Food waste is a serious challenge. Often said, there is more than enough food to feed humanity enough calories if we didn’t waste so much food. In the developing world, that food is mainly wasted before it gets near the consumer. In the developed world, that waste occurs mainly close to or by the consumer.
While addressing food wastage is of highest value, of high value is figuring out how to handle food waste (from perfectly edible untouched to scraps after service) in ways better than simply adding to landfills and causing methane pollution. One of these paths: anaerobic digestion (AD) to handle food waste (and, well, animal waste) and produce methane (for burning as bio-gas for electricity or heating) along with high-quality organic material for soil
Re4ormed is a start-up early stage firm with it first AD system at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) to process midshipmen food waste into electricity. The system “processes 60 tons of pre- and post-consumer food waste per month from the midshipmen dining facility and produces 60,000 kWh of renewable electricity per month.”
Now the Re4ormed AD system developed in response to a military requirement: is there a better way to deal with food (cafeteria) waste when US military forces deploy to places like Djibouti or Afghanistan or even to disaster relief in Puerto Rico? And, can that food waste be turned into value? E.g., renewable electrons to reduce requirements for diesel fuel? Thus, the Re4ormed AD system is containerized — with an ability to move it to where it might be required. Interesting — semi-mobile (okay, movable/transportable even if not ‘mobile’) anaerobic digestion.
The USNA Re4ormed AD system is a demonstration project — still needing development before commercialization — but an interesting project.
“Interesting”, with start-ups, often means ‘requires resources’. And, Re4ormed is a semi-finalist for a a veteran small business grant from StreetShares andBoston Brewing Co. Re4ormed competition is sort of interesting primarily food start-ups and, bizarrely, a mobile cigar lounge (which, with all due respect, should not be in that group as it is the only one of 14 that clearly hurts, rather than helps improve, human health). The only ‘clean energy’ option in the mix: Re4ormed.
Re4ormed, in my mind, looks like a useful system to have move forward into more development. They are, at this time, working on a $1.1 million project for a beef-cattle feedlot with an expected payoff of 4-5 years. That is a serious (near) commercial demonstration project. If it it works and at an affordable price, think about the food waste in your local school no longer heading to landfills but going to help heat the school. Imagine being able to move in a dozen Re4ormed AD container systems for an Olympics and turning the ticket holders food waste into energy. Imagine … well, I can imagine.
If you wish to help Re4ormed along, vote by 23:59 (before midnight) Saturday, August 25th. Unlike some elections, every vote doesn’t just count, every vote is counted.