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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemoenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 12197

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiuping Tao

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Guest Editor

Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sichuan 610213, China
Interests: livestock environment; animal manure; waste water; rural waste; environmental risk; pollution control

Dr. Dongdong Zhang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
Interests: organic waste treatment; torrefaction; growing media; peat alternative
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Dr. Rui Yang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, China
Interests: soilless cultivation; plant nutrition
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture produced 23.7 million tons of food per day worldwide in 2017 according to the FAO. The world’s population has risen from 7.5 billion in 2017 to 7.9 billion in 2021, and is predicted to reach 9 billion in 2050, suggesting an increasing demand of food and natural resources for humans. Crop and livestock production will have to be scaled, which will be accompanied by an increasing amount of agricultural wastes, including crop waste, livestock manure, and plastic waste. Agricultural wastes have created ecological and environmental problems throughout the world due to the absence of appropriate management, especially in rural areas. In addition, 3.4 billion people lived in rural areas, the household wastes in rural areas require proper disposal, otherwise leading to public health issues and environmental pollution (e.g., eutrophication of surface waters and greenhouse gas emissions). Since many agricultural wastes and rural household wastes contain recoverable valuable resources such as organic matter, nutrients, energy, and water, resource recovery from these wastes is promising and inevitable for the sustainable management of wastes and natural resources as well as improving food security and public health and supporting local ecosystems. We will accept manuscripts from different disciplines aiming to collect, reuse, recycle, and reduce wastes. Wastes include but are not limited to crop straw, agricultural film, feces, household waste, kitchen waste, and livestock and poultry waste.

Prof. Dr. Xiuping Tao
Dr. Rui Yang
Dr. Dongdong Zhang
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Turning Frequency on the Survival of Fecal Indicator Microorganisms during Aerobic Composting of Fecal Sludge with Sawdust

by Musa Manga, Chimdi Muoghalu, Miller A. Camargo-Valero and Barbara E. Evans

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2668; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032668 - 2 Feb 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2594

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of turning frequency on survival of fecal indicator pathogens (E. coli, Enterococcus spp., Salmonella spp. and helminth eggs) during fecal sludge (FS) co-composting with sawdust. Dewatered FS was mixed with sawdust and composted on a pilot scale using different turning frequencies—i.e., 3 days (3TF), 7 days (7TF), and 14 days (14TF). Composting piles were monitored weekly for survival of fecal indicator microorganisms and evolution of selected physical and chemical characteristics for 14 weeks. Our results show that turning frequency has a statistically significant (p < 0.05) effect on pathogen inactivation in FS compost. The 3TF piles exhibited shorter pathogen inactivation periods (8 weeks) than 7TF and 14TF piles (10 weeks). Temperature-time was found to be the major factor responsible for the survival of pathogens in FS composting piles, followed by indigenous microbial activities and toxic by-products (monitored as NH₄⁺-N). Our study findings suggest that even at low composting temperatures, the high turning frequency can enhance pathogen inactivation. This is a significant finding for composting activities in some rural areas where suitable organic solid waste for co-composting with FS to attain the recommended high thermophilic conditions could be greatly lacking. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Rural Waste Management)

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14 pages, 881 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Farmers’ Preference for Participating in Rural Solid Waste Management: A Case Study from Shaanxi Province, China

by Wenyan Wu, Lu Li, Hanxin Chen, Minyue Xu and Yalin Yuan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14440; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114440 - 4 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1560

Abstract

Rural solid waste management is an important method to improve rural living environments. Farmers’ participation in rural solid waste management plays an essential role in sustainable waste management. Based on the micro-survey data of 592 farmers in Shaanxi province, a multinomial logit model was applied to explore farmers’ preferences for participating in rural solid waste management. The empirical results show that both institutional and interpersonal trust have significant positive effects on farmers’ payment participation, and labor and payment participation. Among environmental awareness, farmers with pro-environmental behavior prefer labor participation, and labor and payment participation; the more environmental knowledge farmers have, the stronger their preferences for payment participation, labor and payment participation, and labor participation; farmers concerned about environmental problems are more inclined to adopt labor and payment participation or payment participation. For socio-demographic characteristics, gender has no significant influence, while agricultural net income and education can significantly increase farmers’ willingness to participate; farmers who have migrant work experience prefer to participate in payment; there are obvious intergenerational differences in the influence of social trust and environmental awareness on farmers’ participation preference. Therefore, providing diversified participation modes, creating a good social trust environment, and enhancing farmers’ awareness of environmental care are important in promoting rural solid waste management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Rural Waste Management)

