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Applied Sciences
Special Issues
Waste Valorization, Green Technologies and Circular Economy
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Waste Valorization, Green Technologies and Circular Economy

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2024 | Viewed by 2118

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Amanda Laca Pérez

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
Interests: enzymatic hydrolysis; fungi; biological treatment; lignocellulosic biomass; cellulose; hemicellulose; lignin
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yolanda Patiño

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Catalysis, Reactors and Control Research Group (CRC), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
Interests: emerging pollutants; adsorption process; electrochemical degradation; sludge valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Daniel Sol

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, C/Julián Clavería s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
Interests: environmental technologies; material science; waste management; water quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global waste generation is continuing to grow today, which entails the need to develop new strategies to convert residues into valuable materials. This affects various different sectors; for example, it is well known that one third of the world’s food produced for human consumption becomes waste every year, whereas sewage sludge management requires important costs, both in economic and environmental terms. In this context, waste valorization is an excellent option to embrace the strategy of the circular economy and sustainable development.

In view of the current situation, this Special Issue aims to compile the latest research on waste valorization topics, including but not limited to the following:

  • Development of green technologies to waste management;
  • Sludge valorization;
  • Wastewater reuse;
  • Obtention of bioactive compounds from food industry residues;
  • Environmental assessment of waste management;
  • Physical, chemical, and biological treatments for waste valorization.

Dr. Amanda Laca Pérez
Dr. Yolanda Patiño
Dr. Daniel Sol
Guest Editors

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. Applied Sciences 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 2400 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

  • waste valorization
  • life cycle assessment
  • circular economy
  • recycling
  • sustainable development

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 479 KiB  
Article
Combined Pre-Treatment Technologies for Cleaning Biogas before Its Upgrading to Biomethane: An Italian Full-Scale Anaerobic Digester Case Study
by Adolfo Le Pera, Miriam Sellaro, Crescenzo Pellegrino, Carlo Limonti and Alessio Siciliano
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(5), 2053; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14052053 - 29 Feb 2024
Viewed by 474
Abstract
Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion contains different types of contaminants, and it is preferable to eliminate those contaminants before biogas’ energetic valorization or upgrading to biomethane as they are harmful to human health and detrimental to combustion engines. This study presents the biogas [...] Read more.
Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion contains different types of contaminants, and it is preferable to eliminate those contaminants before biogas’ energetic valorization or upgrading to biomethane as they are harmful to human health and detrimental to combustion engines. This study presents the biogas cleanup system optimized by an Italian full-scale anaerobic digester treating food waste (FW) and represented by micro-oxygenation, chemical scrubber, cooling, and activated carbon sections. The cleaned biogas is upgraded to biomethane using a membrane-based upgrading unit and injected into the natural gas network for transport sector use. H2S and volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration in raw biogas was reduced from an annual average value of 1207 ppmv and 895 mg/Nm3, respectively, to below 0.1 mg/Nm3 in the final biomethane. In the summer, the H2S average content in raw biogas was 833 ppmv due to a greater presence of low-sulfur-containing vegetables in FW, while in the winter it was an average of 1581 ppmv due to a larger portion of protein-containing FW. On the other hand, raw biogas VOC content in the winter was an average of 1149 mg/Nm3, with respect to 661 mg/Nm3 in the summer, due to the greater consumption of citrus fruits containing high amount of terpene compounds. The concentration of other trace contaminants, such as HCl, NH3, and siloxanes, was lowered from 17, 36, and 0.6 mg/Nm3 in raw biogas, respectively, to below 0.1 mg/Nm3 in the final biomethane. All the considerations and evaluations underlying the technological and plant engineering choices together with the individuation of the best operating conditions are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Valorization, Green Technologies and Circular Economy)
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21 pages, 1662 KiB  
Article
A Green Technology Approach Using Enzymatic Hydrolysis to Valorize Meat Waste as a Way to Achieve a Circular Economy
by Miguel Angulo and Mª Carmen Márquez
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(15), 8763; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13158763 - 29 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1112
Abstract
The retail meat industry produces a significant amount of waste, containing proteins, lipids, and other elements that could serve as the basis for other products. This work presents the results of research on the enzymatic hydrolysis of meat waste as a green technology [...] Read more.
The retail meat industry produces a significant amount of waste, containing proteins, lipids, and other elements that could serve as the basis for other products. This work presents the results of research on the enzymatic hydrolysis of meat waste as a green technology to obtain products with added value as a substitute for other raw materials. pH, temperature, the protease/proteinic substrate ratio (Eo/So), and the lipolase/lipidic substrate ratio (Eo’/So’) were studied as process variables for hydrolysis of proteins and lipids, respectively. Hydrolysis for the recovery of proteins (as protein hydrolysates or collagen) was carried out with the protease Alcalase; pH around 8.0, temperature around 50 °C, and Eo/So around 0.16 AU/g were the optimum process variables’ values for obtaining high amounts of recovered proteins and peptides that are easily digestible and have a pleasant taste. The lipase Resinase was used to hydrolyze the lipids; a clear relationship was observed between Eo’/So’ and the amounts of recovered fatty acids. The optimum process variables’ values were found to be Eo’/So’ around 0.83 kLU/g, pH around 8.0 and temperature around 50 °C. Unsaturated fatty acids prevailed in the final product. For the simultaneous recovery of protein hydrolysates, collagen, and fatty acids, a combination of Alcalase and Resinase was used; the process variables examined included the optimal range of values for Eo/So and Eo’/So’, as well as pH and temperature that were suggested in research for both Alcalase and Resinase, separately. The results showed that the simultaneous process was mainly influenced by the Eo/So and Eo’/So’ ratios, instead of being influenced by the pH and temperature values which were less influential. For Eo/So = 0.16 AU/g, Eo’/So’ = 1.11 kLU/g, pH = 7.5, T = 50 °C, the maximum amounts of products (0.8 kg by kg of dry meat waste) were obtained more economically, where the whole of the proteins and lipids in meat waste were practically recovered. Therefore, in order to preserve a circular economy for retail meat waste, enzymatic hydrolysis is appealing and environmentally friendly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Valorization, Green Technologies and Circular Economy)
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