Reducing GHG Emissions in Frozen Fruit Processing by Solar Optimization and Waste Management Strategies
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Abstract
This study quantifies the combined environmental and economic effects of two parallel interventions, solar-panel cleaning and mangosteen peel valorization, at a Thai frozen-fruit processing facility, with emissions calculated using the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO) methodology for July–December 2023. Aggregate greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions fell from 526.34 to 200.12 tCO₂eq/year, a reduction of 326.22 tCO₂eq/year (−62.0%). Waste valorization accounted for 91.4% of the reduction (298.15 tCO₂eq), and solar optimization accounted for the remaining 8.6% (28.07 tCO₂eq). Carbon intensity of production declined from 725.0 to 267.0 kgCO₂eq per tonne of finished product (−63.2%), and the facility BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) composite index rose from 0.42 to 0.78. Solar cleaning increased annual generation from 70,000 to 146,000 kWh and improved the system performance ratio from 0.62 to 0.78 (+25.8%). Peel diversion reached 65.4% (283,120 of 433,120 kg/year), yielding 42,468 kg/year of dried by-products. In economics, capital expenditure totaled 675,000 THB. Annual operating savings reached 549,872 THB (380,000 THB in electricity, 169,872 THB in waste disposal), and by-product sales added 2,831,723 THB/year. Net annual benefit after maintenance was 3,251,595 THB, giving a payback of 2.5 months, a Year-1 ROI of 382%, and a Year-3 ROI of 1,346%. The findings support a phased adoption pathway, solar optimization first, then waste valorization, anchored to source-segregation protocols and seasonal capacity-sharing arrangements among co-located processors.
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