Sustainable Organic Waste Management Research Articles

Sustainable Organic Waste Management and Future Directions for Environmental Protection and Techno-Economic Perspectives

Sustainable Organic Waste Management and Future Directions for Environmental Protection and Techno-Economic Perspectives

Exploration of Composting Strategies for Sustainable Organic Waste Management in Urban Environments

<p>The management of organic waste in urban environments poses significant challenges due to the high volume of waste generated and limited disposal options. Composting is a promising technique for converting organic waste into valuable compost that can be used to improve soil health and reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal. However, there is a need to assess various composting methods to determine their efficacy, feasibility, and environmental benefits in urban settings. This research aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment of composting methods for organic waste management in urban environments. The study will focus on evaluating different composting techniques, including traditional composting, vermicomposting (using worms), and aerobic composting systems. Factors such as process efficiency, compost quality, nutrient content, odor control, and greenhouse gas emissions will be considered in the evaluation. The research will involve field experiments to compare the performance of various composting methods using different types of organic waste commonly generated in urban areas, such as food waste, yard waste, and agricultural residues. Parameters such as temperature, moisture content, pH levels, and microbial activity will be monitored throughout the composting process to assess decomposition rates and nutrient retention. In addition to technical aspects, socio-economic factors and feasibility in urban contexts will be examined, including cost-effectiveness, scalability, community acceptance, and regulatory compliance. The study will also explore the potential for integrating composting into existing waste management systems and strategies for promoting compost use in urban agriculture and landscaping. The findings of this research will contribute to enhancing organic waste management practices in urban environments by identifying the most effective composting methods and providing recommendations for sustainable waste management policies and practices.</p>

Challenges and Remediation Strategies for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Contamination in Composting

Abstract: Municipal solid waste (MSW) is projected to rise to 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050, with only 33% undergoing environmentally friendly management practices. Achieving a circular economy involves sustainable approaches, among which diverting waste from landfills to composting plays a crucial role. However, many of the products society uses and discards in MSW daily contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), raising concerns that composts may inadvertently introduce PFAS into the environment, posing a significant challenge to waste management and environmental sustainability. PFAS have been detected in compost at concentrations ranging between 1.26–11.84 µg/kg. Composts are therefore a source of PFAS contamination, posing risks to human and ecosystem health. Impactful technologies are therefore required for PFAS remediation during the composting process. This review examines the composting process as a sustainable organic waste management technology, examining the various systems employed, compost quality, and uses, particularly emphasising the challenge posed by PFAS contamination. The review provides novel insights into possible PFAS remediation technologies. A comprehensive understanding of PFAS origin, fate, and transformation during the composting process is lacking, creating substantial knowledge gaps regarding the inputs processes contributing most to PFAS accumulation in the final product. Addressing these gaps in future studies is crucial for minimising PFAS discharge into the environment and developing an effective remediation approach. This review highlights the urgent need for innovative solutions to mitigate PFAS contamination in compost and the importance of advancing research and technology to achieve sustainable waste management objectives.

PENGOLAHAN LIMBAH ORGANIK UNTUK PEMBUATAN PUPUK KOMPOS DI DESA KERSIK KECAMATAN MARANGKAYU

This training activity is part of a series of efforts to manage organic waste with the aim of producing compost fertilizer in the Kersik Village area, Marangkayu District. Using participatory research methods, this training documents the main processes in managing organic waste from local sources. The focus includes the natural fermentation techniques used as well as assessing the quality and yield of the compost produced. In addition, this activity considers the active involvement of local communities in implementing environmentally friendly waste management practices. The analysis carried out includes technical aspects of the waste composting process as well as exploration of the social, economic and environmental impacts this initiative has on the welfare of local communities as well as efforts to reduce negative impacts on the environment. By holding this training activity, it is hoped that it can provide useful insights in strengthening sustainable organic waste management strategies in Kersik Village, while also contributing to efforts to maintain the sustainability and welfare of the local community.

Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Dalam Pengelolaan Limbah Organik di Desa Krimun Indramayu

Community empowerment in the context of organic waste management in Krimun Village, Indramayu. The main focus is understanding how participatory approaches can be used to increase community awareness and involvement in organic waste management. Community participation in organic waste management and evaluating the effectiveness of various policies and programs that have been implemented. Empowerment results show that through training, counseling and development of supporting infrastructure, the people of Crimen Village can be more actively involved in collecting and processing organic waste. Community empowerment is implemented through the formation of small groups responsible for managing organic waste at the household level. This program not only provides environmental benefits, but also has a positive impact on community welfare through economic involvement in compost production and related activities. The results of empowerment using this patricipatory approach provide insight for local governments, waste management institutions and the general public regarding empowerment strategies that can be adopted to achieve sustainable organic waste management at the village level.

Improving dry anaerobic methane production from OFMSW by co-digestion with grass waste and pretreatment with white rot fungi

Anaerobic digestion is a process that can provide both clean energy and environmentally sustainable management of organic wastes. However, dry anaerobic digestion is susceptible to inhibitions and still has technological hurdles that limit its implementation. The study of operational parameters for the treatment of OFMSW in many places of the world is conducted, but the effect of the substrate composition is poorly understood. The present study evaluated strategies to enhance methane production from two different types of OFMSW, provided by two municipalities of Sabana Centro (Colombia), that are distinguished from each other by the presence (Cajicá, W1) and absence (Chia, W2) of meat residues. For both residues, higher methane production was achieved when the lowest substrate to inoculum ratio was used. ACoD with MGW enhanced biogas production with both sources of OFMSW, increasing 61% of production when non-meat residues were used, and always being necessary for production on residues with meat. Fungal pretreatment did not increase methane yields as expected from experiences in other studies due to pH drops and the accumulation of potential toxic inhibitors. In conclusion, as organic waste composition is critical to achieve an efficient dry anaerobic digestion performance, results presented in this work highlights the need to consider how much nature of the substrate influences the process. The findings of this study hold significance for the scientific community working on dry anaerobic digestion. The study presents novel insights into the co-digestion of OFMSW and the pretreatment with the WRF. Furthermore, the results have practical implications for local authorities in Sabana Centro. Based on these findings, policymakers can formulate new source-separation policies, and a dry anaerobic digestion facility can be designed to meet the specific characteristics of the substrates.

Sustainable organic waste management using vermicomposting: a critical review on the prevailing research gaps and opportunities.

Logistic growth of human population, exponential rate in agronomic industries and feeble waste management practices have resulted in the massive generation of organic wastes. Vermicomposting is one of the eco-biotechnological practices to efficiently transform them into stable and nutrient-rich organic manure with the synergetic actions of earthworms and soil microbiota. Vermicompost, a derivative product has the desirable physicochemical traits such as excellent porosity, buffering actions, aeration and water holding capacity. Also the presences of enzymic and microbial secretions contribute to growth and disease resistance of the crops. Owing to the benefits of soil nutrients restoration and effective organic waste management, vermicomposting has gained much attention among the scientific researchers and organic farmers. The present review is intended to provide comprehensive information on the site selection, screening of earthworms, different modes of operation and their desirable micro-environmental conditions. Also, the review has critically identified the prevailing research gaps viz. limited studies on the substrate formulation or optimization designs, poor control on the operational variables, lack of field-level investigations, technological feasibility of scale-up process, economic viability and cost-benefit analysis. Prospective researches can be made on these hotspots to identify the vermicomposting as a successful and profitable business model in the circular economy.

Integrated Approach to Achieve a Sustainable Organic Waste Management System in Saudi Arabia.

