Determining best practices for sustainability of the circular bioeconomy: Characterizing flows and transformations of organic carbon, nutrients and contaminants

确定循环生物经济可持续性的最佳实践：表征有机碳、营养物和污染物的流动和转化

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-04863
• 负责人: Clark, Osborne
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=716899
• 关键词: Determining; best; practices; sustainability; circular

The guiding principle and long-term goal of my research program is to develop new technologies and best management strategies for recycling municipal organic residues to agriculture as part of a sustainable circular bioeconomy. Commercial agriculture is based on a linear extractive economic model that rewards maximum production while deemphasizing sustainability, soil health, and food quality. By contrast, a circular economic model seeks minimum depreciation and maximum reuse of resources. Soil health depends on abundant soil organic matter. The health of soils, crops and humans can be facilitated and sustained by responsible management of organic resources. In Canada, 2.5 Mt wet biosolids and 34 Mt municipal solid waste (50% organic) are generated annually. Processing these materials by composting, anaerobic digestion, etc. and applying the products to agricultural land recycles organic carbon and micro and macronutrients and helps to achieve sustainable agriculture and a circular economy. Efficient management of these materials benefits agronomy and mitigates climate change by sequestering carbon and offsetting use of chemical fertilizers. My long-term goal will be achieved by short-term objectives to quantify movement and transformation of organic carbon, macro and micronutrients through waste management and agro-ecological systems. We will also track pollutants such as microplastics, metals, and greenhouse gases (GHG). The fate of microplastics, how they concentrate and transform in ecosystems is still largely unknown. Trace metals, even those which are micronutrients, are hazardous if overconcentrated. Finally, data about GHG emissions from organics recycling are incomplete. We will sample organic material along the paths through the bioeconomy: wastewater biosolids, organic fraction of municipal solid waste, composted and biodigested organics, soil, crops, and food. We will quantify the organic carbon, macronutrients and micronutrients contents in these materials, as well as microplastics, metals, and GHGs. We will use the data in Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and construct process-based models to simulate how these materials evolve under different management strategies and climate scenarios. The models will be used to simulate management strategies for the handling and recycling of organic residues for use in agriculture. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) will be done to assess the environmental impacts of the different strategies and to recommend Best Management Practices (BMPs) to maximize benefits and minimize risks. Finally, we will use these models to predict the impact of possible climate scenarios and establish BMPs for mitigation and adaptation. The results of this research program will help Canadians responsibly valorize organic wastes, improve agricultural soils, produce abundant and healthful food, and mitigate climate change impacts as we transition from a linear to a circular bioeconomy.

我的研究计划的指导原则和长期目标是制定新技术和最佳管理策略，以将市政有机残留物回收为农业，作为可持续循环生物经济的一部分。商业农业基于一种线性的挖掘经济模型，该模型奖励了最大的产量，同时肯定可持续性，土壤健康和食品质量。相比之下，循环经济模型寻求最低折旧和最大的资源再利用。土壤健康取决于丰富的土壤有机物。由负责任的有机资源管理可以促进和维持土壤，农作物和人类的健康。 在加拿大，每年产生2.5吨湿生物固体和34吨市政固体废物（50％有机废物）。通过堆肥，厌氧消化等处理这些材料，并将产品应用于农业土地上，回收有机碳和微量营养素，并有助于实现可持续的农业和循环经济。这些材料的有效管理通过隔离碳和抵消化学肥料的使用来使农学和缓解气候变化。 我的长期目标将通过短期目标来实现，以量化有机碳，宏观和微量营养素的运动和转化，并通过废物管理和农业生态系统来实现。我们还将跟踪污染物，例如微塑料，金属和温室气体（GHG）。微塑料的命运，它们如何集中和转化在生态系统中仍然是未知的。痕量金属，甚至是微量营养素的金属，如果过度浓缩也是危险的。最后，关于有机物回收的GHG排放的数据是不完整的。 我们将沿着生物经济性的路径采样有机材料：废水生物固体，市政固体废物的有机部分，堆肥和生物消化的有机物，土壤，农作物和食物。我们将量化这些材料中的有机碳，大量营养素和微量营养素的含量以及微塑料，金属和GHG。我们将在材料流分析（MFA）和基于过程的模型中使用数据，以模拟这些材料在不同的管理策略和气候场景下如何发展。这些模型将用于模拟管理和回收有机残留物以用于农业的管理策略。 将进行生命周期分析（LCA），以评估不同策略的环境影响，并推荐最佳管理实践（BMP），以最大程度地提高利益并最大程度地降低风险。最后，我们将使用这些模型来预测可能的气候场景的影响，并为缓解和适应建立BMP。该研究计划的结果将帮助加拿大人负责任地对有机废物，改善农业土壤，产生丰富而健康的食物，并减轻气候变化的影响，因为我们从线性过渡到循环生物经济学。