Assessment of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of food waste in Ilam gas refinery restaurant and proposal of management strategies
Journal of Behdasht dar Arseh (i.e., Health in the Field),
Vol. 13 No. 1 (1404),
1 October 2025
,
Page 47-57
https://doi.org/10.22037/jhf.v13i1.47286
Abstract
Background and Aims: It is necessary to adopt an appropriate management approach to reduce the pollution burden of restaurant food waste due to the potential for environmental problems and economic losses. To this end, this study examines the waste production status in Ilam Gas Refining Company restaurant and evaluates the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the waste produced.
Materials and Methods: Waste segregation and the total amount of waste generated were evaluated over seven working days in two seasons of the year. To determine the characteristics of restaurant food waste, daily composite sampling was conducted, and physicochemical analyses were performed according to standard methods. Ethical considerations were observed throughout the study.
Results: Total amount of daily generated waste by the restaurant was 200.7 kg, which consists of 50.32% food waste and 49.68% recyclable waste. Total waste, food waste, and dry waste are 167, 84, and 83g per day per capita, respectively. The qualitative analysis of the food waste showed that the moisture, organic matter, organic carbon, total nitrogen, fat and oil, required chemical oxygen, C/N ratio, pH, and density were 70.5%, 84%, 58.8%, 2.1%, 7.6%, 68.68%, 28, 4.9, and 624 kg/m3, respectively.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that waste segregation at the source was well implemented and the amount of waste generated by the restaurant was very low. The qualitative characteristics of the food waste suggest its potential use as a primary feedstock in dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion for energy production, composting, vermicomposting, and black soldier fly larval production for the generation of fertilizer and animal and poultry feed.
- Restaurant waste
- Quantitative and qualitative characteristics
- Waste management
How to Cite
References
-Filimonau V, Fidan H, Alexieva I, Dragoev S, Marinova DD. Restaurant food waste and the determinants of its effective management in Bulgaria: An exploratory case study of restaurants in Plovdiv. Tourism Management Perspectives 2019; 32:100577. Doi: 10.1016/j.tmp.2019.100577.
- Derqui B, Fernandez V. The opportunity of tracking food waste in school canteens: Guidelines for self-assessment. Waste Management 2017; 69:431-44.
-FAO. Towards the future we want: End hunger and make the transition to sustainable agricultural and food systems. 1st ed. Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2012.
-Paritosh K, Kushwaha SK, Yadav M, Pareek N, Chawade A, Vivekanand V. Food waste to energy: An overview of sustainable approaches for food waste management and nutrient recycling. BioMed Research International 2017:1-19. Doi:10.1155/2017/2370927.
- Carmona-Cabello M, García I, Sáez-Bastante J, Pinzi S, Koutinas A, Dorado M. Food waste from restaurant sector–Characterization for biorefinery approach. Bioresource Technology 2020; 301:122779. Doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122779.
-Tatàno F, Caramiello C, Paolini T, Tripolone L. Generation and collection of restaurant waste: Characterization and evaluation at a case study in Italy. Waste Management 2017; 61:423-42.
- OjikutuAbimbola O, Osokoya Olumide O. Evaluation of biogas production from food waste. The International Journal of Engineering and Science 2014; 3(1):1-7.
- Tchobanoglous G, Theisen H, Vigil S. Integrated solid waste management: Engineering principles and management issues. 1st ed. USA: McGraw-Hill 1993.
-Singh SK, Kaushik V, Soni S, Lamba N. Waste management in restaurants: A review. International Journal of Emerging Engineering Research and Technology 2014; 2(2):14-24.
- Zotesso J, Cossich E, Colares L, Tavares C. Analysis of solid waste generation in a university Cafeteria In Brazil: A case study. Environmental Engineering & Management Journal 2015; 15(10):2327-36.
-Mosanefi Sh, Alavi Bakhtiarvand N, Eslami A, Sadani M. Leachate pollution index evaluation of Sanandaj municipal landfill. Journal of Health in the Field 2024; 12(2):1-11 (In Persian).
- Sharma P, Gaur VK, Kim SH, Pandey A. Microbial strategies for bio-transforming food waste into resources. Bioresource Technology 2020; 299:122580. Doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122580.
-Ojha S, Bußler S, Schlüter OK. Food waste valorisation and circular economy concepts in insect production and processing. Waste Management 2020; 118:600-09.
-Burzyńska I. Monitoring of selected fertilizer nutrients in surface waters and soils of agricultural land in the river valley in Central Poland. Journal of Water and Land Development 2019; 43:41-48.
-Eriksson M, Osowski CP, Björkman J, Hansson E, Malefors C, Eriksson E, et al. The tree structure—A general framework for food waste quantification in food services. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2018; 130:140-51.
- Dhir A, Talwar S, Kaur P, Malibari A. Food waste in hospitality and food services: A systematic literature review and framework development approach. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020; 270:122861. Doi: 10. 1016/ j. jclepro.2020.122861.
