RACINE, WIS.—Grind2Energy, Emerson’s food waste recycling initiative, has been named a 2017 winner of Connected World’s IoT Innovations Award, recognizing the program’s expansion earlier this year to provide new AT&T-enabled Internet of Things capabilities that help businesses reduce avoidable food waste while maximizing the efficiency of Grind2Energy’s process for recycling unavoidable waste.
Developed by the engineers at InSinkErator, Grind2Energy helps large food waste generators such as supermarkets, hotels, casinos and sports arenas to minimize their environmental impact and boost their operational efficiency. The system uses industrial-strength InSinkErator food waste grinders to quickly process food scraps into a liquid “slurry” that is pumped into on-site holding tanks at business locations. The slurry is then transported to anaerobic digesters, which naturally convert it into water, fertilizer and methane that is captured to produce renewable energy.
Early in 2017, Grind2Energy announced a collaboration with AT&T to add IoT connectivity and IoT Platforms, including AT&T M2X and AT&T Flow Designer, to its food waste recycling portfolio. This IoT functionality enables Grind2Energy to monitor the system’s activity and performance in near real-time, providing data insights that can help to reduce avoidable food waste, as well as operations and performance updates that optimize the system’s day-to-day performance and simplify maintenance.
“Grind2Energy is a perfect example of how IoT-enabled solutions will help transform the way humans live,” said Peggy Smedley, Editorial Director at Connected World, in announcing the award. “By creating something valuable, like clean water and renewable energy, from discarded waste, and by using the IoT to manage these processes, we’re creating a better world for our grandchildren.”
The Scope of the Food Waste Problem
Food waste is a significant societal problem today, representing the single largest source of landfill waste. When it decomposes in landfills, food waste emits the powerful greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere, which is widely believed to contribute to climate change. The United Nations estimates that we waste one-third of the food that we produce globally each year—1.3 billion tons—yet various studies show that less than 5 percent of this food waste is recycled today.
Grind2Energy is an important part of a growing environmental movement to process food waste with grinders rather than sending it to landfills. Results from Grind2Energy early adopters have demonstrated the solution’s ability to reduce landfill waste, generate significant energy from renewable resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, all at costs that are equal to or less than composting or other environmentally friendly options.
“We’re grateful to be acknowledged by Connected World for our work to extend and expand the capabilities of Grind2Energy to help food retail businesses to reduce their impact on the environment,” said Chad Severson, President of InSinkErator, a business unit of Emerson. “We’re committed to continual innovation and enhancement of the Grind2Energy platform, and to working with our growing customer base to make the system as effective and efficient as possible.”
“Businesses understand the need to blend their sustainability efforts with their goals of continuously improving quality, efficiency and profitability,” said Chris Penrose, President, Internet of Things, AT&T. “Our work with Emerson is a great example of how the IoT can help businesses lower costs, gain efficiencies, improve competitive advantage and create a more sustainable world.”
For additional information on Grind2Energy, visit www.grind2energy.com.
