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Sustainability
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Agro-Industrial Residues Treatment, Recycling, and Reuse
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Agro-Industrial Residues Treatment, Recycling, and Reuse

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 9342

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Stefano Milia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian National Research Council, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering (CNR-IGAG), 00010 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: municipal and industrial wastewater treatment using biologically mediated processes and technologies; resource recovery from organic residues of different origin through biological and bio-electrochemical processes; recovery of secondary and critical raw materials from mine waste; remediation of multi-contaminated grounwater
Dr. Giovanna Cappai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Assistant professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: solid waste treatment; remediation of contaminated soils; wastewater treatment; particularly on the following research topics: CO2 mineral Sequestration through accelerated carbonation of alkaline residues; hydrothermal carbonization of organic waste; remediation of heavy metals-contaminated soils by phytoremediation or electrokinesis; solid waste mechanical-biological pretreatment, anaerobic digestion of solid waste; optimization and control of biological wastewater treatment plants; biological treatment of wastewater containing bio-recalcitrant organic substances, advanced process for nitrogen removal
Dr. Giorgia De Gioannis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Assistant professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: waste management; resource recovery from waste and by-products through integrated processes; remediation of soils and sediments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Aldo Muntoni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: solid waste management and treatment; recovery of products, compounds and energy from by-products and residues; remediation of contaminated sites and environmental matrices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As renowned experts in the field, you are certainly aware that growing food and biomass production has led to a significant increase in the exploitation of natural resources. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), agriculture alone accounts for about 72% of total freshwater withdrawal, 30% of the world’s available energy is currently consumed by the agri-food system, and 70% of total nitrogen demand will be used for the synthesis of fertilisers in 2022. In addition, the agro-industrial sector is responsible for significant GHG emissions (30% of total global anthropogenic emissions in 2019), the worsening of soil and freshwater quality due to uncontrolled nutrients release, and pollution related to emerging contaminants such as pesticides and antibiotics.

Within this framework, this Special Issue aims to provide an up-to-date set of information on recent advances in the treatment, recycling and reuse of agro-industrial residues. We therefore encourage the submission of original research articles and reviews concerning (but not limited to): agro-industrial residue characterisation and sustainable management; the recovery of energy and nutrients, and the synthesis of value-added chemicals from agro-industrial residues (e.g., livestock manure, food processing effluents, dairy by-products, etc.) through biologically mediated technologies; the biological treatment and reuse of agro-industrial wastewater; the economic and environmental assessment of energy/resource recovery from agro-industrial residues; and discussions of case studies.

Your recent findings on the above-mentioned topics will play an active role in fostering the transition of the agro-industrial sector toward a circular economy-based approach, thus making it more competitive and sustainable.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Stefano Milia
Dr. Giovanna Cappai
Dr. Giorgia De Gioannis
Prof. Dr. Aldo Muntoni
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. Sustainability 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

  • circular economy
  • agro-industry
  • energy recovery
  • nutrients
  • synthesis
  • biological processes

