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Life Cycle Assessment of Agri-Food Industries and Agri-Food Waste Management
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Life Cycle Assessment of Agri-Food Industries and Agri-Food Waste Management

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 23 September 2024 | Viewed by 2245

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Poritosh Roy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Green Tech Agri-Food & Innovation Canada and School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Interests: agri-food waste; biomass conversion; biomaterials; sustainable management; LCA; LCC
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bassim Abbassi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Interests: solid waste; wastewater; sustainable management; LCA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The agri-food industry and agri-food waste have attracted significant attention due to growing concerns about food security and climate change. Numerous efforts are underway to valorize agri-food waste for alternative applications. The valorization of agri-food waste and its applications have been particularly emphasized to promote a circular economy. It is thus critical we determine the environmental and economic prospects of agri-food waste valorization processes and their end-use.  

This Special Issue calls for manuscripts on the technoeconomic and environmental prospects of the agri-food industry and agri-food waste management that can inform policymakers and environmental activists of their sustainability. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Submissions may report experimental results, theoretical analysis, and/or modeling of agri-food industry and agri-food waste management systems that demonstrate their environmental and economic prospects.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Poritosh Roy
Dr. Bassim Abbassi
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

  • agri-food industry
  • agri-food waste
  • valorization
  • end-use
  • life cycle assessment
  • life cycle cost
  • sustainability

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2004 KiB  
Article
Production Cost of Biocarbon and Biocomposite, and Their Prospects in Sustainable Biobased Industries
by Poritosh Roy, Arturo Rodriguez-Uribe, Amar K. Mohanty, Devashish Pujari, Mike Tiessen, Atul Bali and Manjusri Misra
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5633; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135633 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 534
Abstract
This study evaluated the economic prospects of biocarbon and biocomposite in the automotive industry and bioeconomy. The production cost of biocarbon produced from Miscanthus (a perennial grass), biocarbon-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composite (hereafter referred to as biocomposite), and automotive components are determined. The production [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the economic prospects of biocarbon and biocomposite in the automotive industry and bioeconomy. The production cost of biocarbon produced from Miscanthus (a perennial grass), biocarbon-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composite (hereafter referred to as biocomposite), and automotive components are determined. The production cost of biocomposite was compared with inorganic filler-reinforced polymer composite (a conventional composite, i.e., talc reinforced PP composite). The production cost of biocarbon and biocomposite is estimated to be $513.1/ton and between $3536.7–$3647.3/ton, respectively (all dollar figures are in Canadian dollars). On the other hand, the cost of the conventional composite is likely to be $3544.8/ton. However, the production cost of an automotive component can be reduced by 9–11% compared with the conventional component if the components are produced from biocomposite. Further, this study determined the net present values (NPV) of a biocarbon plant and a composite manufacturing plant. The NPV of a biocarbon plant ($42.9 million) and a composite manufacturing plant ($34.0–$34.8 million for biocomposite and $34.7 million for conventional composite) showed that both the biocarbon and composite manufacturing phases are economically attractive. We concluded that by taking an industrial symbiosis approach, the biocomposite industry can be financially more attractive and contribute more to the bioeconomy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Agri-Food Industries and Agri-Food Waste Management)
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11 pages, 1461 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Solid Biofuel Production: Transforming Sewage Sludge and Pinus sp. Sawdust into Resources for the Circular Economy
by Alex Borges Pereira, Antonio José Vinha Zanuncio, Amélia Guimarães Carvalho, Angélica de Cassia Oliveira Carneiro, Vinícius Resende de Castro, Ana Marcia Macedo Ladeira Carvalho, Olivia Pereira Lopes, Monique Branco-Vieira, Marcos Vinícius Ferreira, Rosana Maria Nascimento de Assunção and Solange de Oliveira Araujo
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4554; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114554 - 27 May 2024
Viewed by 684
Abstract
The lack of adequate sanitation in Brazil overloads the health system and causes deaths. The utilization of sewage sludge hinders advancements in water treatment. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of producing briquettes by blending sewage sludge with Pinus sp. sawdust. The [...] Read more.
The lack of adequate sanitation in Brazil overloads the health system and causes deaths. The utilization of sewage sludge hinders advancements in water treatment. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of producing briquettes by blending sewage sludge with Pinus sp. sawdust. The sewage sludge was sourced from a water treatment facility, while the Pinus sp. sawdust was obtained from a sawmill. Elemental analysis, proximate analysis, and calorific value were evaluated for both biomasses. Briquettes were manufactured using a hydraulic press, varying the proportion of sewage sludge from 0% to 95%, followed by thermogravimetric analysis. Pinus sp. sawdust exhibited higher carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen content, whereas sewage sludge contained more nitrogen and sulfur. The sawdust had greater fixed carbon content, volatile matter, and calorific value, while the sewage sludge had higher ash content. Samples with higher sewage sludge content showed better thermal resistance, with 100% sewage sludge retaining 63.3% mass after exposure to 950 °C. Briquettes with higher sewage sludge content had increased energy density. Considering the elevated nitrogen, sulfur, and ash content, sewage sludge should be limited to 5% in briquette production with Pinus sp. sawdust. This research underscores a significant avenue for sewage sludge utilization and sustainable bioenergy production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Agri-Food Industries and Agri-Food Waste Management)
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20 pages, 1819 KiB  
Article
Environmental and Economic Performance of Greenhouse Cropping in the Mediterranean Basin: Lessons Learnt from a Cross-Country Comparison
by Sara Sturiale, Oriana Gava, Marisa Gallardo, Dolores Buendía Guerrero, Dursun Buyuktas, Gulcin Ece Aslan, Asma Laarif, Thameur Bouslama, Alejandra Navarro, Luca Incrocci and Fabio Bartolini
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4491; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114491 - 25 May 2024
Viewed by 616
Abstract
In the Mediterranean region, the expansion of greenhouse horticulture has enabled the year-round supply of fresh vegetables. Compared to open field horticulture, this farming method can generate higher returns for farmers. However, it is often associated with significant environmental pressures. This research aims [...] Read more.
In the Mediterranean region, the expansion of greenhouse horticulture has enabled the year-round supply of fresh vegetables. Compared to open field horticulture, this farming method can generate higher returns for farmers. However, it is often associated with significant environmental pressures. This research aims to pinpoint important opportunities for improvement of the environmental and economic performance of greenhouse farming in the Mediterranean region by showing the life cycle’s environmental and economic impacts and by highlighting life cycle hotspots. This is achieved through the combined application of life cycle assessment and life cycle costing to four case studies (commercial greenhouses) spanning the Mediterranean Basin (Italy, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey). The case study findings highlight the following environmental hotspots and related impacts: (i) fertigation management can generate up to 11,283 m3/ha/year of water use impact; (ii) fertilizer leaching can generate up to 27 kg of N eq marine eutrophication impact; and (iii) crop protection treatments can generate up to 130,037 kg 1,4-DCB of terrestrial ecotoxicity impact. The large use of plastic materials (greenhouse and fertigation infrastructures) is an additional critical aspect due to manufacturing and disposal, contributing to eutrophication impact categories. Economic hotspots are related to greenhouse management (up to 35% total costs of production) and hired labor (up to 40% total costs of production). The lessons learnt from these case studies offer valuable insights into the sustainability challenges of greenhouse horticulture across the Mediterranean region. The hotspot analysis points to the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the most critical impacts while ensuring economic viability. This study enriches scientific understanding by examining different production and socioeconomic contexts, offering crucial insights for the advancement of sustainable practices in greenhouse agriculture such as the use of decision support systems to optimize input use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Agri-Food Industries and Agri-Food Waste Management)
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