Livestock Wastes Sustainable Use and Management: Assessment of Raw Sheep Wool Reuse and Valorization

Monica C. M. Parlato, Francesca Valenti, Giusi Midolo and Simona M. C. Porto
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Monica C. M. Parlato: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia, 95123 Catania, Italy
Francesca Valenti: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia, 95123 Catania, Italy
Giusi Midolo: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia, 95123 Catania, Italy
Simona M. C. Porto: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia, 95123 Catania, Italy

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: Worldwide, around 998 million tons of agricultural waste are generated yearly, including livestock wastes, which create several critical environmental issues if not properly treated. In this study, a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based model to locate and quantify both the yearly amount of livestock waste, i.e., sheep wool, and the territorial distribution of sheep farms, was carried out and applied within the selected study area. The aim was to identify those territorial areas most suitable for localizing new shared wool collection centers to sustainably manage the reuse of this waste as potential green building material. Data related to both sheep farms and sheep number and the related sheep shared wool (SSW) yearly production were acquired and applied in GIS. By GIS-based model results, two collection centers have been identified within the provinces of Agrigento and Enna. Then, to develop a sustainable reuse in terms of reducing environmental impact due to the SSW logistics and supply phase, a possible third collection center was localized within the territorial area belonging to the province of Ragusa (south area of the Sicily). In this research, for the first time the issue above reported was addressed, by achieving results that contribute at developing an efficient collection chain for recovering and properly reusing SSW to respond adequately to a further industrial scale production.

Keywords: circular economy; livestock waste; GIS; sheep wool; spatial analysis; environmental impact; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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