Waste Biomass Processing and Its Role in Maintaining Plant and Soil Health

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, waste biomass is generated from many sources, ranging from those related to agricultural, horticultural, and forestry production, through to wood processing, paper and cardboard production, food production and processing, and ending with the generation of sewage sludge as a result of municipal wastewater treatment. The number of sources from which biomass comes determines its mass, which gradually increases with the development of industrial civilization and consumerism. In reference to the problems of the presence of various wastes in the environment and their proper management with effective recycling, the circular economy is being introduced. Circular economy ideas perfectly fit the rational management of waste biomass, so most EU countries prohibit the landfill of biowastes and recommend its effective recycling. Two main trends in waste biomass utilization are currently promoted: 1. agricultural = matter recovery (biomass–to–matter): use in agriculture as a fertilizer or in the reclamation of degraded land as a soil amendment, substrate for co-composting; 2. non-agricultural = energy recovery (biomass–to–energy): incineration and alternate thermal methods such as pyrolysis, gasification or co-incineration in cement plants. Considering the high potential of waste biomass, it is reasonable to promote its reuse as matter recovery in the form of fertilizers, which is increasingly seen as a viable option, where the end-product of gasification is essentially safe for use as a soil and plant amendment. At the same time, we must not forget that waste biomass that is not properly processed may pose a risk to the environment, resulting in the presence of potentially toxic elements, phytotoxic substances, pharmaceutical residues, microplastics, or pathogenic organisms.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to analyze all aspects arising from the processing and use of waste biomass in the form of fertilization and the impact on the health of plants and soils. This Special Issue aims to highlight impactful research focusing on the various practical possibilities of using processed waste biomass for agricultural, horticultural, forestry, and reclamation purposes. In this context, the approach to these issues should be multi-directional, covering challenges in the processing of waste biomass (advantages and disadvantages of a given process, process efficiency, economic aspect), valorization of the resulting products (chemical compositions confirming or excluding the fertilizing value), and their impact on the soil and plants (possible changes in soil chemistry and plant quality). This Special Issue will fully embrace inter- and trans-disciplinary studies from multiple disciplines, such as the agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, and processing engineering. Topics should be addressed (but are not limited to) to the following issues:

• innovations in the waste biomass processing process;
• fertilizing value of compost, vermicompost, digestate, biochar as the end products of biomass processing;
• the role and importance of biomass processed in organic amendments as an element of the sustainable management of natural resources;
• the real impact of the biomass used after processing on soil chemistry and plant quality;
• multi-faced valorization of compost, vermicompost, digestate, biochar;
• the balance of gas emissions during biomass processing and soil application of final products of the processing process.

Therefore, research papers and review contributions are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Monika Jakubus
Guest Editor

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• composting
• pyrolysis
• anaerobic digestion
• waste management
• plants
• soils
• organic amendments
• sustainable utilization of waste biomass