A Review of Sorting and Separating Technologies Suitable for Compostable and Biodegradable Plastic Packaging

As a result of public pressure and government legislation to reduce plastic waste there has been a sharp rise in the manufacture and use of alternatives to conventional plastics including compostable and biodegradable plastics. If these plastics are not collected separately, they can contaminate plastic recycling, organic waste streams, and the environment. To deal with this contamination requires effective identification and sorting of these different polymer types to ensure they are separated and composted at end of life. This review provides the comprehensive overview of the identification and sorting technologies that can be applied to sort compostable and biodegradable plastics including gravity-based sorting, flotation sorting, triboelectrostatic sorting, image-based sorting, spectral based sorting, hyperspectral imaging and tracer-based sorting. The advantages and limitations of each sorting approach are discussed within a circular economy framework

Composting modelling : towards a better understanding of the fundamentals, applications for enhanced nutrient recycling, greenhouse gas reduction, and improved decision-making

Cette thèse de doctorat vise à consolider, développer et appliquer nos connaissances sur la modélisation du compostage, dans le but de fournir des informations, des outils et des perspectives accessibles et utilisables pour les chercheurs et les décideurs. L'espoir est que les travaux développés tout au long de cette thèse puissent aider à optimiser les procédés de compostage, notamment en réduisant les émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) et en améliorant le recyclage des nutriments. A ce titre, la thèse est divisée en trois phases : (1) la phase 1 est une consolidation et un développement des notions fondamentales de la modélisation du compostage, (2) suivie de la phase 2, où la modélisation de la perte de nutriments et des émissions de GES est étudiée, (3) avec la phase 3 qui est axée sur la manière d'assurer que ce travail puisse être utilisé par les décideurs et acteurs dans le milieu de compostage. Dans la première phase, une revue complète et systématique de l'ensemble de la littérature sur la modélisation du compostage a été entreprise (chapitre 2), cherchant à fournir une meilleure compréhension du travail qui a été fait et sur la direction des travaux futurs. Ceci a été suivi d'une étudie détaillée des approches de modélisation cinétique actuelles, notamment par rapport aux facteurs de corrections cinétiques appliqués à travers le domaine (chapitre 3). La phase 2 s'est ensuite focalisée sur les notions spécifiques relatives aux émissions de GES et aux pertes de nutriments lors du compostage, et à la modélisation de ces phénomènes. Cette thèse présente les réacteurs expérimentaux et le plan conçu pour suivre et évaluer le processus de compostage (chapitre 4), ainsi que le modèle de compostage compréhensif développé pour prédire avec précision les émissions et la transformation des nutriments pendant le compostage (chapitre 5). Enfin, la phase 3 visait à rendre ces informations facilement et largement utilisables. Cela a commencé par une évaluation des meilleures pratiques pour développer des modèles et des systèmes d'aide à la décision pour la prise de décision environnementale (chapitre 6), suivi par le développement de nouvelles approches de modélisation cinétique simples (chapitre 7), culminant avec le développement, l'ajustement paramétrique et la validation d'un modèle de compostage parcimonieux (chapitre 8). Grâce à ce travail, une base consolidée de l'état actuel de la modélisation du compostage a été développée, suivie par l'exploration et le développement de connaissances et d'outils à la fois fondamentaux et applicables.This PhD thesis aims consolidating, developing, and applying our knowledge on composting modelling, with the goal of providing accessible and usable information, tools, and perspectives for researchers and decision-makers alike. The hope is that the work developed throughout this dissertation can help in optimizing composting, notably by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving nutrient recycling. As such, the thesis is divided into three phases: (1) phase 1 is a consolidation and development of the fundamentals of composting modelling, (2) followed by phase 2, where the modelling of nutrient loss and GHG emissions is investigated, (3) with phase 3 focusing on how to ensure that this work can be used by decision-makers. In the first phase, a comprehensive and systematic review of the entirety of the literature on composting modelling was undertaken (chapter 2), seeking to provide a better understanding on the work that has been done and guidance on where future work should focus and how it should be approached. This review then raised some interesting questions regarding modelling approaches, notably regarding modelling of composting kinetics, which was studied in detail through the evaluation of current modelling approaches (chapter 3). Phase 2 then focused on the specific notions relating to GHG emissions and nutrient loss during composting, and how to model these phenomena. This section starts with a presentation of the experimental reactors and plan designed to monitor and evaluate the composting process (chapter 4), followed by the comprehensive composting model developed to accurately predict emissions and nutrient transformation during composting (chapter 5). Finally, phase 3 aimed to make this information easily and widely usable, especially for decision-makers. This started with a review on the best practices to develop models and decision support systems for environmental decision-making (chapter 6), followed by the development of novel simple kinetic modelling approaches (chapter 7), culminating with the development, calibration, and validation of a parsimonious composting model (chapter 8). Through this work, a consolidated basis of the current state on composting modelling has been developed, followed-up by the exploration and development of both fundamental and applicable knowledge and tools

