Possible Applications

In Japan, Well Create Co., Ltd. considers food waste discharged from food factories, food markets, hotels, restaurants, homes, etc. as resources, manufactures high-quality compost using composting machines and supplies it to farmers. Farmers can use compost to reduce chemical fertilizer and to cultivate crops, hence it is possible to produce safe and secure crops.

The company would like to build such a “recycling loop” even in developing countries for waste reduction and recycling, and produces safe and secure crops.

As a first step, we surveyed food waste composting in Cameron Highland City, Malaysia, in JICA ‘s project of “Feasibility Survey for food waste composting and creating of recycling loop” in 2018.

Continue to compile food waste composting in the same place in JICA’s project of “SDGs Business Verification Survey with the Private Sector for Food Waste Composting and Creating of Recycling Loop” in 2019.

Competitive Advantage

1. Reduction and recycling of food waste
   By composting food wastes and reuse them, it is possible to reduce the amount of intermediate treatment and the final disposal sites, as well as food waste incineration which causes CO₂ emission.

2. High durability and good maintainability
   Since the composting machine has been developed over many years, it can maintain high durability. In addition, it has a characteristic of simple maintenance system by reducing the number of parts and types of parts with high general versatility.

3. Low power consumption and energy saving
   Food waste is mixing at a slow speed in composting machine. Then the power consumption is less than normal machines and it can save energy.

4. Possible to use local composting enzyme developed in the country
   In order to encourage decomposition and fermentation of food waste, composting enzyme is used. Although we use composting enzyme made in Japan at the beginning of operation, but we can positively examine the use of local composting enzyme if conditions are satisfied.

5. Treatment of food wastes including high moisture, oil and fats, and salt
   Since the compost machine has a water sprinkler and dehydration mechanism, vegetable residue with high moisture content and food residue including salt and fat can be processed.

Performance

Compost is produced from food waste after 1 week of primary fermentation period and 2 months of secondary and thirdly fermentation period. Well Create Co., Ltd. treats 1,300 tons of food waste per year (4.5 tons per day), and produces 80 tons of compost per year and supply it to farmers.

The compost machines will perform intermittent operation automatically 24/7 (24 hours 7 days). Power outage under 3days has no effect on composting. As the machines are continuous input type, it is unnecessary to take out the whole amount of the primary fermented matter for each treatment as in the batch type).
Moreover, it has the strong point that you can select a composting machine according to the processing amount of food wastes on the user side.

Technical maturity / Past record of introduction

Well Create Co., Ltd. operates the composting center in Kitakyushu city and also sells composting machines to vegetable processing factories, government-operated wholesale markets, schools, and others.
The composting center which has started operation in 2015 treats per year (4.5 tons per day), produces 80 tons of compost per year and supply it to farmers.
The unit sales of composting machines are as follows.

Table 1 The unit sales of composting machines

Information on patent related to this technology

Title : The method of organic waste recycling
Number of open to the public : Tokukai2018-145050
Date of open to the public : 20^th Sep. 2018

International operation

Modality of business transaction

Direct Investment

In Malaysia, we plan to create a local corporation by joint investment in Malaysia, to sell composting machines and to operate a composting center.

Partnership

In other countries, we would like to sell composting machines after concluding a partner contract with local companies.
Also we would like to instruct the way to manage a composting center.

Schematic illustration of the technology

                                     Fig 3. A practical case of food waste recycling in Kitakyushu ECO-Town