Technical Report Draft 1

INTRODUCTION:

This proposal has been developed to implement best practice on the reduce food waste by converting it into a source of renewable energy and liquid fertilizers via anaerobic digestion process at SIT @Punggol.

Singapore has gained its reputation globally as a “clean and green” country over the years by implementing innovative and sustainable solutions to current environmental problems. However, methods for food waste management can still be further improved. According to the waste management and recycling statistics (NEA, 2017), the total food waste generated in Singapore is approximately 676,800 tonnes, but only a small percentage of 16% is being recycled. The amount of food waste generated is expected to increase in the future due to the growing population in Singapore.


       
Figure 1: Food waste generated over the past 10 years (Source: National Environment Agency 2018)

There are other challenges towards food waste recycling such as odour and pests; lack of public awareness and high operational cost (Material Cycles and Waste Management, 2015).  We believe that through the improvement of existing technology, we can create a feasible option for the upcoming SIT @Punggol campus to contribute towards Singapore being a Zero Waste Nation.



Figure 2: Food waste percentage (Source: National Environment Agency 2018)

The implementation of the High-solids Organic-waste Recycling System with Electrical Output (HORSE) designed by Impact Bioenergy would allow SIT@Punngol to produce energy and liquid fertilizers through anaerobic digestion of food waste. This will result in the reduction of food wastage, energy consumption and an improvement in the biodiversity of the institute. This would help to minimize or ideally eliminate the cost and effort in disposing of food waste.

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

The new canteens in SIT @Punggol campus should be designed with considerations for the implementations of food waste recycling systems to help reduce overall food wastage and energy consumption. (Ideal)

With the new SIT @Punggol campus which is estimated to house up to 12,000 students, large amounts of food waste are expected to be generated. Without a proper way to recycle, the large amount of generated food waste would result in increase operational cost for disposal. (Gap)

By using the method of anaerobic digestion, we can turn food waste gathered from canteens at SIT @Punggol campuses into liquid fertilizers and electricity. This will reduce the overall energy consumption, carbon footprint and food wastage generated in SIT. (Goal)

PURPOSE STATEMENT:

This report proposes to the planning committee of SIT @Punggol to implement a food waste recycling system that can convert food waste into renewable energy and organic liquid fertilizer. The energy produced from the recycling process can be used as an energy source to help power the amenities within SIT while the liquid fertilizers can be used to nurture the biodiversity within the campus. The implementation of the system will allow SIT @Punggol to adopt a green initiative and to achieve the vision towards a sustainable Singapore.  

References:

Ng,B.,& Yu,M.,& Chen,C.L.,& Rajinikanth,R.,& Jing,Y.W. (2015). Municipal food waste management in Singapore: practices, challenges and recommendations. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management. doi: 10.1007/s10163-015-0405-8.

National Environment Agency. (2017).Food Waste Management. Retrieved from https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/waste-management/3r-programmes-and-resources/food-waste-management

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life through my eyes

Dear Professor Brad, I am Phoa Yong Quan, currently pursuing a degree in sustainable infrastructure engineering (building services) at Singapore Institute of Technology. I graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a diploma in clean energy back in 2016. I served my national service as a naval warfare specialist onboard RSS Stalwart after going through basic military training. Being a naval warfare specialist, my role was to ensure how to operate basic platform system so that the ship would be operationally ready. I also went through basic firefighting course and learned how to operate the firefighting system onboard ship. I feel that the ship is similar to a building. Just like a building, it has to be well maintained in terms of safety and operational. This has led me to enrol in this programme to enhance my knowledge in this field. One of my strength is I am able to work well with others. During my internship at a local energy consultancy firm, I often get the opportunities
Read more

Critical Reflection

The goal that I have set for myself was to improve in my writing communication skills and to improve in my presentation skills. Personally, I felt that I have achieved these goals through the effective communication module and assignments. However, there is always room for improvement as the learning never stops. By posting the assignments through the blog, I find myself to be more critical in my grammar errors and sentence structure. I tend to read my post many times to check if there were any errors. Over time, with the active consultation and peer evaluation in class, I am able to identify my mistakes and further improve on it. The mock presentation was a valuable experience for me as it really brings me out of my comfort zone. I practised many times on my part and with the feedback from my fellow classmates, I worked on my mistakes so as to avoid it in the future. The main challenge of my research project was the writing of the technical report. Initially, my group could not d
Read more

Reflection in real life

I used to have a egoistic problem which often led me to waste money on redundant items. When I see my friends had something new, I will also want to have them. Perhaps its just me wanting to be accepted by them as I do not know how to express myself. Not long after, I realised that there are many ways to be accepted by people and not just by impressing them with such items. Before buying something, I will always ask myself whether it is a need or a want. I took up extreme sports where I do stunts on my bicycle and go to the gym regularly. I feel more confident and able to express myself more freely. Till today, I am still trying to overcome this problem by trying to meet up with different groups of people.
Read more