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Biodegradable Waste as an Element of the Circular Economy–Smart Solutions

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "C: Energy Economics and Policy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 8752

Special Issue Editor

Institute of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology - Branch in Płock, Warsaw, Poland
Interests: the circular economy of bio-waste management; supporting remediation processes of soils contaminated with heavy metals—the use of phytoextraction, phytostabilization, and phytobioremediation; assessment of the feasibility of introducing waste products as substrates supporting remediation/soil remediation and revitalization processes of degraded terrains; assessment of the possibility of using energy crops in contaminated areas for carbon sequestration (analysis of phyto/biosequestration); detection of new contaminants in wastewater and sewage sludge

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decades, our thinking about biodegradable waste management has completely changed. From a linear model, which meant that most biodegradable waste was landfilled to increase selective collection, we progressed to waste being biologically treated, and finally to circular economy (CE) strategies and action plans for closing the loop. Several debates and connections between the CE and bioeconomy led to the creation of the circular bioeconomy (CB). Circular bioeconomy is defined as the sustainable, cascading processing of biological residues into bio-based products that can be shared/reused/remanufactured and recycled, or released safely to the biosphere, via organic and nutrient cycles. On the basis of this definition, interdisciplinary approaches to biodegradable waste technologies have been developed.   

The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish a set of articles that typify the most insightful and influential investigations and provide a holistic approach to developing, implementing, monitoring, and improving CE and/or CB strategies within the framework of biodegradable waste management at a local and/or central level. We would like to include articles providing useful tools for any policy makers, consultants, engineers, urban planners, academics, etc. The Special Issue aims to provide a theoretical basis for a resource-efficient, green, and competitive low-carbon economy in the context of smart solutions within European Green Deal strategy.

Prof. Dr. Kacprzak Malgorzata
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Biodegradable waste
  • Circular economy
  • Circular bioeconomy
  • Smart solutions
  • Technology
  • European Green Deal Strategy

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 25641 KiB  
Article
Home Bio-Waste Composting for the Circular Economy
by Piotr Sulewski, Karolina Kais, Marlena Gołaś, Grzegorz Rawa, Klaudia Urbańska and Adam Wąs
Energies 2021, 14(19), 6164; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14196164 - 27 Sep 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4102
Abstract
The consequence of the current economic development model is the generation of large amounts of waste and energy losses. One way to change this negative trend is a more rational use of raw materials reducing the amount of generated wastes. Biowaste, which may [...] Read more.
The consequence of the current economic development model is the generation of large amounts of waste and energy losses. One way to change this negative trend is a more rational use of raw materials reducing the amount of generated wastes. Biowaste, which may be divided into garden and kitchen waste, constitutes the main part of municipal waste. At the household level, it can be managed through composting—the most sustainable way of biowaste management. In this context, this paper aims to assess the economic and environmental effects of implementing the home composting incentive program introduced by one of the municipalities near Warsaw (Poland). The study is based on the estimation of the amount of biowaste generated in the commune, as well as on the number of households with the potential to compost biowastes. The effects of implementing the composting program were evaluated at different participation levels. The cartographic-based methods (GIS) were used in the analyses. Additionally, willingness to accept home composting by residents and its main determinants were examined. The results of the study indicate that the changes in the current household biodegradable waste management model are practicable and generate positive economic and environmental effects. However, the promotion of home composting requires active support from the local authorities, both in the financial dimension and by increasing residents’ environmental awareness. Full article
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11 pages, 3398 KiB  
Article
Influence of Selected Substrate Dosage on the Process of Biogas Installation Start-Up in Real Conditions
by Katarzyna Ignatowicz, Jacek Piekarski and Paweł Kogut
Energies 2021, 14(18), 5948; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14185948 - 18 Sep 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1396
Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of selected parameters of biogas, formed as a result of methane fermentation, during the start-up of a biogas installation, using water, liquid manure, corn silage and inoculated sludge as substrates. Moreover, the dependencies between the type and amount [...] Read more.
This paper presents an analysis of selected parameters of biogas, formed as a result of methane fermentation, during the start-up of a biogas installation, using water, liquid manure, corn silage and inoculated sludge as substrates. Moreover, the dependencies between the type and amount of the supplied substrate and the obtained parameters of biogas and fermentation mass are presented and explained. During 59 days after the start of the biogas plant operation, the methane content increased to a maximum of about 62%. Finally, after about 80 days, the methane content stabilized at a constant level of about 55%. CO2 content increased from about 6% (day 32) to about 46% (day 84), with a clear linear correlation between carbon dioxide and methane content. Oxygen content decreased from about 18% (day 32) to about 0.3% (day 84) as the resulting gases displaced air from the reactor, and there was also a linear correlation between oxygen and methane content. The hydrogen sulfide content decreased from about 76 ppm (day 32) to about 0 ppm (day 47), after which, in a clear power correlation to the methane content, it maximally increased to 890 ppm (day 61). However, for the sake of safe engine operation, the desulfurization plant was started on day 63, which resulted in a H2S concentration below 50 ppm on day 74 of the experiment. The final hydrogen sulfide content was 9 ppm on day 84 of the biogas plant start-up. Full article
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Review

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21 pages, 2798 KiB  
Review
Bio-Based Waste’ Substrates for Degraded Soil Improvement—Advantages and Challenges in European Context
by Malgorzata Kacprzak, Iwona Kupich, Anna Jasinska and Krzysztof Fijalkowski
Energies 2022, 15(1), 385; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15010385 - 05 Jan 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2568
Abstract
The area of degraded sites in the world is constantly expanding and has been a serious environmental problem for years. Such terrains are not only polluted, but also due to erosion, devoid of plant cover and organic matter. The degradation trends can be [...] Read more.
The area of degraded sites in the world is constantly expanding and has been a serious environmental problem for years. Such terrains are not only polluted, but also due to erosion, devoid of plant cover and organic matter. The degradation trends can be reversed by supporting remediation/reclamation processes. One of the possibilities is the introduction of biodegradable waste/biowaste substrates into the soil. The additives can be the waste itself or preformed substrates, such composts, mineral-organic fertilizers or biochar. In EU countries average value of compost used for land restoration and landfill cover was equal 4.9%. The transformation of waste in valuable products require the fulfillment of a number of conditions (waste quality, process conditions, law, local circumstances). Application on degraded land surface bio-based waste substrates has several advantages: increase soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrient content, biodiversity and activity of microbial soil communities and change of several others physical and chemical factors including degradation/immobilization of contaminants. The additives improve the water ratio and availability to plants and restore aboveground ecosystem. Due to organic additives degraded terrains are able to sequestrate carbon and climate mitigate. However, we identified some challenges. The application of waste to soil must comply with the legal requirements and meet the end of use criteria. Moreover, shorter or long-term use of bio-waste based substrate lead to even greater soil chemical or microbial contamination. Among pollutants, “emerging contaminants” appear more frequently, such microplastics, nanoparticles or active compounds of pharmaceuticals. That is why a holistic approach is necessary for use the bio-waste based substrate for rehabilitation of soil degraded ecosystems. Full article
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