Environmental sustainability of an integrate anaerobic digestion-composting treatment of food waste: Analysis of an Italian plant in the circular bioeconomy strategy

2022 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 341-351
Author(s):  
Adolfo Le Pera ◽  
Miriam Sellaro ◽  
Egidio Bencivenni ◽  
Francesco D'Amico
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alok Patel ◽  
Amir Mahboubi ◽  
Ilona Sárvári Horváth ◽  
Mohammad J. Taherzadeh ◽  
Ulrika Rova ◽  
...  

Given an increasing focus on environmental sustainability, microbial oils have been suggested as an alternative to petroleum-based products. However, microbial oil production relies on the use of costly sugar-based feedstocks. Substrate limitation, elevated costs, and risk of contamination have sparked the search for alternatives to sugar-based platforms. Volatile fatty acids are generated during anaerobic digestion of organic waste and are considered a promising substrate for microbial oil production. In the present study, two freshwater and one marine microalga along with two thraustochytrids were evaluated for their potential to produce lipids when cultivated on volatile fatty acids generated from food waste via anaerobic digestion using a membrane bioreactor. Freshwater microalgae Auxenochlorella protothecoides and Chlorella sorokiniana synthesized lipids rich in palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), and linoleic acid (C18:2). This composition corresponds to that of soybean and jatropha oils, which are used as biodiesel feedstock. Production of added-value polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) mainly omega-3 fatty acids was examined in three different marine strains: Aurantiochytrium sp. T66, Schizochytrium limacinum SR21, and Crypthecodinium cohnii. Only Aurantiochytrium sp. T66 seemed promising, generating 43.19% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 13.56% docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) in total lipids. In summary, we show that A. protothecoides, C. sorokiniana, and Aurantiochytrium sp. T66 can be used for microbial oil production from food waste material.


2019 ◽  
Vol 236 ◽  
pp. 798-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C. Slorach ◽  
Harish K. Jeswani ◽  
Rosa Cuéllar-Franca ◽  
Adisa Azapagic

Environments ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Sarah Kakadellis ◽  
Po-Heng Lee ◽  
Zoe M. Harris

Following the BBC’s Blue Planet II nature documentary series on marine ecosystems, plastic packaging has come under public fire, with consumers demanding greener alternatives. The biodegradable properties of some bioplastics have offered a potential solution to the global challenge of plastic pollution, while enabling the capture of food waste through anaerobic digestion as a circular and energy-positive waste treatment strategy. However, despite their increasing popularity, currently bioplastics are being tested in environments that do not reflect real-life waste management scenarios. Bioplastics find their most useful, meaningful and environmentally-sound application in food packaging—why is there so little interest in addressing their anaerobic co-digestion with food waste? Here, we provide a set of recommendations to ensure future studies on bioplastic end-of-life are fit for purpose. This perspective makes the link between the environmental sustainability of bioplastics and the role of food waste anaerobic digestion as we move towards an integrated food–energy–water–waste nexus. It shines light on a novel outlook in the field of bioplastic waste management while uncovering the complexity of a successful path forward. Ultimately, this research strives to ensure that the promotion of bioplastics within a circular economy framework is supported across waste collection and treatment stages.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 882
Author(s):  
Saulo Brito-Espino ◽  
Alejandro Ramos-Martín ◽  
Sebastian O. Pérez-Báez ◽  
Carlos Mendieta-Pino ◽  
Federico Leon-Zerpa

Anaerobic lagoons are natural wastewater treatment systems suitable for swine farms in small communities due to its low operational and building costs, as well as for the environmental sustainability that these technologies enable. The local weather is one of the factors which greatly influences the efficiency of the organic matter degradation within anaerobic lagoons, since microbial growth is closely related to temperature. In this manuscript, we propose a mathematical model which involves the two-dimensional Stokes, advection–diffusion-reaction and heat transfer equations for an unstirred fluid flow. Furthermore, the Anaerobic Digestion Model No1 (ADM1), developed by the International Water Association (IWA), has been implemented in the model. The partial differential equations resulting from the model, which involve a large number of state variables that change according to the position and the time, are solved through the use of the Finite Element Method. The results of the simulations indicated that the methodology is capable of predicting reasonably well the steady-state of the concentrations for all processes that take place in the anaerobic digestion and for each one of the variables considered; cells, organic matter, nutrients, etc. In view of the results, it can be concluded that the model has significant potential for the design and the study of anaerobic cells’ behaviour within free flow systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7368
Author(s):  
Ngoc-Bao Pham ◽  
Thu-Nga Do ◽  
Van-Quang Tran ◽  
Anh-Duc Trinh ◽  
Chen Liu ◽  
...  

Food waste has become a critical issue in modern society, especially in the urbanized and fast-growing cities of Asia. The increase in food waste has serious negative impacts on environmental sustainability, water and land resources, and food security, as well as climate and greenhouse gas emissions. Through a specific case study in Da Nang City, Vietnam, this paper examines the extent of food waste generation at the consumption stages, the eating habits of consumers, food waste from households and service establishments, as well as prospects for the reuse of food waste as pig feed. The results of this study indicate that per capita food waste generation in Da Nang has increased from 0.39 to 0.41kg in 2016, 0.46 in 2017, and reached 0.52kg in 2018. According to the results of our consumer survey, 20% of respondents stated that they often generate food waste, 67% stated they sometimes do, and 13% stated they rarely do. Furthermore, 66% of surveyed households stated that their food waste is collected and transported by pig farmers to be used as feed for pigs. The use of food waste as feed for pigs is a typical feature in Da Nang. The study also found that there is a high level of consumer awareness and willingness to participate in the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) program, which was being initiated by the city government. In service facilities such as resorts and hotels, daily food waste reached 100–200 kg in large facilities and 20–120 kg in small facilities. This waste was also collected for use in pig farming. However, there has been a fall in demand for pig feed in line with a decrease in the number of pig farms due to the African swine fever epidemic that occurred during the implementation of this study. This paper suggests that there is a strong need to take both consumer-oriented waste prevention and waste management measures, such as waste segregation at source and introduction of effective food waste recycling techniques, to ensure that food waste can be safely and sustainably used as a “valuable resource” rather than “wasted.”


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 20-25
Author(s):  
Gamal K. Hassan ◽  
Rhys Jon Jones ◽  
Jaime Massanet-Nicolau ◽  
Richard Dinsdale ◽  
M.M. Abo-Aly ◽  
...  

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