Circular nutrient solutions for agriculture and wastewater – a review of technologies and practices

Rosemarin, Arno; Macura, Biljana; Carolus, Johannes; Barquet, Karina; Ek, Filippa; Järnberg, Linn; Lorick, Dag; Johannesdottir, Solveig L.; Pedersen, Søren Marcus; Koskiaho, Jari; Haddaway, Neal R.; Okruszko, Tomasz

doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2020.09.007

Cited by 68 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Our study is the first to shed light on stakeholder perspectives about the potential use of blue mussel farming to address the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. Such information is needed to better understand both the different natural science perspectives on the issue (e.g., [13,14,16]) as well as possible reasons for the failure to consider in-situ measures, such as mussel farming, in proposals for circular economy approaches to nutrient management in the Baltic Sea region [5,6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Typically, eutrophication is managed using a linear paradigm whereby the external inputs of nutrients from the catchment are reduced. New approaches based on internal (in-situ) measures and circular thinking (e.g., [4][5][6][7]) are needed. At present, internal measures to capture and/or remove nutrients directly from the waterbody are rarely employed, but they are desirable as they offer greater possibilities for circularity and nutrient reuse.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Internal measures that capture, remove and recycle excessive nutrients from the sea back to the land may have the potential to contribute to faster recovery and enhance circularity in the Baltic Sea region. Most efforts to date towards a goal of circular nutrient management in the Baltic Sea region have focused on nutrient reuse in the catchment [5,6]. Today, there is increasing awareness that marine biomass may also have a role to play in the circular nutrient economy [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested that to promote the circular economy, there is a need not only for innovative concepts and new business models [5], but also for innovative actors that are supportive of new approaches [4]. However, to date, little is known about circular economy approaches in relation to the wicked problem of eutrophication, and particularly about the views of different stakeholders regarding their practical application.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stakeholder Perspectives on Blue Mussel Farming to Mitigate Baltic Sea Eutrophication

2021

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Here, we present an application of systems thinking to controlling Baltic Sea eutrophication—a wicked environmental problem characterized by multiple stakeholder perspectives and no single, agreed upon solution. The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted waterbodies in the world. More than 40 years of land-based (linear) measures have failed to adequately control eutrophication, yet internal (circular) measures are rarely used. Farming native blue mussels for nutrient capture has been proposed as one measure for eutrophication control, but the relevant stakeholders disagree as to its environmental, social and economic benefits. Here, we present the views of four Swedish stakeholder groups—academics, entrepreneurs, municipal government employees and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—on the sustainability of native blue mussel farming, a circular measure for eutrophication control. Using semi-structured interviews, we elicited stakeholder perspectives on the environmental, economic and social dimensions of blue mussel farming. The interviewees generally agreed that blue mussel farming is not currently economically sustainable, but that it can contribute to the social sustainability of coastal regions. Academics were skeptical of the environmental benefits, claiming that farms could reinforce eutrophication, whereas the remaining stakeholder groups argued for its potential to mitigate eutrophication. In a roundtable discussion conducted one year after the original interviews, all stakeholder groups agreed that blue mussel farming alone will not fix Baltic Sea eutrophication, but can be part of the solution together with land-based measures. All groups also agreed on the need for cautious upscaling, continuous environmental monitoring and constant improvement if blue mussel farms are to be part of a “toolkit” for eutrophication control. Our results highlight the fact that wicked environmental problems can be addressed when multiple stakeholder groups with differing perspectives have the opportunity to achieve consensus through dialog.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stakeholder Perspectives on Blue Mussel Farming to Mitigate Baltic Sea Eutrophication

2021

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“…Mitigating nutrient pollution in water bodies and securing future nutrient supplies requires a radical rethinking of various aspects of nutrient management and in all parts of society, from agriculture and food processing to food consumers and residual management, to reduce nutrient demand and losses, and achieve a more circular use of these essential plant nutrients (Sutton et al, 2013;McConville et al, 2015;Withers et al, 2020). It is in this light that recent years have seen significant interest in concepts like "circular nutrient solutions", "closing the nutrient loop", "nutrient circularity", and "circular nutrient economy" (Nesme and Withers, 2016;Cobo et al, 2019;Robles et al, 2020;Rosemarin et al, 2020;van der Wiel et al, 2020;Zhao et al, 2020). Given the popularity of the concept of "circular bioeconomy" in research and policy discussions, an increased demand for biomass can be expected in the years to come.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Circularity of Nutrient Flows Across Nested Scales for Four Food System Scenarios in the Okanagan Bioregion, BC Canada

Harder

Mullinix

Smukler

2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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In light of continued nutrient pollution in water bodies and anticipated insecurities related to future nutrient supplies, there is an increasing awareness of the need to use nutrients in a more circular way. As part of a food system design study in the Okanagan bioregion, BC Canada we set out to evaluate different food system scenarios for the year 2050 in terms of nutrient circularity. In doing so, the objective was to evaluate the circularity of nutrient flows not only in the Okanagan, but also in relation to exogenous regions, insofar as nutrient flows relate to feed and food consumption and production in the Okanagan. This is important because feed and food trade means that nutrient inputs to crop production in the Okanagan may make their way into organic residuals outside the Okanagan, and vice versa. If not accounted for, this may lead to a distorted picture when analyzing nutrient circularity. To this effect, we applied an analytical framework and calculation model that explicitly tracks nutrients from crop production to organic residual generation. The results of the study suggest that assessing nutrient circularity across nested scales was critical for two reasons. First, changes in overall nutrient flows in response to population increase and dietary change were found to be more pronounced outside the Okanagan. Second, our analysis clearly revealed the extent to which feed and food trade boost nutrient self-reliance in the Okanagan at the expense of nutrient self-reliance outside the Okanagan. This kind of analysis should therefore be useful to explore, ideally together with food system and organic residual management actors, how different food system and organic residual management scenarios perform in terms of nutrient circularity, in the geographical area being considered, but also how it impacts nutrient flows and circularity in the places with which feed and food are traded.

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Applying Circular Economy Principles to Agriculture: Selected Case Studies from the Indian Context

Aggarwal¹,

Mahajan

2021

Challenges and Opportunities of Circular Economy in Agri-Food Sector

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Circular nutrient solutions for agriculture and wastewater – a review of technologies and practices

Cited by 68 publications

References 74 publications

Stakeholder Perspectives on Blue Mussel Farming to Mitigate Baltic Sea Eutrophication

Stakeholder Perspectives on Blue Mussel Farming to Mitigate Baltic Sea Eutrophication

Assessing the Circularity of Nutrient Flows Across Nested Scales for Four Food System Scenarios in the Okanagan Bioregion, BC Canada

Applying Circular Economy Principles to Agriculture: Selected Case Studies from the Indian Context

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