Kyoto University International ONLINE Symposium 2021 on Education and Research in Global Environmental Studies in Asia : Restarting International Cooperation After Covid-19 Pandemic

Kyoto University International ONLINE Symposium 2021 on Education and Research in Global Environmental Studies in Asia : Restarting International Cooperation After Covid-19 PandemicDate: NOV.29 (Mon.) to NOV.30 (Tue.), 2021Organized by: Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES)Supported by: MEXT supporting project “Kyoto University Environmental Innovator Program–Cultivating Environmental Leaders across ASEAN Region”Study Field 1; Engineering・Technology・Science; E01-E40, except E02, E08, E17, E39Study Field 2; Agriculture・Forestry・Biology; A01-A20Study Field 3; Rural & Urban Development; R01-R16, E02, E08, E17, E39Study Field 4; Policy・Economics・Culture; P01-P1

Multivariate Analysis in Management, Engineering and the Sciences

Recently statistical knowledge has become an important requirement and occupies a prominent position in the exercise of various professions. In the real world, the processes have a large volume of data and are naturally multivariate and as such, require a proper treatment. For these conditions it is difficult or practically impossible to use methods of univariate statistics. The wide application of multivariate techniques and the need to spread them more fully in the academic and the business justify the creation of this book. The objective is to demonstrate interdisciplinary applications to identify patterns, trends, association sand dependencies, in the areas of Management, Engineering and Sciences. The book is addressed to both practicing professionals and researchers in the field

From a Lose–Lose to a Win–Win Situation: User-Friendly Biomass Models for Acacia longifolia to Aid Research, Management and Valorisation

Woody invasive species pose a big threat to ecosystems worldwide. Among them, Acacia longifolia is especially aggressive, fundamentally changing ecosystem structure through massive biomass input. This biomass is rarely harvested for usage; thus, these plants constitute a nuisance for stakeholders who invest time and money for control without monetary return. Simultaneously, there is an increased effort to valorise its biomass, e.g., for compost, growth substrate or as biofuel. However, to incentivise A. longifolia harvest and usage, stakeholders need to be able to estimate what can be obtained from management actions. Thus, the total biomass and its quality (C/N ratio) need to be predicted to perform cost–benefit analyses for usage and determine the level of invasion that has already occurred. Here, we report allometric biomass models for major biomass pools, as well as give an overview of biomass quality. Subsequently, we derive a simplified volume-based model (BM ~ 6.297 + 0.982 × Vol; BM = total dry biomass and Vol = plant volume), which can be applied to remote sensing data or with in situ manual measurements. This toolkit will help local stakeholders, forest managers or municipalities to predict the impact and valorisation potential of this invasive species and could ultimately encourage its management.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Monitoring biological wastewater treatment processes: Recent advances in spectroscopy applications

Biological processes based on aerobic and anaerobic technologies have been continuously developed to wastewater treatment and are currently routinely employed to reduce the contaminants discharge levels in the environment. However, most methodologies commonly applied for monitoring key parameters are labor intensive, time-consuming and just provide a snapshot of the process. Thus, spectroscopy applications in biological processes are, nowadays, considered a rapid and effective alternative technology for real-time monitoring though still lacking implementation in full-scale plants. In this review, the application of spectroscopic techniques to aerobic and anaerobic systems is addressed focusing on UV--Vis, infrared, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, chemometric techniques, valuable tools to extract the relevant data, are also referred. To that effect, a detailed analysis is performed for aerobic and anaerobic systems to summarize the findings that have been obtained since 2000. Future prospects for the application of spectroscopic techniques in biological wastewater treatment processes are further discussed.The authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and the project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. The authors also acknowledge the financial support to Daniela P. Mesquita and Cristina Quintelas through the postdoctoral Grants (SFRH/BPD/82558/2011 and SFRH/BPD/101338/2014) provided by FCT - Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessment of microalgal biomass as a potential feedstock for sustainable, eco-friendly biostimulants and biopesticides in plant production

