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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 "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 17408

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Patrizia Casella

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Department for Sustainability, ENEA—Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development—ENEA Portici, 80055 Portici, NA, Italy
Interests: biotechnologies; microbiology; biological sciences; sustainability; green chemicals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Sabino De Gisi

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Department of Industrial Engineering, Section of Chemical Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II n. 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Interests: environmental engineering; waste treatment; life-cycle assessment; materials from waste; sludge treatment; recycling; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Waste management still needs to be implemented to reduce the impact on human health and the environment. Particular attention is paid to the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW), which can account for 30% to 40% of the MSW produced and which in Europe will reach a significant production of 96 Mt in 2020. In several European and many other countries, the OFMSW is still landfilled, thus losing the possibility of better exploitation. The OFMSW is also treated with conventional processes such as anaerobic digesting and composting, which produce heat, energy, and compost. Another important resource are byproducts and waste from the agro-industrial and food sectors; they still need adequate biotechnological processes for their treatment and enhancement in the context of the circular economy.

This Special Issue in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is focused on recent findings on biotechnology processes, treatment for the valorization of organic wastes and byproducts, with the aim of improving knowledge and sharing new insights.

The contents of this Special Issue may concern biotechnological processes for the treatment of organic biomasses as waste or byproducts as well as biological pretreatment in combination with other advanced technologies. For wastes and byproducts, every organic renewable biomass from OFMSW, livestock, to the agro-industrial sector shall be considered. The insights should also demonstrate how experimentation/models/concepts/processes contribute to new products/resources for biomass valorization. The biorefinery model and approach are also accepted under the objective of the Special Issue.

Dr. Patrizia Casella
Dr. Sabino De Gisi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

biotechnology
treatment
valorization
bio-waste
lignocellulosic biomass
byproducts
green chemistry
bio-based
microorganisms

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2275 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement of Enzymatic Glucose Conversion from Chestnut Shells through Optimization of KOH Pretreatment

by Kang Hyun Lee, Soo Kweon Lee, Jeongho Lee, Seunghee Kim, Chulhwan Park, Seung Wook Kim and Hah Young Yoo

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3772; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073772 - 4 Apr 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2676

Abstract

Worldwide, about one-third of food produced for human consumption is wasted, which includes byproducts from food processing, with a significant portion of the waste still being landfilled. The aim of this study is to convert chestnut shells (CNSs) from food processing into a valuable resource through bioprocesses. Currently, one of the highest barriers to bioprocess commercialization is low conversion of sugar from biomass, and KOH pretreatment was suggested to improve enzymatic digestibility (ED) of CNS. KOH concentration of 3% (w/w) was determined as a suitable pretreatment solution by a fundamental experiment. The reaction factors including temperature, time and solid/liquid (S/L) ratio were optimized (77.1 g/L CNS loading at 75 °C for 2.8 h) by response surface methodology (RSM). In the statistical model, temperature and time showed a relatively significant effect on the glucan content (GC) and ED, but S/L ratio was not. GC and ED of the untreated CNS were 45.1% and 12.7%, respectively. On the other hand, GC and ED of pretreated CNS were 83.2% and 48.4%, respectively, and which were significantly improved by about 1.8-fold and 3.8-fold compared to the control group. The improved ED through the optimization is expected to contribute to increasing the value of byproducts generated in food processing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology for Waste and Byproduct Treatment and Valorization)

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16 pages, 4846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energetic and Economic Evaluation of Zero-Waste Fish Co-Stream Processing

by Kęstutis Venslauskas, Kęstutis Navickas, Marja Nappa, Petteri Kangas, Revilija Mozūraitytė, Rasa Šližytė and Vidmantas Župerka

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(5), 2358; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052358 - 28 Feb 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3174

Abstract

This study evaluates the possibility of recovery of high-quality valuable fish oil and proteins from fish co-streams by traditional means or a combination of several technologies. A techno-economically feasible and sustainable zero-waste process is needed for full utilisation of this co-stream’s potential. This study aims to determine the energy efficiency and economic feasibility of four different zero-waste bio-refineries based on salmon filleting co-streams. The study covers four concepts: (I) biogas and fertiliser production from salmon co-streams, (II) fish silage production, (III) thermal processing of salmon co-streams for producing oil, protein concentrate, and meal, and (IV) novel two-stage thermal and enzymatic process for producing high-quality oil and protein hydrolysate, while the solid residue is converted to biogas and fertilisers. Monte Carlo simulation is used to evaluate uncertainties in economic evaluation. The results show that the two-stage processing of fish co-streams leads to recovery of both high-quality marine oil and proteins, showing the largest profitability and return on investment during the economic analysis. It is a more tempting option than the currently used thermal treatment or traditional silage processes. The possibility of producing food-grade fish protein hydrolysate is the biggest benefit here. Concepts studied are examples of zero-waste processing of bioproducts and illustrate the possibilities and benefits of fully utilising the different fractions of fish as fillets, oil, protein, fertilisers, and energy production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology for Waste and Byproduct Treatment and Valorization)

