Potential Applications of Food-Waste-Based Anaerobic Digestate for Sustainable Crop Production Practice

Jonathan Ries, Zhihao Chen and Yujin Park ()
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Jonathan Ries: College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA
Zhihao Chen: College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA
Yujin Park: College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-12

Abstract: The global food system is and will be facing many challenges in the coming decades, which will necessitate innovative solutions to address the issues of a diminishing fertilizer supply, an increasing food demand from growing populations, and frequent extreme climates due to greenhouse gas emissions. An advancement proposed is the synthesizing of fertilizer from food waste, here referred to as food waste anaerobic digestate (FWAD). This occurs through the process of anaerobic digestion, where organic matter such as food waste is contained in an anaerobic environment and allowed to be broken down by microorganisms. One of the resulting products is anaerobic digestate, which possesses the necessary nutrients for effective fertilization for crop production. In addition to reducing greenhouse gases and waste in landfills, the replacement of synthetic fertilizers with ones made from food waste would help to alleviate the impacts of the current fertilizer shortage being experienced worldwide, which will be exacerbated by a reducing supply of materials needed for synthetic fertilizer production. In this paper, we discuss the nutrient characteristics of FWAD, and recent studies utilizing FWAD in horticulture and crop production, to advance our understanding of the effectiveness and challenges of using FWAD as a fertilizer. By employing appropriate application methods, such as nitrification, dilution, and amendment, FWAD demonstrates considerable potential as an effective fertilizer for a wide range of leafy greens and some fruiting crops.

Keywords: anaerobic digestates; bio fertilizer; circular economy; food waste; organic fertilizers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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