Zhucheng Xinridong Machinery Factory · Whole-plant food-waste treatment solution

Food-Waste Treatment Project
Investment & Payback Estimate

20 – 50 t/d ｜ Full-process resource recovery: oil extraction + organic-residue reuse + up-to-standard deodorization

Estimated at 30 t/d, 2% oil content

Payback in 1.5–2 years

Equipment life over 10 years; thereafter 2.5–4.0M RMB net profit per year

2–3 yr

Payback at 20 t/d

1.5 yr

Payback at 30 t/d

< 1 yr

Payback at 50 t/d

1. The 4.675M RMB Is Not "One Machine" — It's a Whole Plant Where the money goes, item by item

Pretreatment + three-phase separation

Defibering separator, crushing & dewatering machine, screw press, dewatering screw, high-temp cooking tank, two-stage hydrocyclone desanding, three-phase separator, oil-water separation tank, tanks, slurry pumps

2.427M

Downstream fertilizer line (optional)

Powder mill, 5T dryer, steam-condensation system, biomass boiler, feed/discharge screws

0.841M

Deodorization + electrical + installation

Bio-filter deodorization, fully automatic PLC control, control box, cable trays, pipes & valves, instruments, installation supervision

1.407M

Quotation total (tax incl., transport excl.)

4.675M RMB

Of this, bio-filter deodorization 0.496M + fully automatic PLC 0.323M + downstream fertilizer line 0.84M alone account for over 1.6M — and these are exactly the items that pass EIA, save labor and fetch a good price, not optional extras.

2. How Much Revenue Comes In Per Year Estimated at 30 t/d, 2% oil content

① Waste grease sale

30 t × 2% = 0.6 t/day × 6,000 RMB/t × 300 days

~1.08M

② Waste treatment fee

Industry range 80–150 RMB/t × 30 t × 300 days (negotiated and contracted)

0.72 – 1.35M

③ Black soldier fly farming

Self-produced slurry residue feeds the insects; fresh larvae sold at 6,000–8,000 RMB/t; frass made into organic fertilizer

0.72 – 1.80M

④ Landfill-haul savings

Without treatment it still costs ~80 RMB/t to haul to landfill; treating on-site saves that

~0.72M

Total annual revenue

3.24 – 4.95M RMB/yr

Higher oil content means faster payback: Central China ~3%, Sichuan-Chongqing up to 8–12%. At 3%, grease alone yields 1.62M/yr; at 8%, up to 4.32M/yr.

3. How Much It Costs Per Year Estimated at 30 t/d

Labor

Fully automatic; one attendant for main equipment

~0.10M

Energy (water & power)

Pretreatment + deodorization running

~0.24M

BSF workshop operation

Insect stock, supplements, temperature control, labor

~0.36M

Maintenance, wear parts

Few machines and few maintenance points; low annual maintenance cost

~0.10M

Total annual cost

~0.80M RMB/yr

Annual net profit ~2.44 – 4.15M RMB (revenue 3.24–4.95M − cost 0.80M) → corresponding to 1.5–2 year payback.

4. Quick Payback Reference Table BSF route, investment 3.834M RMB

Daily throughput	2% Jiangsu-Zhejiang	3% Central China	8% Sichuan-Chongqing
20 t/d	1.4–2.4 yr	1.2–2.0 yr	0.8–1.0 yr
30 t/d	0.9–1.6 yr	0.8–1.3 yr	0.5–0.7 yr
50 t/d	0.5–0.9 yr	0.5–0.8 yr	0.3–0.4 yr

The table above uses the "organic slurry residue goes to BSF, no drying/fertilizer" basis (investment 3.834M). If you choose the full package with the downstream drying/fertilizer line (4.675M), payback extends by 0.3–0.5 year: 30 t/d ~1.1–1.9 yr, 20 t/d ~1.7–3.0 yr.
Treatment fee at 80–150 RMB/t and BSF conservatively estimated at 0.6–1.5M/yr on a 25-t basis; higher in a good market.

5. Two Configurations — Which Is Better Value?

Plan B · No drying, BSF route (recommended)

Investment: 3.834M (0.841M less than A)

Revenue: grease + treatment fee + fresh-larva sale (highest added value) + haul savings; frass made into organic fertilizer

Best for: local feed-mill / pet-food routes for larvae, or available greenhouses/sheds

Plan A · Full package with drying & fertilizer (current quote 4.675M)

Investment: 4.675M

Revenue: grease + treatment fee + organic-fertilizer sale + haul savings; output is dry residue/fertilizer, easy to store and transport

Best for: owners who want a one-stop build, to sell product as organic fertilizer, and have room for stockpiling

Four-plus million isn't "expensive equipment" — it's a high configuration. If budget-sensitive, go with Plan B: investment drops 0.84M at once, and downstream revenue switches from "selling fertilizer" to "selling fresh larvae" — and annual revenue is actually higher. The configuration can be adjusted to your budget and sales channels.

6. To Secure the Payback, Settle Three Things First

Negotiate the franchise first; write the treatment fee into the contractThe 80–150 RMB/t treatment fee is the cash-flow base; the agreement must set a government minimum feedstock supply and an offtake rate >80%, with make-up otherwise.
Sign 3–5 long-term larva buyers before commissioningFresh larvae are the highest-revenue segment; secure sales before start-up — don't farm first and look for buyers later (our Dongguan and Huainan customers do exactly this).
Verify the actual local oil content firstJiangsu-Zhejiang 2%, Central China 3%, Sichuan-Chongqing 8–12% — huge differences that directly decide payback speed.