Recycling of food waste to produce chicken feed and liquid fertiliser

The Impact of Food Waste Compost, Vermicompost, and Chemical Fertilizers on the Growth Measurement of Red Radish (Raphanus sativus): A Sustainability Perspective in the United Arab Emirates

The pressing need for sustainable agricultural practices, especially with the increasing population, has directed attention towards alternative fertilizers that enhance crop yield while preserving soil integrity and reducing food loss. The current study investigated the comparative efficacy of food waste compost (FOWC), vermicompost, and chemical fertilizers on the growth of red radish. The present work used a systematic experimental design to evaluate plant growth parameters, including radish weight and height. The soil quality was determined by measuring the pH and electrical conductivity for all soil samples. The results indicated a significant variation in red radish fresh weight among different treatments. For example, the 25% vegetable and fruit waste compost (VFWC) treatment demonstrated a relatively high mean fresh weight, while the 50% mixed compost (MC) treatment yielded a much lower mean fresh weight. These numbers underscore the potential efficacy of specific food waste treatments in enhancing plant growth, with vermicompost at 50% and VFWC at 25% showing considerable promise in increasing crop yield. The current study concluded that FOWC and vermicompost significantly improved plant growth, advocating for their use as sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers. The current findings emphasized the importance of selecting appropriate fertilizer types and concentrations to optimize agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability, supporting the incorporation of food waste into agricultural systems as a beneficial resource.

The complexities of decision-making in food waste valorization: A critical review

The efficient utilization of food waste (FW) resources through Food Waste Valorization (FWV) has received increasing attention in recent years. Various decision-making studies have been undertaken to facilitate FWV implementation, such as the studies on decision-making framework and FWV technology assessment. Food waste hierarchy is a widely discussed framework in FW management, but it was found too simplified and does not always contribute positively to environmental sustainability. Moreover, decision-making studies in FWV often focus on specific aspects of the food system and employ distinctive decision-making approaches, making it difficult to compare the results from different studies. Therefore, our literature review is conducted to provide a comprehensive understanding of FWV decision-making. This study identifies what decisions are needed, and three levels of decisions are revealed: system-level, FW stream-level, and FWV option-level. The assessment approaches and criteria used to support decision-making in FWV are also collected and analyzed. Building upon these findings, an hourglass model is synthesized to provide a holistic illustration of decision-making in FWV. This study untangles the complexities of FWV decision-making and sheds light on the limitations of current studies. We anticipate this study will make more people realize that FWV is a multidisciplinary issue and requires the collective participation of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and consumers. Such collective engagement is essential to effectively address practical challenges and propel the transition of the current food system toward a more resource-efficient paradigm.

Estimation of biogas generation rate and carbon sequestration potential from two landfill sites in southern India

Anaerobic digestion of organic solid waste is one of the mechanisms for sustainable development since it permits both the energy-efficient disposal of solid waste and the use of biogas. As a result, this study provides an assessment of the potential energy and emissions saved by using biogas energy generated from the biodegradation of solid waste. For present study two major cities are selected in south India namely Madurai, Tamil Nādu and Hyderabad, Telangana. The LandGEM 3.03 model is used to estimate the concentration of total landfill gases. The landfill in Madurai produced 2.162 × 106 cu. m per year of methane emissions in the year 2013. The production of biogas has increased over time would continue to increase until 2045, when a production rate of 6.32 × 107 cu. m per year was recorded as the largest concentration of biogas ever generated. For the Hyderabad landfill, methane concentrations during the year 2013 was recorded to be 2.5 × 107 cu. m per year and reached a peak in 2046 with a concentration of 3.7 × 108 cu. m per year, was found to have a potential to generate 2.1 × 106 kWh per year. For the Madurai dump site, the energy potential increases gradually and reaches a peak during the year 2047 with a value of 4.54 × 107 kWh per year. Whereas for Hyderabad dump site was found to have an energy equivalent of 2.1 × 108 kWh per year during 2024 and reaches a peak during 2046 with an energy equivalent of 5.1 × 108 kWh per year.

Investigation of the direct utilization possibility of methane fermentation residue sludge as liquid fertilizer by micronization

For establishing a sustainable society, it is crucial to reuse the organic waste as a material resource. Therefore, herein, we aim to pulverize the methane fermentation residue sludge by ball milling and high-speed agitation to directly utilize it as a liquid fertilizer. The solid particles in the sludge can be below 100 µm, corresponding to the nozzle diameter of the boom sprayer by both ball milling and high-speed agitation; when ball milling was carried out for at least 1 h, the ratio of coarse particles larger than 100 µm decreased by less than 10%. In addition, the phosphate-ion concentration in the sludge increased with a decrease in the particle size of solid in the sludge mainly due to increase in its specific surface area. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of various experimental conditions for ball milling on the pulverization efficiency. Results suggests that for grinding the soft solid particles in the sludge by ball milling, the volume ratio of the total medium balls and sludge, total volumes of the balls and sludge, and inner pot volume should be larger, while the ratio of the rotation speed to the critical rotation speed should be almost the same as those reported previously in the reports on grinding of inorganic particles to attain an effective pulverization.

