During the tests carried out on the MPB, waste from different sources has been used and commercial models have been adapted to the reality of the different producing industries to be integrated into different sectors; Industrial waste, markets, canteens, barsm restaurants and industrial kitchens.
The MPB has undergone real-life tests. Different feeding systems have been tested. For these tests, real waste was used and the details of the production in each sector were studied directly.
As was described in the previous post, the MPB has undergone numerous tests. One of the main objectives of these tests has been the development of the different feeding systems of the small scale plant. Different types of waste have been tested with different origins; Industrial waste, markets, canteens, bars, restaurants and insdustrial kitchens. The main sectors that produce these types of waste are the following ones:
The Tourism Industry, Hospitality and Catering Industry.
Restaurant and kitchen waste, others.
For a chain offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, for every 500 guests, up to 551 lb/day of canteen waste could be obtained. In these industries, the application of MPB would be interesting, especially in countries where access to electricity or thermal energy is expensive or where waste management is a problem.
Shopping Centre. Canteen waste. Kitchen waste. Others.
A Shopping Centre in a big city may have up to 45,000 visitors a day, which could generate about 1,102lb/day of waste in the establishments, a smaller city has about 9,000 visitors a day so it would generate about 220lb/day, waste that can be converted into energy to be self-sufficient and in turn to get the label of sustainable shopping centre. The use of the MPB is to improve the circular economy of the Shopping Centre, reducing the waste cost and being able to generate self-consumption of electrical or thermal energy.
Large canteens. Food, catering and kitchen waste.
Company canteens. Big companies that incorporate a canteen for their workers in industries, factories or large office centres, for example, are potential users of an MPB. For 1,000 people using the canteen, the minimum quantity available would be more than 440-771lb/day. Even in large schools with a high number of students. The canteens of public institutions also generate a high amount of waste. In prisions, a city of 300,000 habitants may have an average population of 1,300 inmates who would generate around 859lb/day between canteen and kitchen waste.
Producers of OFMSW. Urban organic waste separated at source.
An average city of 150,000 habitants would have a potential of 75t/day. By accessing 1% of the OFMSW (Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste) MPB could be chosen. A MPB of 1 t/day per 2,000 habitants could be installed. Installing an MBP in urban areas and integrating it into Parks could be a sustainable sollution to organic waste, using the liquid for watering. The main benefit of these MPB uses is the savings in waste collection logistics and waste management, wich often end up in landfills. It is applicable for door-to-door waste collection and equivalent practices.
Major transports. Airports, large service areas where there is a continuous high flow of road traffic and which contain canteens, hotels, etc.
Airports in large cities would also be a good place to locate an MBP, given the large inflow of people and the high level of waste they generate. As an example, London’s Heathrow Airport, the largest in terms of passengers in the UK and Europe and the seventh largest in the world, generates around 110,000 tonnes of waste per year, including waste from construction and demolition of facilities.
Cruise ships must store all organic waste generated during the voyage in the gallery and in the dining room and manage it in port. There is the cost of management and the necessity to store the waste during the cruise. An adapted version of the MBP can be installed inside the cruise ship itself, providing a solution to these problems.
Medium and Small industry. Industrial waste.
Industrial sectors that generate waste, by-products or specific rejects in their production process can be an application for MPBs. This type of industry includes the food industry, industrial wastewater treatment plants or low-flow urban wastewater treatment plants, cosmetics, among others. The waste generated can be managed at source, allowing a greater circularity in the economy. Energy recovery could be achieved with MPB.
Food Industry. The food industry, which produces small quantities of waste, would also been benefit from the implementation of a MBP. It haves a small amount of sludge and/or organic waste, which is very costly to manage due to the low quantity produced. Including the catering industry in industrial states that serves different premises and bars spread around the city, especially in the bakery sector. With its use, self-consumption of electricity and heat would be achieved.
The use of a MPB would provide an efficient application for the waste of these industries. Through its use, waste would be managed efficiently, remedying decentralization. Places where waste is correctly treated are normally located a long way from where it is originates, which results in high management costs. On the other hand, these industries would have the capacity to produce energy for local consumption, self-sufficient with their own waste, without the need to depend on external agents. Finally, we must highlight the valuation of waste made by national and international regulations. Following the legal stipulations on waste makes it possible, in addition to complying with the regulations, to be a possible differentiation within the market, which can be beneficial for certain companies that want to stand out within the sector.