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 13594 KiB  
Article
Enhancing the Fuel Properties of Spent Coffee Grounds through Hydrothermal Carbonization: Output Prediction and Post-Treatment Approaches
by Chau Huyen Dang, Gianluigi Farru, Claudia Glaser, Marcus G. Fischer and Judy A. Libra
Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010338 - 29 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1123
Abstract
The reuse potential for the large annual production of spent coffee grounds (SCGs) is underexploited in most world regions. Hydrochars from SCGs produced via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) have been recognized as a promising solid fuel alternative. To increase demand, optimization of the HTC [...] Read more.
The reuse potential for the large annual production of spent coffee grounds (SCGs) is underexploited in most world regions. Hydrochars from SCGs produced via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) have been recognized as a promising solid fuel alternative. To increase demand, optimization of the HTC and two post-treatment processes, washing and agglomeration, were studied to improve hydrochar in terms of energetic properties, minimizing unwanted substances, and better handling. HTC experiments at three scales (1–18.75 L) and varying process conditions (temperature T (160–250 °C), reaction time t (1–5 h), and solid content %So (6–20%) showed that the higher heating value (HHV) can be improved by up to 46%, and most potential emissions of trace elements from combustion reduced (up to 90%). The HTC outputs (solid yield—SY, HHV, energy yield—EY) were modeled and compared to published genetic programming (GP) models. Both model types predicted the three outputs with low error (<15%) and can be used for process optimization. The efficiency of water washing depended on the HTC process temperature and type of aromatics produced. The furanic compounds were removed (69–100%; 160 °C), while only 34% of the phenolic compounds (240 °C) were washed out. Agglomeration of both wet SCG and its hydrochar is feasible; however, the finer particles of washed hydrochar (240 °C) resulted in larger-sized spherical pellets (85% > 2000–4000 µm) compared to SCGs (only 4%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Industrial Residues Treatment, Recycling, and Reuse)
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26 pages, 4650 KiB  
Article
Separation, Isolation, and Enrichment of Samples of Phenolic Compounds from Winemaking By-Products
by Andreas D. Zentelis, Michael P. Kodjapashis, Nikodimos Kotrotsos, Dimitris P. Zagklis, Varvara Sygouni, Fotini N. Lamari and Christakis A. Paraskeva
Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12221; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612221 - 10 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1622
Abstract
Grapes, especially those of the red varieties, have a high content of polyphenolic compounds. After the removal of the juice during the winemaking process, the grape marc (peels and seeds) remains as waste, making it a promising source for the isolation of polyphenols. [...] Read more.
Grapes, especially those of the red varieties, have a high content of polyphenolic compounds. After the removal of the juice during the winemaking process, the grape marc (peels and seeds) remains as waste, making it a promising source for the isolation of polyphenols. The separation, recovery, and enrichment of samples of phenolic compounds offers the possibility of their subsequent utilization in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. In this paper, results are presented on both laboratory and pilot scales, including the effect of basic extraction parameters such as the solvent (water, ethanol, acetone, polyethylene glycol, ethyl acetate, and their respective 50% aqueous solutions), the solid/liquid ratio, the extraction time, and the temperature. The enrichment of the extracts in phenolic compounds was performed with the help of a series of membrane processes and rotary evaporation. The experiments showed the presence of almost all known compounds reported in the literature with pro-anthocyanidins (dimers-trimers) and flavan-3-ols together with various metabolites accompanied by a significant reduction in the values of total organic load. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Industrial Residues Treatment, Recycling, and Reuse)
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14 pages, 2217 KiB  
Article
Efficient Nitrogen Recovery from Agro-Energy Effluents for Cyanobacteria Cultivation (Spirulina)
by Luca Attene, Andrea Deiana, Alessandra Carucci, Giorgia De Gioannis, Fabiano Asunis and Claudio Ledda
Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 675; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010675 - 30 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2051
Abstract
The present study aimed to obtain an efficient liquid nitrogen fertilizer from the by-product of anaerobic digestion for its subsequent use in the production of cyanobacteria (Spirulina). A simple recovery technology was tested based on the stripping and acid absorption, modifying [...] Read more.