Feeding recycled food waste improved feed efficiency in laying hens from 24 to 43 weeks of age

There is renewed interest in utilizing food waste as animal feed due to its potential benefits in reducing feed cost and environmental impact while improving global food security. This study was conducted to examine the efficacy of recycled food waste-based feed for laying hen performance, egg quality, and nutrient digestibility. Hy-Line Brown hens (n = 150) were randomly distributed to three dietary treatments with 50 replicate cages of a single bird per treatment from 24 to 43 weeks of age. The treatments were: a standard/control feed based on wheat, sorghum, and soybean meal; a recycled food waste based-feed; and a 50:50 blend of control and food waste based-feed. Hens offered the food waste-based diets had similar egg weight, hen day egg production, and egg mass, but lower feed intake and higher feed efficiency, compared to those fed the control diets (P < 0.001). Hens fed the food waste diets exhibited lower shell breaking strength and shell thickness at week 34, and higher yolk color score and higher fat digestibility compared to the control treatment at week 43 (P < 0.001). Thus, feeding the recycled food waste based-feed maintained egg production while improving feed efficiency compared to the control feed.

Valorization of Food Waste as Animal Feed: A Step towards Sustainable Food Waste Management and Circular Bioeconomy

The growing population and healthy food demands have led to a rise in food waste generation, causing severe environmental and economic impacts. However, food waste (FW) can be converted into sustainable animal feed, reducing waste disposal and providing an alternative protein source for animals. The utilization of FW as animal feed presents a solution that not only tackles challenges pertaining to FW management and food security but also lessens the demand for the development of traditional feed, which is an endeavour that is both resource and environmentally intensive in nature. Moreover, this approach can also contribute to the circular economy by creating a closed-loop system that reduces the use of natural resources and minimizes environmental pollution. Therefore, this review discusses the characteristics and types of FW, as well as advanced treatment methods that can be used to recycle FW into high-quality animal feed and its limitations, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of using FW as animal feed. Finally, the review concludes that utilization of FW as animal feed can provide a sustainable solution for FW management, food security, preserving resources, reducing environmental impacts, and contributing to the circular bioeconomy.

Converting food waste into soil amendments for improving soil sustainability and crop productivity: A review

One-third of the annual food produced globally is wasted and much of the food waste (FW) is unutilized; however, FW can be valorized into value-added industrial products such as biofuel, chemicals, and biomaterials. Converting FW into soil amendments such as compost, vermicompost, anaerobic digestate, biofertilizer, biochar, and engineered biochar is one of the best nutrient recovery and FW reuse approaches. The soil application of FW-based amendments can improve soil fertility, increase crop production, and reduce contaminants by altering soil's chemical, physical, microbial, and faunal properties. However, the efficiency of the amendment for improving ecosystem sustainability depends on the type of FW, conversion method, application rate, soil type, and crop type. Engineered biochar/biochar composite materials produced using FW have been identified as promising amendments for soil remediation, reducing commercial fertilizer usage, and increasing soil nutrient use efficiency. The development of quality standards and implementation of policies and regulations at all stages of the food supply chain are necessary to manage (reduce and re-use) FW.

Municipal food waste recycling as an environmental strategy: a game-theoretical approach

With the expansion of urbanization, we are witnessing the growing uncertainty in municipal food demand leading to an increase in urban waste. With the motive of producing organic fertilizers and conserving the environment, expired food can be collected and recycled. This study examines the hypothesis that leasing recycling facilities from peri-urban areas, due to the ban on reproduction operations in the city centers, can manage the recycling system participants' relationship and enhance sustainability in urban communities. The problem has been investigated under two separate sources of uncertainty, namely, quality and capacity. In the first scenario, a recycling system consisting of a commercial food service located in urban areas, a food waste collection agency, and a suburban fertilizer factory is optimized, in which the commercial food service leases the fertilizer factory's facilities for recycling operations. In the second scenario, the two factories' relationship, in which the first factory can rent the second factory's facilities in case of capacity shortage, is managed through hybrid contracts and mathematical programming models. The results show that the whole system optimization and Pareto Improvement results for all members are guaranteed under proposed hybrid contracts. These conclusions can help food recycling system managers have a better relationship with other players in their supply chains and enhance their credibility for caring about the environment, social concerns, and government compliance.