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17 pages, 1690 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Feasibility Analysis on the Adoption of Decentralized Anaerobic Co-Digestion for the Treatment of Municipal Organic Waste with Energy Recovery in Urban Districts of Metropolitan Areas

by Giovanni Gadaleta, Sabino De Gisi and Michele Notarnicola

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1820; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041820 - 13 Feb 2021

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3248

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is considered an excellent solution for both waste management and energy generation, although the impacts of waste collection and transportation on the whole management system are not negligible. AD is often regarded as a centralized solution for an entire community, although recently, there has been some debate on the adoption of decentralized, smaller facilities. This study aims to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of an AD plant at the local scale for the treatment of organic waste generated from urban districts. Depending on the type of feedstock, two scenarios were evaluated and compared with the reference scenario, based on composting treatment: (1) mono-AD of OFMSW and (2) co-AD of OFMSW and sewage sludge (SS). Furthermore, different district extensions of the metropolitan area were considered with the goal of determining the optimal size. Results showed the advantage of the two scenarios over the reference one. Scenario 1 proved to be the most suitable solution, because the introduction of SS in Scenario 2 increased costs and payback time, rather than generating a higher waste amount and lower biogas yield. The preferred district extension was the medium-sized one. Capital cost strongly affected the economic analysis, but revenue from the city for the management operation of the organic waste could significantly decrease costs. Further studies about the differences in the type of feedstock or the introduction of other criteria of analysis (such as environmental) are considered necessary. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology for Waste and Byproduct Treatment and Valorization)

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21 pages, 4761 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Process Simulation and Environmental Aspects of Dimethyl Ether Production from Digestate-Derived Syngas

by Aristide Giuliano, Enrico Catizzone and Cesare Freda

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(2), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020807 - 19 Jan 2021

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4492

Abstract

The production of dimethyl ether from renewables or waste is a promising strategy to push towards a sustainable energy transition of alternative eco-friendly diesel fuel. In this work, we simulate the synthesis of dimethyl ether from a syngas (a mixture of CO, CO₂ and H₂) produced from gasification of digestate. In particular, a thermodynamic analysis was performed to individuate the best process conditions and syngas conditioning processes to maximize yield to dimethyl etehr (DME). Process simulation was carried out by ChemCAD software, and it was particularly focused on the effect of process conditions of both water gas shift and CO₂ absorption by Selexol^® on the syngas composition, with a direct influence on DME productivity. The final best flowsheet and the best process conditions were evaluated in terms of CO₂ equivalent emissions. Results show direct DME synthesis global yield was higher without the WGS section and with a carbon capture equal to 85%. The final environmental impact was found equal to −113 kgCO₂/GJ, demonstrating that DME synthesis from digestate may be considered as a suitable strategy for carbon dioxide recycling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology for Waste and Byproduct Treatment and Valorization)

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17 pages, 6894 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study of Denitrifying-MBBRs with Different Polyethylene Carriers for Advanced Nitrogen Removal of Real Reverse Osmosis Concentrate

by Tong Wang, Tong Wu, Haiyan Wang, Weiyang Dong, Yaqian Zhao, Zhaosheng Chu, Guokai Yan and Yang Chang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(8), 2667; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082667 - 13 Apr 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2541

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) remains a great challenge in wastewater treatment while attempts to remove N has continuously been a research point for decades. In this study, the long-term performance of four identical-shape denitrification MBBRs (moving bed biofilm reactors) with four different configurations of cylindrical polyethylene as carriers (Φ25 × 12, Φ25 × 4, Φ15 × 15, and Φ10 × 7 mm) for advanced N removal of real reverse osmosis concentrate was investigated in great detail. The N of the real concentrate can be effectively removed by denitrification MBBRs when the pH, temperature, hydraulic retention time (HRT), C/N ratio, and filling rate are 7.50–8.10, 24~26 °C, 12 hours, 6.6, and 50%, respectively. The results showed that the MBBR with the Φ15 × 15 poly-carrier had the best removal efficiency on NO₃^-–N (78.0 ± 15.8%), NO₂^-–N (43.79 ± 9.30%), NH₄⁺–N (55.56 ± 22.28%), and TN (68.9 ± 12.4%). The highest biomass of 2.13 mg/g-carrier was in the Φ15 × 15 poly-carrier was compared with the other three carriers, while the genes of the Φ15 × 15 poly-carrier reactor were also the most abundant. Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum in the system followed by Bacteroidetes and then Firmicutes. The entire experiment with various parameter examination supported that Φ15 × 15 poly-carrier MBBR was a promising system for N removal in high strength concentrate. Despite the lab-scale trial, the successful treatment of high strength real reverse osmosis concentrate demonstrated the reality of the treated effluent as possible reclaimed water, thus providing a good showcase of N-rich reverse osmosis concentrate purification in practical application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology for Waste and Byproduct Treatment and Valorization)

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