Food waste is increasing in the world, while organizations such as the UN warn about the need to develop ways to use resources better; and under this method, the food industry works on different projects, such as converting waste into energy.
The use of food waste as a source of energy makes it possible to balance waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill, which helps improve the health of the environment, explained the director of Engineering and Investments at Viamed, Ignacio.
In Madrid, Viamed Salud’s Santa Elena hospital uses food waste to generate enough energy to power kitchen stoves thanks to a biogas plant, Efeverde said.
An investigation detailed that hospitals in Madrid produce tons of food waste every day that ends up in the trash.
According to experts, Viamed’s Santa Elena hospital is the first health center in Europe to use this type of technology to reduce CO2 emissions, reuse food waste and contribute to the environment.
Narváez explained that “everyone appeared in a management committee where we reviewed the group’s hospitality model and where the director told us the amount of food to throw away every day. After learning the information, I asked my team for ideas to see what we could do.”
Later, he was one of the workers who commented that biogas could be produced from this organic waste, and they decided to test this option with the collaboration of the specialized company Miogas.
How to make gas from waste
About 29 tons of food per year are processed in a small plant located outside the hospital, which also means a reduction in environmental impact and money savings for the health center.
Narváez detailed that with renewable gas, the two stoves in the hospital’s kitchen remain operational for 6 hours, enough time to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In addition, during the process an organic fertilizer is created that is reused in the green areas, citing Efeverde.
The experience led them to consider the implementation of more biogas plants in several hospitals, as well as to study other sustainable technologies.
Among the projects they manage, they highlight that they are testing a plant powered by photovoltaic panels in a hospital in Murcia to produce green hydrogen to heat water and, in addition, to obtain oxygen that can be used for for medical purposes.
The executive emphasized that health centers are energy consumers, so they opt for renewable options, and self-consumption allows them to lower their energy bills.
“We have that opportunity to continue and favor and care even for people who don’t come into our centers,” he said.
He explained that over the years, moving from a marketing strategy to “something real and anyone who didn’t start this career a few years ago could be rejected by the market and have problems or disappear.”
UN call for sustainable development
The United Nations (UN) for several years has invited countries to build a more sustainable global economy, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
Meanwhile in 2021, the organization published a report in which about 931 million tons of food was lost every year, or 17% of the total food available to consumers.
According to the investigation, the food ended up in the garbage bins of households, retailers, restaurants and other food services.
For this reason, the UN has emphasized the need to join global efforts to reduce food waste in half by 2030.