The present study aimed to obtain an efficient liquid nitrogen fertilizer from the by-product of anaerobic digestion for its subsequent use in the production of cyanobacteria (Spirulina). A simple recovery technology was tested based on the stripping and acid absorption, modifying temperature (50 and 70 °C) and pH (10 and 12), of the ammonia nitrogen contained in the digestate produced in a large-scale plant treating livestock manure and grass silage. The results demonstrated how, at a relatively low temperature (50 °C), using sulfuric and citric acid solution, it is possible to recover nitrogen from a digestate in the form of ammonium sulfate and ammonium citrate with yields of 70% and 72.1% respectively. By carrying out Spirulina growth tests, promising results were obtained under semicontinuous production, with a maximum dry biomass daily productivity of 0.344 g L−1 day−1 with ammonium sulfate and 0.246 gDW L−1 day−1 with ammonium citrate. The results showed that nitrogen can be efficiently recovered on site by using the organic acid, digestate and waste heat from anaerobic digestion for Spirulina biomass production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Industrial Residues Treatment, Recycling, and Reuse)
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12 pages, 1993 KiB  
Article
Opportunities and Challenges from Symbiosis of Agro-Industrial Residue Anaerobic Digestion with Microalgae Cultivation
by Grazia Policastro, Alessandra Cesaro, Massimiliano Fabbricino and Francesco Pirozzi
Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15607; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315607 - 23 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1188
Abstract
During the last few years, many studies have tested microalgal systems for nitrogen removal from the digestate. However, most of these studies were carried out using pure culture microalgal strains, which require aseptic conditions and thus cannot be used in full-scale applications. The [...] Read more.
During the last few years, many studies have tested microalgal systems for nitrogen removal from the digestate. However, most of these studies were carried out using pure culture microalgal strains, which require aseptic conditions and thus cannot be used in full-scale applications. The aim of the present study was to explore opportunities in and challenges of the industrial symbiosis of anaerobic digestion and microalgae cultivation to enhance agro-industrial residue management. Batch tests were carried out to investigate the use of a mixed (open) microalgal consortium to treat the liquid fraction of the digestate for nitrogen removal. Preliminary experiments were performed to choose the carbon supply condition optimizing the growth of the open mixed consortium. In detail, the investigated carbon sources were bicarbonate, under two different carbon to nitrogen ratios, CO2 via the free surface and CO2 via air flushing. Further tests were conducted to compare the use of ammoniacal and nitric nitrogen sources. Then, the effectiveness of the liquid fraction of the digestate as nitrogen source was assessed. The highest biomass concentration of 1.6 g L−1 was obtained using CO2 as carbon source via air flushing as feeding strategy and ammoniacal nitrogen. Biomass production was lower (0.6 g L−1) under the digestate. Nonetheless, due to a probable symbiosis between microalgae and bacteria, a total nitrogen removal of 98.5% was achieved, which was the highest obtained in the present study. Such experimental results address the identification of the steps needed for larger-scale application of combined anaerobic digestion and mixed microalgal systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Industrial Residues Treatment, Recycling, and Reuse)
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17 pages, 3266 KiB  
Article
Combining Different Approaches for Grape Pomace Valorization: Polyphenols Extraction and Composting of the Exhausted Biomass
by Matteo Perra, Alba Cuena-Lombraña, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Maria Letizia Manca, Maria Manconi, Richard G. Maroun, Aldo Muntoni, Carlo Ignazio Giovanni Tuberoso, Katarzyna A. Gil and Giorgia De Gioannis
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10690; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710690 - 27 Aug 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2541
Abstract
Grape pomace represents 60%, by weight, of the solid side-streams of the wine-making process. The quantities produced, seasonality, and the presence of polyphenols pose economic and environmental issues that require proper management approaches based on the principles of sustainability and circular economy. The [...] Read more.
Grape pomace represents 60%, by weight, of the solid side-streams of the wine-making process. The quantities produced, seasonality, and the presence of polyphenols pose economic and environmental issues that require proper management approaches based on the principles of sustainability and circular economy. The present work focuses on the combined application of solid–liquid extraction of polyphenols from ground grape pomace using a hydroethanolic mixture and the composting of the exhausted pomace. The obtained results support the possibility of recovering approximately 76.5 g of extract per kg of dry grape pomace (or 1.8 g of total phenols per kg of dry grape pomace). The composting process was not affected by the extraction process. On the contrary, the composting process was enhanced by the pomace particle size reduction, in terms of final biostability and content of humic acids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agro-Industrial Residues Treatment, Recycling, and Reuse)
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