- Hennchen B. Knowing the kitchen: Applying practice theory to issues of food waste in the food service sector. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019; 225:675-83.
- Olszewska MA, Gędas A, Simões M. Antimicrobial polyphenol-rich extracts: Applications and limitations in the food industry. Food Research International 2020; 134:109214. Doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109214.
- Garnida Y, Rudiansyah M, Yasin G, Mahmudiono T, Kadhim AJ, Sharma S, et al. Investigation of parameters in restaurant food waste for use as poultry rations. Food Science and Technology 2022; 42:e118621. Doi: 10.1590/fst.118621.
- Mousavi SF, Gholami Borujeni F. Study of changes in household waste production pattern before and after the coronavirus outbreak in Mazandaran province in 2020. Journal of Health in the Field 2021; 9(1):53-67 (In Persian).
- Närvänen E, Mesiranta N, Mattila M, Heikkinen A. Food waste management. 1st ed. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing 2020.
- Ramachandra T. Management of municipal solid waste. 1st ed. India: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) 2006.
- Pirani SI, Arafat HA. Solid waste management in the hospitality industry: A review. Journal of environmental Management 2014; 146:320-36.
- Kasavan S, Ali NIM, Masarudin NA. Quantification of solid waste in school canteens-a case study from a Hulu Selangor municipality, Selangor. Journal of the Malaysian Institute of Planners 2020; 18(1):160-71.
- Dagiliūtė R, Musteikytė A. Food waste generation: Restaurant data and consumer attitudes. Environmental Research, Engineering and Management 2019; 75(2):7-14.
- Wang LE, Liu G, Liu X, Liu Y, Gao J, Zhou B, et al. The weight of unfinished plate: A survey based characterization of restaurant food waste in Chinese cities. Waste Management 2017; 66:3-12.
- Filimonau V, Nghiem VN, Wang LE. Food waste management in ethnic food restaurants. International Journal of Hospitality Management 2021; 92:102731. Doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102731.
- Boschini M, Falasconi L, Cicatiello C, Franco S. Why the waste? A large-scale study on the causes of food waste at school canteens. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020; 246:118994. Doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118994.
- Papargyropoulou E, Wright N, Lozano R, Steinberger J, Padfield R, Ujang Z. Conceptual framework for the study of food waste generation and prevention in the hospitality sector. Waste Management 2016; 49:326-36.
- Zhang R, El-Mashad HM, Hartman K, Wang F, Liu G, Choate C, et al. Characterization of food waste as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology 2007;98(4):929-35.
- ASTM. Standard test method for determination of the composition of unprocessed municipal solid waste. Available from: https://store.astm.org/d5231-92r16.html. Accessed Jun 06, 2024.
- Herszenhorn E, Quested T, Easteal S, Prowse G, Lomax J, Bucatariu C. Prevention and reduction of food and drink waste in businesses and households: guidance for governments, local authorities, businesses and other organizations. 1st ed. USA: United Nations Environment Programme 2014.
- Forbes H, Peacock E, Abbot N, Jones M. Food waste index report 2024: Think eat save – tracking progress to halve global food waste. 1st ed. USA: Think Eat Save 2024.
- Bayard R, Benbelkacem H, Gourdon R, Buffière P. Characterization of selected municipal solid waste components to estimate their biodegradability. Journal of Environmental Management 2018; 216:4-12.
- Ho KS, Chu LM. Characterization of food waste from different sources in Hong Kong. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 2019; 69(3):277-88.
- Pagliaccia P, Gallipoli A, Gianico A, Gironi F, Montecchio D, Pastore C, et al. Variability of food waste chemical composition: Impact of thermal pre-treatment on lignocellulosic matrix and anaerobic biodegradability. Journal of Environmental Management 2019; 236:100-07.
- Soni A, Chakraborty S, Das PK, Saha AK. Material selection of sustainable composites by recycling of waste plastics and agro-industrial waste for structural applications: A fuzzy group decision-making approach. Journal of Building Engineering 2023; 73:106787. Doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2023.106787.
- Yatoo AM, Ali MN, Baba ZA, Hassan B. Sustainable management of diseases and pests in crops by vermicompost and vermicompost tea. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 2021; 41(1):7. Doi: 10.1007/s13593-020-00657-w.
-Palaniveloo K, Amran MA, Norhashim NA, Mohamad-Fauzi N, Peng-Hui F, Hui-Wen L, et al. Food waste composting and microbial community structure profiling. Processes 2020; 8(6):723. Doi: 10. 3390/ pr8060723.
- Jalali S, Alavi NA, Saeedi R, Abtahi M. Feasibility study on odor reduction in the composting process of municipal organic waste by adding odor-reducing compounds. Journal of Health in the Field 2024; 12(3):22-31 (In Persian).
