Kota Machida, a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Tokyo (at the time of research) and Associate Professor Yuya Sakai, crushed waste foodstuffs such as vegetables and fruits after drying, and added an appropriate amount of water to form them by heat compression molding, which is sufficient as a construction material. We have developed the world's first technology for manufacturing materials with high strength.
In Japan, in 2018, about 600 million tons of "edible parts" (food loss) that are originally eaten but discarded, and about 1,930 million tons of "inedible parts" that cannot be eaten are treated as waste.It is said that about 5% of these are converted into fertilizer and feed, but the unit price of the product is low and it is difficult to monetize.In addition, livestock manure, which is generated annually at 8,300 million tons, is also used for compost, and it has been pointed out that there is an excess of nitrogen in agricultural land.Therefore, in addition to feed and fertilizer, new methods for utilizing food waste while adding high value have been required.
In this research, the raw materials were freeze-dried, crushed, and then heat-molded under various conditions. As a result, we succeeded in giving sufficient strength to the new material derived from complete plants.The optimum temperature and pressure for heat compression molding differ depending on the raw material, but it is expected that the heat will soften the saccharides in the food and the pressure will cause the saccharides to flow and fill the gaps to develop strength.Depending on the raw material, it achieves four times the bending strength of general concrete.It can be used in an environment where water resistance is required if it is treated.
Furthermore, it is possible to preserve the color, aroma, and taste of the raw vegetables and fruits, and add seasonings to improve the taste.As a result, it is as strong as a construction material and is expected to be used as an edible material after use.
By utilizing this technology, it is possible not only to avoid incineration and landfill of waste vegetables and fruits, and to avoid excess nitrogen due to composting, but also to eliminate the need for resource extraction, which was originally required, which is expected to reduce the environmental burden.