O uso excessivo e contínuo de agroquímicos, fertilizantes sintéticos e pesticidas, levou à poluição antropogénica de nutrientes, tendo causado um grande número de degradações ambientais. Além disso, os agroquímicos são poluentes ambientais que podem causar graves problemas de saúde humana. A expansão global de "zonas mortas" nos oceanos, nas quais os baixos níveis de oxigénio ameaçam a vida marinha, é apenas um dos muitos sinais de alerta de que medidas contrárias são necessárias com urgência. Os bioestimulantes e biopesticidas à base de microalgas representam uma alternativa promissora para alcançar uma maior sustentabilidade na agricultura moderna. A biomassa de microalgas contém numerosos aminoácidos e fitohormonas que promovem o crescimento das plantas, podendo aumentar a produtividade das culturas, estimulando o crescimento da raiz e da canópia. Além disso, sabe-se que as microalgas inibem o crescimento de vários agentes fitopatogénicos, devido às suas propriedades antimicrobianas, podendo ser uma alternativa sustentável aos pesticidas sintéticos no setor agrícola. Neste estudo, focámo-nos na aplicação de extratos aquosos de microalgas como fungicidas contra Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea e Alternaria alternata. Esses fungos são agentes causais de doenças frequentes na agricultura, ameaçando a segurança alimentar global. As informações disponíveis, relacionadas com a utilização de microalgas na proteção de plantas e bioestimulação, são ainda escassas, embora as microalgas possam desempenhar um papel importante no desenvolvimento da agricultura sustentável. Secundariamente, sabendo-se que o uso agrícola de compostos de resíduos orgânicos apresenta vários benefícios relacionados com a fertilidade do solo e a resistência das plantas a algumas doenças, avaliou-se o efeito daquelas microalgas na compostagem de uma mistura de resíduos agrícolas comuns na região, devido à possibilidade de as microalgas poderem apresentar alguma influência na atividade microbiana responsável pela compostagem. O principal objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar as propriedades bioestimulantes e biofungicidas de microalgas e a sua capacidade de melhorar o processo de compostagem de resíduos orgânicos para um objetivo final de tornar a agricultura mais sustentável através do uso destes microrganismos fotossintéticos, nomeadamente Scenedesmus sp., Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis sp., Arthrospira (Spirulina) sp. e Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Para atingir o objetivo supracitado, os objetivos específicos desta dissertação são: (1) avaliar o controle de doenças de plantas com extratos aquosos de microalgas in vitro, e (2) avaliar e caracterizar processos de compostagem enriquecidos com microalgas. O Capítulo II descreve a aplicação promissora de extratos aquosos de Nannochloropsis sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Scenedesmus obliquus e Spirulina sp. in vitro para o desenvolvimento de antifúngicos de origem algal. A supressão do crescimento por estes extratos foi observada nos fungos fitopatogénicos Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani e Botrytis cinerea. De facto, as espécies de microalgas são uma fonte promissora de agentes antifúngicos não prejudiciais ao meio ambiente que podem reduzir o uso de fungicidas sintéticos e limitar o impacto ecológico do setor agrícola. Uma vez que a maioria dos estudos se foca nas propriedades antifúngicas de cianobactérias procarióticas, o presente estudo visou preencher a lacuna de conhecimento sobre o uso de microalgas eucarióticas como agentes antifúngicos. Para evitar métodos complexos de extração e etapas de purificação, que aumentam os custos e restringem as aplicações em larga escala de fungicidas à base de algas, foi usada uma extração simples à base de água. Assim, foram investigadas as propriedades de extratos aquosos de microalgas eucarióticas (Nannochloropsis sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Scenedesmus obliquus e Chlorella vulgaris) e procarióticas (Spirulina sp.) in vitro quanto à sua atividade inibidora em relação aos fungos fitopatogénicos Sclerotium rolfsii e Alternaria alternata. A análise estatística revelou que Scenedesmus obliquus apresentou a maior atividade antifúngica de todas as estirpes de microalgas contra Sclerotium rolfsii, com inibições de crescimento de até 32,01 ± 4,82%. Nannochloropsis sp. mitigou Sclerotium rolfsii em até 13,96 ± 5,26%, enquanto Phaeodactylum tricornutum suprimiu o crescimento de Sclerotium rolfsii e Rhizoctonia solani em até 18,35 ± 3,45% (p <0,05). Além disso, Phaeodactylum tricornutum e Scenedesmus obliquus inibiram o crescimento de Botrytis cinerea em até 11,47 ± 2,06% (p <0,05). Assim, esses resultados sugerem que microalgas com atividade fungicida podem contribuir para uma agricultura mais sustentável ao inibir o crescimento de fitopatógenos fúngicos. No Capítulo III, encontra-se descrita a utilização de microalgas no processo de compostagem. Mais especificamente, este estudo investigou a suplementação de uma mistura de resíduos orgânicos com biomassa de microalgas secas de Nannochloropsis sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Scenedesmus obliquus e Chlorella vulgaris. Até onde sabemos, este é o primeiro relatório que analisou o enriquecimento de materiais de compostagem frescos com pó de microalga seca. Uma vez