Conversion of energy and protein rich food waste as an alternative feed ingredient in broiler feed formulation

A series of experiments were performed to find out the impact of food waste on growth attributes and performance of broilers in a tropical climate. Two hundred and fifty-one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly separated into 5 groups, where each group comprised 50 animals. The broilers were fed with five different dietary treatments. Treatment 1 (T1), the diet consisted of food waste ingredients such as sprat heads, fish offal (protein), scraped coconut, and swill cooked rice as energy supplements; dietary treatment II (T2) diet was formulated with protein rich food waste; treatment III (T3) diet formulated with energy-rich food waste; treatment IV (T4) without any food waste materials, but a diet formulated with commercially available feed ingredients; and treatment V (T5), a 100% commercially-available broiler diet. Total feed intake per week and total weight gain were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the commercial diet (T5) contrary to the formulated diets. The highest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was recorded in T3. The average dressing percentage was not significantly different (p > 0.05) in T1, T3, and T5. Average DM % in litter and DM % in feces were higher in T5, but average nitrogen % in droppings were lower in T4 and T5 compared to other diets. The study shows the potential application of food waste as an alternative feed in the broiler industry and its abundance and easy collection makes it a promising feeding regime in urban and suburban areas.

A Food Waste-Derived Organic Liquid Fertiliser for Sustainable Hydroponic Cultivation of Lettuce, Cucumber and Cherry Tomato

We previously reported a sustainable food waste management approach to produce an acceptable organic liquid fertiliser for recycling food waste called "FoodLift." This study follows our previous work to evaluate the macronutrients and cation concentrations in harvested structural parts of lettuce, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes produced using food waste-derived liquid fertiliser (FoodLift) and compare them against commercial liquid fertiliser (CLF) under hydroponic conditions. N and P concentrations in the structural parts of lettuce and the fruit and plant structural parts of cucumber appear to be similar between FoodLift and CLF (p > 0.05), with significantly different N concentrations in the various parts of cherry tomato plants (p < 0.05). For lettuce, N and P content varied from 50 to 260 g/kg and 11 to 88 g/kg, respectively. For cucumber and cherry tomato plants, N and P concentrations ranged from 1 to 36 g/kg and 4 to 33 g/kg, respectively. FoodLift was not effective as a nutrient source for growing cherry tomatoes. Moreover, the cation (K, Ca, and Mg) concentrations appear to significantly differ between FoodLift and CLF grown plants (p < 0.05). For example, for cucumber, Ca content varied from 2 to 18 g/kg for FoodLift grown plants while Ca in CLF-grown cucumber plants ranged from 2 to 28 g/kg. Overall, as suggested in our previous work, FoodLift has the potential to replace CLF in hydroponic systems for lettuce and cucumber. This will lead to sustainable food production, recycling of food waste to produce liquid fertiliser, and will promote a circular economy in nutrient management.

Extraction of Polyphenols and Vitamins Using Biodegradable ATPS Based on Ethyl Lactate

The growing human population, together with the inefficient use of natural resources, has been dramatically increasing the production of food waste, which poses serious economic, environmental, and social problems. Being so, it is necessary to increase the efficiency of food consumption so as to reduce its waste and to convert the remaining residues into societal benefits. Since this biowaste is rich in polyphenols and vitamins, it could become the feedstock for the production of important value-added compounds for the pharmaceutical (e.g., food supplements) and cosmetic (e.g., creams and shampoos) industries. In this work, partition studies of one polyphenol (epicatechin) and two B-complex vitamins (cyanocobalamin and nicotinic acid) were performed in biodegradable Aqueous Two-Phase Systems (ATPS) based on ethyl lactate and on organic salts (disodium tartrate, tripotassium citrate, and trisodium citrate) at 298.15 K and 0.1 MPa. The largest partition coefficient (K) and extraction efficiency (E) were obtained for vitamin B12 (K=78.56, E=97.5%) for the longest tie line TLL=77.66% in the ATPS {ethyl lactate (1) + tripotassium citrate (2) + water (3)}. All the extractions were obtained with low biomolecule mass losses in quantification (<5%) and after a thorough study of pH influence in the UV−Vis absorbance spectra.

Abda E. Recent advances and prospects for industrial waste management and product recovery for environmental appliances

Any material when utilized for a required period of time and segment, the leftover residues of those materials are known as waste. Enormous waste is generated during such wear and tear process of materials depending on the usage and functions in a routine lifestyle. Those generated waste when overloaded beyond the capacity of natural recycling processes, would influence the environment and human health. Hence, the waste generated from used materials should be managed according to the environmental impact. Even though wastes are also sometimes rich in organic compounds, nutrients, and energy resources, they are not experimented and managed appropriately. Recently, different feasible techniques are invented and followed to recover and reuse the efficient resources that can create and support sustainable livelihood by creating green economy effects by reducing waste. In this chapter, the emphasis has been given to providing an overview of recent advancements on bio-based waste management and product recoveries such as microbes mediated approaches, biorefineries for waste valorization, and bioenergy from industrial waste.