Abstract
During the last century, population growth and global economic and technological developments have led to increased use of resources, both in terms of materials and energy. Meanwhile the amount of waste produced has increased steadily. This rapid evolution contributed to a critical environmental situation for the planet: global warming strongly related to emissions generated by human activities, water and soil pollution associated with uncontrolled releases of pollutants and nutrients, as well as soil organic matter depletion. Natural resources are being consumed at a rapid pace, but are not infinite and we are confronted with such questions as: ‘‘What energy resources for tomorrow? What resources in terms of organic matter and nutrients to the soil?’’. As a consequence, during the last years, emphasis has been on organic resources recovery in order to achieve our aspiration towards a ‘‘Recycling Society’’ and climate stabilisation. Energy, nutrients and organic matter needs have driven sustainable management of resources and waste and promoted new technological developments. In this context, biological processing of organic waste to recover valuable nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to produce soil amendments and to supply energy is of great interest. However rules on the management of organic waste are fragmented and might not be sufficient to achieve the stated objectives of an effective management. Moreover, unsolved questions still exist concerning the management options for organic waste and resources among which: • Which types of management systems should be promoted, from an environmental and economic point of view? • How can we optimize the recovery of organic waste streams at all territory scales? • What synergy can exist between management of urban and agricultural waste? • Are the energy recovery and the organic matter and nutrients recovery really compatible and how can we obtain products that comply with agronomic needs?
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