Organic waste management (OWM) has always been a fundamental aspect of human populations. Approaches to OWM must be matched to the characteristics of a certain population. In this consideration, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is no exception. Organizations are being aligned to focus on sustainability matters sharing significant features with universal trends, especially the integration of 3Rs (reducing waste, reusing, and recycling resources). However, the degree and nature of advancement in the direction of sustainability vary depending on the economic level of a state. High-income economies can afford to pay a higher price to integrate 3Rs technologies. Most recent endeavors have focused on achieving ‘Zero Waste’, which is costly for low-income developing countries. The expectations of OWM systems in KSA must be estimated. In this work, the situations in KSA and other countries are analyzed, and pertinent aspects are explored. Matters relating to the sustainability of OWM are conceptually assessed. This study proposes an integrated method for an organic waste management system to achieve sustainable OWM in the context of state policy and appropriate frameworks, suitable technology, institutional order, operational and monetary administration, and people consciousness and involvement. A genetic-based waste collection transportation algorithm that enhances the efficiency of waste collection truck management is presented in line with this technology. The selected routes based on the Rfs and IPv are the most efficient among those available for the examined smart bin destinations. The minimum Rfs of selected routes is less than the maximum Rfs of available routes by 2.63%. Also, the minimum IPv of selected routes is less than the maximum IPv of available routes by 27.08%. The proposed integrated approach, including the waste collection transportation algorithm, would be beneficial across a variety of country-specific layouts.

Opportunities for circular bionutrient economy in Kenya: Sanitation and waste stream characterization

AbstractThe majority of people in low‐ and middle‐income countries, such as Kenya, lack effective sanitation and waste management systems. Circular bionutrient economy (CBE) is emerging as a framework to safely reuse organic wastes in agriculture. This study aimed to characterize waste and sanitation systems in Kisumu City, Kenya, with a view to exploring opportunities for CBE in the Lake Victoria basin. Sanitation was characterized through a case study approach in a populous informal settlement, and waste was quantified in two markets in the city. The main toilet facility was pit latrine, although there were also some urine‐diverting dry toilets (UDDTs). One toilet served about 36 people. Over a 1‐mo period, the UDDTs yielded approximately 64,400 L of urine, whereas about 67,500 L of fecal sludge was emptied from the pit latrines, out of which only about 33,000 L (48.9%) was properly disposed of. About 3 t of waste was generated daily from the markets, 95% of which was organic, and was disposed of at an open dumpsite. Organic waste, including human excreta, contains large amounts of organic matter and plant nutrients, and can be processed for agricultural nutrient cycles. Additionally, black soldierly larvae can effectively convert organic waste into nutrient‐rich fertilizer and high protein biomass for animal feeds. These results suggest an opportunity for a CBE system in the region for sustainable organic waste management and urban sanitation, and with opportunity to improve livelihoods and equity.

Sustainable organic waste management and nutrients replenishment in the soil by vermicompost: A review

The official journal of Agricultural Sciences published by the Faculty of Agriculture, Eastern University, Chenkalady, Sri Lanka.AGRIEAST publishes research information of broad practical significance pertaining to both tropical and subtropical Agriculture.

Monitoring of Food Waste Anaerobic Digestion Performance: Conventional Co-Substrates vs. Unmarketable Biochar Additions.

This study proposed the selection of cost-effective additives generated from different activity sectors to enhance and stabilize the start-up, as well as the transitional phases, of semi-continuous food waste (FW) anaerobic digestion. The results showed that combining agricultural waste mixtures including wheat straw (WS) and cattle manure (CM) boosted the process performance and generated up to 95% higher methane yield compared to the control reactors (mono-digested FW) under an organic loading rate (OLR) range of 2 to 3 kg VS/m3·d. Whereas R3 amended with unmarketable biochar (UBc), to around 10% of the initial fresh mass inserted, showed a significant process enhancement during the transitional phase, and more particularly at an OLR of 4 kg VS/m3·d, it was revealed that under these experimental conditions, FW reactors including UBc showed an increase of 144% in terms of specific biogas yield (SBY) compared to FW reactors fed with agricultural residue. Hence, both agricultural and industrial waste were efficacious when it came to boosting either FW anaerobic performance or AD effluent quality. Although each co-substrate performed under specific experimental conditions, this feature provides decision makers with diverse alternatives to implement a sustainable organic waste management system, conveying sufficient technical details to draw up appropriate designs for the recovery of various types of organic residue.

