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Anaerobic digestion processes with biogas production are widely used for organic waste treatment with an emphasis on energy recovery. Some recent studies have demonstrated the influence of magnetism on microbiological activity. These indicate a possible influence on the efficiency of anaerobic digestion. Thus, technologies that act in anaerobic digestion enhancement can contribute to the improvement of treatment of organic compounds. The present study aimed to verify the influence of a constant electromagnetic field on the anaerobic digestion in anaerobic reactors fed with glucose (2 g/L) at 37 ± 2 °C. In each experiment, reactors were operated with a constant electromagnetic field of 5, 7.5, and 10 mT. The inoculum was granular sludge from an anaerobic treatment plant in a non-selective media culture. Biogas production, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and solids removal were measured during the experiment. Results showed differences in methane production of 21.5% and in COD removal of 15% in the tests with an electromagnetic field of 7.5 mT. These results signs for the viability of the application of a constant magnetic field as a biostimulation agent.

This study proposed action scenarios for urban solid waste management in six municipalities in the Corumbataí River Basin. The operating scenarios were designed for organic waste treatment and for the shared disposal of urban solid waste. Six municipalities were studied, five of which had less than 30,000 inhabitants (Analândia, Charqueada, Corumbataí, Ipeúna, and Santa Gertrudes). In addition, Rio Claro had 199,000 inhabitants. Thus, the transport and transshipment stages, general infrastructure, and final disposal in landfills were analyzed. Further, the three scenarios for organic waste treatment were conducted separately. The items and the cost of implementation were estimated for decentralized composting, centralized composting, and biomethanization of waste with electricity recovery. The biomethanization scenario included the commercialization of electricity, so it generated revenues that decreased costs. This cost reduction was especially notable in the last years of the project when the goals of diversion of organic waste through selective collection were higher. The results suggested that the investigated scenarios could improve organic waste treatment and that the biomethanization scenario with electricity generation presented lower average costs per inhabitant than the centralized and decentralized composting scenarios.

In the field of ecoethics, in addition to names such as Kohák, Vavroušek, Keller, and Librová, we are increasingly encountering the name of a Czech philosopher, Professor Josef Šmajs. In his works, Professor Šmajs presents an entirely new, original, and comprehensive view of human life on Earth and its ethics. His concept combines the humanities and natural sciences into a single organic whole. Šmajs declares: “We are the products of a magnificent natural evolution, but we are proud only of our cultural creativity. We think – and we teach it in schools – that we complete humanity with human culture and humanize it. However, the truth is different. Nature is original, self-sufficient, and perfect; we cannot complete or humanize it.” He further claims that “If we want to survive on Earth, we must wisely give way to nature wisely in time. The epoch of the symbiosis of culture and nature is still ahead of us.” His philosophy, which can be called biophilic, interprets the current form of the ecological crisis and its causes and provides a clear, realistic guide to saving humanity and life on earth in ethical manner.