- Khalid H, Ikhlaq A, Pervaiz U, Wie YM, Lee EJ, Lee KH. Municipal Waste degradation by Vermicomposting using a combination of eisenia fetida and lumbricus rubellus species. Agronomy 2023; 13(5):1370. Doi: 10.3390/agronomy13051370.
- Garg VK, Suthar S, Yadav A. Management of food industry waste employing vermicomposting technology. Bioresource Technology 2012; 126:437-43.
- Al-Tawarah B, Alasasfa MA, Mahadeen AY. Efficacy of compost and vermicompost on growth, yield and nutrient content of common Beans crop (Phaseolus vulgaris l). Journal of Ecological Engineering 2024; 25(2):215-26.
- Wang J, Yin Y. Biohydrogen production from organic wastes. 1st ed. Switzerland: Springer 2017.
- Sahota S, Kumar S, Lombardi L. Biohythane, biogas, and biohydrogen production from food waste: Recent Advancements, technical bottlenecks, and prospects. Energies 2024; 17(3):666. Doi: 10.3390/en17030666.
- Mirmohamadsadeghi S, Karimi K, Tabatabaei M, Aghbashlo M. Biogas production from food wastes: A review on recent developments and future perspectives. Bioresource Technology Reports 2019; 7:100202. Doi: 10.1016/j.biteb.2019.100202.
- Krause M, Kenny S, Stephenson J, Singleton A. Quantifying methane emissions from landfilled food waste. 1st ed. USA: US EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC 2023.
- Tchobanoglous G, Kreith F. Handbook of solid waste management. 2nd ed. USA: McGraw-Hill 2002.
- Usack JG. An evaluation of the barriers to anaerobic digestion technology implementation for energy production and waste stabilization on dairy farms. 1st ed. USA: Cornell University 2016.
- Haapapuro ER, Barnard ND, Simon M. Animal waste used as livestock feed: Dangers to human health. Preventive Medicine 1997; 26(5):599-602.
- Sapkota AR, Lefferts LY, McKenzie S, Walker P. What do we feed to food-production animals?. A review of animal feed ingredients and their potential impacts on human health. Environmental Health Perspectives 2007; 115(5):663-70.
- Dame-Korevaar A, Boumans IJ, Antonis AF, Van Klink E, De Olde EM. Microbial health hazards of recycling food waste as animal feed. Future Foods 2021; 4:100062. Doi: 10.1016/j.fufo.2021.100062.
- Sakaguchi L, Pak N, Potts MD. Tackling the issue of food waste in restaurants: Options for measurement method, reduction and behavioral change. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018; 180:430-36.
- Amrul NF, Kabir Ahmad I, Ahmad Basri NE, Suja F, Abdul Jalil NA, Azman NA. A review of organic waste treatment using black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens). Sustainability 2022; 14(8):4565. Doi: 10. 3390/ su14084565.
- Chander M, Kannadhasan MS. Landless animal and poultry production prospects: an overview on feeding and sustainability with special reference to fruit and vegetable wastes (FVWs). Organic Agriculture 2021; 11(2):285-300.
- Seidavi AR, Azizi M, Ragni M, Laudadio V, Tufarelli V. Practical applications of agricultural wastes in poultry feeding in Mediterranean an Middle East regions. Part 2: Tomato, olive, date, sunflower wastes. World's Poultry Science Journal 2018; 74(3):443-52.
-Diener S, Studt Solano NM, Roa Gutiérrez F, Zurbrügg C, Tockner K. Biological treatment of municipal organic waste using black soldier fly larvae. Waste and Biomass Valorization 2011; 2:357-63.
- Kim CH, Ryu J, Lee J, Ko K, Lee JY, Park KY, et al. Use of black soldier fly larvae for food waste treatment and energy production in Asian countries: A review. Processes 2021; 9(1):161. Doi: 10.3390/pr9010161.
- Gold M, Mathys A. Waste recycling with fly larvae: From science to practice. In Italian national academy of entomology, roundtable: Edible insects: From biology to applications. ETH Zurich, Sustainable Food Processing 2022:115-17.
- Pang W, Hou D, Chen J, Nowar EE, Li Z, Hu R, et al. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon and nitrogen conversion in food wastes by the black soldier fly. Journal of Environmental Management 2020; 260:110066. Doi: 10. 1016/ j .jenvman. 2020. 110066.
- Kovalev AA. Energy analysis of the system of two-stage anaerobic processing of liquid organic waste with production of hydrogen-and methane-containing biogases. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 2021; 46(63):31995-002.
-Albini E, Pecorini I, Ferrara G. Improvement of digestate stability using dark fermentation and anaerobic digestion processes. Energies 2019; 12(18):3552. Doi: 10.3390/en12183552.
-Barrett M, Chia SY, Fischer B, Tomberlin JK. Welfare considerations for farming black soldier flies, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): A model for the insects as food and feed industry. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2023; 9(2):119-48.
- Abstract Viewed: 166 times