eng. “The technology can also produce bioethanol, potable water, organic fertilizer that can be used in the fields, and in some cases bioenergy. One of the beauties of our technology is that it can be customized to fit any type of food waste situation.”