que as microalgas produzem vários aminoácidos e fitohormonas que promovem o crescimento das plantas, seria de esperar que elas poderiam melhorar ainda mais as características dos compostos estimulantes das plantas, como a liberação de nutrientes que promovem o crescimento. As taxas de decomposição dependem das atividades metabólicas das populações microbianas que dependem, por sua vez, da disponibilidade de vários micro- e macronutrientes. Portanto, a co-compostagem de biomassa de microalgas rica em nutrientes poderá moldar comunidades microbianas e melhorar a qualidade do composto final com base na riqueza em nutrientes, como fósforo, azoto e potássio. Devido ao seu potencial para transformar e reciclar resíduos de diferentes origens em matéria orgânica, a compostagem terá um papel fundamental no caminho para uma sociedade mais sustentável. Em termos gerais, não foram observadas grandes variações nos parâmetros de pH, condutividade elétrica, matéria orgânica, matéria mineral, temperatura, volume e fitotoxicidade entre todas as pilhas de compostagem modificadas com microalgas, quando comparadas com o composto controlo (fase final). Portanto, o composto fortificado com microalgas poderá ser considerado uma alternativa sustentável promissora para aumentar ainda mais a produtividade das culturas no setor agrícola global, mas que requer ainda verificação experimental em ensaios de campo ou estufa.Continuous overuse of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides (agrochemicals) has led to excessive anthropogenic nutrient pollution and caused a vast number of environmental degradations. The global expansion of "dead zones" in the world's oceans, where oxygen-depleted water bodies threaten marine life, is just one of many warning signs indicating that counteractive measures are urgently needed. Moreover, long-term exposure to agrochemicals can cause major human health issues. Microalgae-based biostimulants and biopesticides represent a promising alternative to reduce those negative effects and achieve a higher sustainable value in modern agriculture. Microalgal biomass contains numerous plant growth-promoting amino acids and phytohormones that increase crop productivity by stimulating root and shoot growth. Compost can be seen as effective carrier for these bioactive compounds and may be applied as enriching soil amendment. Moreover, microalgae were found to inhibit the growth of several pathogens due to their antimicrobial properties. Hence, they can be seen as sustainable alternative for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural and horticultural sector. In this study we focused on the application of aqueous microalgal extracts as fungicides against the phytopathogenic fungi Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata. Those fungi are dominant causal agents for common diseases in agriculture and considered as major threat for global food security. Even though microalgae could play a major role in sustainable agriculture development, available literature related to microalgal crop protection and biostimulation is still scarce. Chapter II describes the promising antifungal application of aqueous extracts from Nannochloropsis sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Scenedesmus obliquus and Spirulina sp. in vitro. Growth suppression was observed against the phytopathogenic fungi Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani and Botrytis cinerea. In Chapter III, no major parameter variations in pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, mineral matter, temperature, volume and phytotoxicity were observed among all microalgae-amended composting piles, when compared with the control compost (final phase). Future studies will evaluate the biostimulant properties of these composts in vivo

Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation

Soil degradation is one of the most topical environmental threats. A number of processes causing soil degradation, specifically erosion, compaction, salinization, pollution, and loss of both organic matter and soil biodiversity, are also strictly connected to agricultural activity and its intensification. The development and adoption of sustainable agronomic practices able to preserve and enhance the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils and improve agroecosystem functions is a challenge for both scientists and farmers. The Special Issue entitled “Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation” collects 12 original contributions addressing the state of the art of sustainable agriculture and soil conservation. The papers cover a wide range of topics, including organic agriculture, soil amendment and soil organic carbon (SOC) management, the impact of SOC on soil water repellency, the effects of soil tillage on the quantity of SOC associated with several fractions of soil particles and depth, and SOC prediction, using visible and near-infrared spectra and multivariate modeling. Moreover, the effects of some soil contaminants (e.g., crude oil, tungsten, copper, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are discussed or reviewed in light of the recent literature. The collection of the manuscripts presented in this Special Issue provides a relevant knowledge contribution for improving our understanding on sustainable agriculture and soil conservation, thus stimulating new views on this main topic