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English

Feeding strategies for small-scale rearing black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) as organic waste recycler

Processing organic waste using black soldier fly (BSF)-based technology offers a promising alternative for sustainable organic waste management and urban sanitation. This study was conducted to assess the influence of feeding strategies on the efficacy of BSF larvae to recycle organic wastes into value products. Fruit waste and chicken manure were used as organic waste samples while commercial chicken feed was used as a control, and were processed for 15 days in circular plastic containers (Ø 30 × 12 cm) with 50; 100; 150; and 200 mg/larva/day continuous and batch feeding diets, using 500 four-day-old larvae per diet, repeated four times. Larval survival rates were not significantly affected by the feeding strategies. However, average larval biomass of 83.69 ± 13.04 g and 82.46 ± 08.52 g was achieved for the continuous and batch feeding strategies, respectively, under favorable conditions. Larval feed reduction rates ranged from 24.65 ± 03.48% to 72.78 ± 01.48% and 24.52 ± 0.27% to 72.25 ± 12.13% with continuous and batch feeding strategies, respectively, and were significantly affected by the different daily diets. On the other hand, the bioconversion rates ranged from 13.34 ± 0.26% to 50.82 ± 02.27%, and the highest values were observed with the continuous feeding diets. This study confirms the efficacy of BSF larvae to thrive in different organic substrates and shows that the continuous feeding strategy can be better and enhance a sustainable small-scale organic waste management.

Overview on Use of Zeolites as Bulking Agent to Optimize Organic Waste Composting Process

There is about 2.01 billion metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced annually and organic waste constitutes of a major portion from total waste generation worldwide. This current circumstance not only create extra burden on the landfill, but also causing some environmental issues such as greenhouse gases emission, odor emission and leachate production. Therefore, a sustainable and pro-environmental of organic waste disposal solution is acknowledged by composting practice. However, organic waste consists of some significant properties include high in salt, oil, nitrogen and moisture content. All of these properties contributing difficulties on the efficiency of organic waste composting process. In previous studies, researchers had studied various bulking agents such as biochar, sawdust, lime and others in order to optimize the efficacy of composting process. Nevertheless, utilization of zeolite as bulking agent in composting process is getting famous in the recent years due to its unique physiochemical characteristics. Hence, this article attempts to review the potential of zeolites in optimizing the composting process for better understanding of the mechanism as well provides valuable insights for sustainable organic waste management practice.

Sustainable Management of Organic Wastes in Sharjah, UAE through Co-Composting.

Daily human activities and vast green areas produce substantial amounts of organic wastes that end up in landfills with minimal treatment. In addition to the problems associated with landfills, disposal through this method is unsustainable in the long run and does not allow recovering materials from the waste. This paper focuses on the co-composting of different organic wastes produced in The Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to optimize mixing proportions of three different kinds of wastes—sewage sludge (SS), green waste (GW), and food waste (FW). All three organic wastes were analyzed to determine their chemical composition and the mixing proportions. Ten different mixing proportions as a function of carbon:nitrogen (C:N ratios) were determined and mixed in a NatureMill composter. Compost samples were tested for pH, salinity, conductivity, moisture content, organic matter, organic carbon, phosphorus, total nitrogen, and final C:N ratio after 6 weeks. Results indicate that a period of 5–6 weeks is sufficient for the compost to stabilize. The varying mixing proportions produced a good-quality compost (C:N up to 20:1) with high nutrient content. The study reaffirms that co-composting can be a potential sustainable organic waste management option for the United Arab Emirates.

Performance of Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens, Larvae during valorization of organic wastes with changing quality

Organic wastes are one of the major problems in many cities. A common treatment for the wastes usually by sanitary landfill, composting, or burning. However, many cities of developing countries lack the effort to collect, separate, and transform organic waste lead to an increasing pile of organic wastes and the cost of treatment. Bioconversion of organic wastes by larvae of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens) into versatile prepupae could be considered as a solution for this problem as this process give economic value to organic wastes. Studies in Indonesia showed the high potency of this insect to apply for managing organic wastes. However, most of the studies only focused on one type of wastes which is only available from standardizing industrial systems, not municipal systems, and small industries which are the main organic producers in Indonesia. In this study, BSFL was fed only one type of organic wastes showed a shorter development period. Changes in feedstock quality from low protein to high protein material generally produced lower survival rates and weight with a longer development period. The result indicated the importance of the nutrition content early period feedstock to produce high-quality larvae and more sustainable organic waste management.