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14 pages, 1364 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Factors Affect Farmers’ Levels of Domestic Waste Sorting Behavior? A Case Study from Shaanxi Province, China

by Yalin Yuan, Minyue Xu and Hanxin Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12141; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912141 - 25 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1804

Abstract

Waste sorting is a key element for solving the current predicament of rural waste management. In the pilot areas of China, farmers’ domestic waste sorting behavior (DWSB) varies significantly, whereas there are few studies exploring the mechanism of its formation. To fill this research gap, this study constructs a research model of the internal logic of farmers’ waste sorting levels (i.e., no sorting; sorting recyclable waste; sorting recyclable and kitchen waste; and sorting recyclable, kitchen, harmful, and other waste) by considering circumstantial constraints (social norms in external factors) and psychological behavioral antecedents (personal norms and group identity in internal factors). Based on pilot survey data from farmers in Shaanxi Province, China, the results of the ordered logit model indicate that social norms and personal norms were the most significant predictors of the level of DWSB, while group identity was found to have no significant influence. Furthermore, the results of the grouping regression analysis showed that personal norms had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between social norms and farmers’ DWSB. Therefore, a more positive social atmosphere, better education, and personal environmental moral responsibility for domestic waste sorting should be established to enhance their levels of waste sorting behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Rural Waste Management)

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22 pages, 2148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recycling of Faecal Sludge: Nitrogen, Carbon and Organic Matter Transformation during Co-Composting of Faecal Sludge with Different Bulking Agents

by Musa Manga, Barbara E. Evans, Tula M. Ngasala and Miller A. Camargo-Valero

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10592; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710592 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2754

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of locally available bulking agents on the faecal sludge (FS) composting process and quality of the final FS compost. Dewatered FS was mixed with sawdust, coffee husk and brewery waste, and composted on a pilot scale. The evolution of physical and chemical characteristics of the composting materials was monitored weekly. Results indicate that bulking agents have a statistically significant effect (p < 0.0001) on the evolution of composting temperatures, pH, electrical conductivity, nitrogen forms, organic matter mineralisation, total organic carbon, maturity indices, quality of the final compost and composting periods during FS composting. Our results suggest reliable maturity indices for mature and stable FS compost. From the resource recovery perspective, this study suggests sawdust as a suitable bulking agent for co-composting with FS—as it significantly reduced the organic matter losses and nitrogen losses (to 2.2%), and improved the plant growth index, thus improving the agronomic values of the final compost as a soil conditioner. FS co-composting can be considered a sustainable and decentralised treatment option for FS and other organic wastes in the rural and peri-urban communities, especially, where there is a strong practice of reusing organic waste in agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Rural Waste Management)

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16 pages, 1090 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Steam-Exploded Pruning Waste as Peat Substitute: Physiochemical Properties, Phytotoxicity and Their Implications for Plant Cultivation

by Rui Yang, Xuejiao Chen, Dongdong Zhang, Hong Wang, Wanlai Zhou, Wei Lin and Zhiyong Qi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5328; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095328 - 27 Apr 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1773

Abstract

Peat is a nonrenewable resource that we are using at alarming rates. Development of peat alternative from pruning waste (PW) could be a cost- and environment-friendly way of disposal. Steam explosion (SE) is a commonly used pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass, but its impact on the properties of PW as a growing substrate is largely unknown. To address this issue, PW was treated using five SE temperatures (160, 175, 190, 205 and 220 °C) and three retention times (1, 3 and 5 min) and evaluated for key traits of growing substrate. Results indicate that bulk density, total porosity, EC, total carbon, and concentration of phytotoxins including phenol, flavonoid, and alkaloid significantly increased or tended to increase with increasing temperature and/or retention time. A reversed trend was observed for water-holding capacity, pH, content of hemicellulose and lignin, and germination index. Cation exchange capacity and total N showed minimal response to SE. Steam explosion had inconsistent impacts on acid soluble nutrients. Phytotoxicity was a major factor limiting the use of SE-treated PW as growing substrate. Higher pretreatment severity led to higher phytotoxicity but also facilitated subsequent phytotoxicity removal by torrefaction. Pruning waste treated by SE and torrefaction under certain conditions may be used as peat substitute for up to 40% (v/v). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Rural Waste Management)

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