Challenges and opportunities for kitchen waste treatment—a review

Abstract

Kitchen waste presents a significant problem in waste management because of its large volume and other properties. Technologies for the treatment of kitchen waste are more or less tested in laboratory, semi-operational, or operational conditions. The main current technologies for the treatment of kitchen waste are anaerobic digestion, composting, incineration, and landfilling. However, new methods for kitchen waste treatment are currently being developed that combine the advantages and eliminate the disadvantages of current technologies. This review provides an overview, critically comparing the current methods of kitchen waste treatment. The comparison has been made primarily from the point of view of environmental advantages and disadvantages. This review does not take into account economic factors, which are difficult to evaluate as their value has to be related to a specific process and unit of capacity. In addition, we summarize some innovative methods for kitchen waste treatment that have already been tested under laboratory conditions.