Sustainable waste management through synergistic utilisation of commercial and domestic organic waste for efficient resource recovery and valorisation in the UK

The UK is facing tremendous challenges in tackling food waste diversion from landfill. Whilst much effort has been made to prevent food waste, there is still a lack of attention and strategic approach in dealing with resource recovery and valorisation of food waste. This paper presents a systematic framework for sustainable organic waste management and valorisation in the UK through (i) review of current policy framework; (ii) analysis of resource recovery potential from food waste at national, community and organisational levels; (iii) proposition of alternative waste management strategies; and (iv) examination of challenges and opportunities with respect to economic, environment and social dimensions of sustainability of waste management strategies. The paper explores valorisation of source-segregated food waste and mixed waste from the supermarket and households into electricity and transportation fuels, through partially and completely decentralised configurations using anaerobic digestion and gasification technologies. This study demonstrates a potential for reducing the cost of electricity and greenhouse gas emissions of one supermarket store by 12% when adopting partially decentralised food waste anaerobic digestion strategy, and full substitution of fossil fuel based electricity with net surplus renewable electricity generation through complete decentralisation of mixed waste gasification. Therefore, a more integrated, circular and advanced technological approach in waste management should be undertaken as it can lead to a wider range of socio-economic and environmental advantages to the local community, highly essential in the UK.

Composts and Organic By-Products in Pinus halepensis Forestry

In the context of a sustainable management of organic wastes, four different trials have been carried out to explore potential of easily available composts and organic by-products for Pinus halepensis forestry in Mediterranean areas. Experiments I and IV evaluated their suitability as fertilizers for nurseries and in pine replanting respectively, experiment III assessed their aptitude as components of forestry substrates and experiment II considered vermicompost efficiency as root-growth promoter. Different plant measurements, morphological attributes and analytical determinations were used to assess seedlings quality and substrates and fertilizers aptitude. Organic fertilization in nurseries produced plantlets with similar morphological and nutritional state than mineral products, reaching quality standards. In pine plantation, amendments clearly increased soil organic matter levels so enhanced nutritional and structural conditions in soil. When evaluating different mixtures as substrates, no important differences appeared among treatments, except for seedlings higher aerial development when using coconut fibre. These results indicate that organic by-products and composts can be used for fertilizing purposes and as components in forestry substrate for P. halepensis. The use of vermicompost, though, did not produce the expected effects as root-growth promoter, but further research is needed to comprehend the reason.

Current status and perspectives on anaerobic co-digestion and associated downstream processes

Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) has the potential to utilise spare digestion capacity at existing wastewater treatment plants to simultaneously enhance biogas production by digesting organic rich industrial waste and achieve sustainable organic waste management.

Productive landscapes as a sustainable organic waste management option in urban areas

Disposing waste on land is one of the major effects of urbanization and has adversely affected the urban landscape quality of the cities especially in developing countries. In the process, the quality of the wastes which has the potential for reuse in productive landscape purposes is not considered/tapped. This paper considers unused land/existing dumpsites as specific example cases that can be transformed or upgraded to a productive landscape space by exploiting up the nutrient potential of the major fraction of urban waste that is organic in nature. In order to achieve this idea, the work proposes a waste management strategy developed based on an onsite experiment at the neighbourhood level. Here the organic waste from the households in the neighbourhood is segregated, collected and brought to an identified vacant/unused land area within a neighbourhood where it is processed, maintained and transformed to a green space simultaneously as a cyclic process. The onsite experiment has helped to come out with a nomogram which incorporates depths, degradation time of the waste and plant growth period as variables based on the number of households, and their expected quantity of waste generation within the neighbourhood premises. Wherever applicable a refinement of this neighbourhood level attempt can be replicated at an urban scale to develop productive landscape spaces that cater to larger user group. The work thus analyses the process of developing any vacant land/dumpsite as a space having the potential to naturally process the waste adding to the aesthetic appeal of the city in a structured manner.