Degradation of bioplastics in organic waste by mesophilic anaerobic digestion, composting and soil incubation

Cucina, Mirko; Nisi, Patrizia De; Trombino, Luca; Tambone, Fulvia; Adani, Fabrizio

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2021.08.016

Cited by 94 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Commercial or household FW used as co-substrate in co-digestion studies includes FW from university canteens or catering [41,[45][46][47][48], food markets [46,49], artificial household FW [50,51], OFMSW [13,21,52] and industrial food processing waste [53]. However, FW can be a challenging co-substrate to study, due to its high nitrogen content and its high heterogeneity [54], especially for municipal and household FW.…”

Section: Co-digestion Substratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the chemical composition of BBPs and FW, a theoretical co-digestion ratio can be easily determined to achieve an optimal carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio for efficient methane production (around 20-30:1) [12]. How this then translates into practical terms is an important consideration, both in terms of actual FW and BBP proportions in waste arisings and the level of BBPs tolerated by the system to ensure biodegradation and meet the quality standards of the resulting digestate [51,52]. This was directly addressed by one study [52], in which the amount of BBPs added in the experimental assays was determined based on current and projected trends.…”

Section: Feedstock Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How this then translates into practical terms is an important consideration, both in terms of actual FW and BBP proportions in waste arisings and the level of BBPs tolerated by the system to ensure biodegradation and meet the quality standards of the resulting digestate [51,52]. This was directly addressed by one study [52], in which the amount of BBPs added in the experimental assays was determined based on current and projected trends.…”

Section: Feedstock Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of studies have already highlighted that although some BBPs have the ability to fully biodegrade in AD, few fulfil the HRT of operating AD plants [13,20,21], with degradation times 3-6-fold longer than current industrial HRT [13]. Though it is of scientific interest to run experiments for as long as biodegradation takes place, more emphasis needs to be placed on relevant HRT [20,49,52], as well as digester operating mode [50]. A typical biogas plant treating OFMSW operates with an HRT of 15-30 days [20], though longer HRTs up to 100 days at commercial facilities treating source-separated FW have been reported [56].…”

Section: Hydraulic Retention Timementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, a BBP suitable for FW collection should be able to degrade within these timeframes. Some BBPs have been shown to biodegrade at an HRT usually applied at industrial scales, such as materials made of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), starch, cellulose and pectin, so no possible contamination would occur [20,49], although some of these results were contested elsewhere [52].…”

Section: Hydraulic Retention Timementioning

confidence: 99%

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Two Birds with One Stone: Bioplastics and Food Waste Anaerobic Co-Digestion

2022

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Following the BBC’s Blue Planet II nature documentary series on marine ecosystems, plastic packaging has come under public fire, with consumers demanding greener alternatives. The biodegradable properties of some bioplastics have offered a potential solution to the global challenge of plastic pollution, while enabling the capture of food waste through anaerobic digestion as a circular and energy-positive waste treatment strategy. However, despite their increasing popularity, currently bioplastics are being tested in environments that do not reflect real-life waste management scenarios. Bioplastics find their most useful, meaningful and environmentally-sound application in food packaging—why is there so little interest in addressing their anaerobic co-digestion with food waste? Here, we provide a set of recommendations to ensure future studies on bioplastic end-of-life are fit for purpose. This perspective makes the link between the environmental sustainability of bioplastics and the role of food waste anaerobic digestion as we move towards an integrated food–energy–water–waste nexus. It shines light on a novel outlook in the field of bioplastic waste management while uncovering the complexity of a successful path forward. Ultimately, this research strives to ensure that the promotion of bioplastics within a circular economy framework is supported across waste collection and treatment stages.

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Section: Co-digestion Substratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Feedstock Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Feedstock Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hydraulic Retention Timementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hydraulic Retention Timementioning

confidence: 99%

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Two Birds with One Stone: Bioplastics and Food Waste Anaerobic Co-Digestion

2022

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Household dog fecal composting: Current issues and future directions

Bryson,

Anastasi,

Bricknell

et al. 2024

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Dog feces are a known source of nutrient, pathogen, and plastic pollution that can harm human and ecosystem health. Home composting may be a more environmentally sustainable method of managing dog feces and reducing this pollution. While composting is an established method for recycling animal manures into low‐risk soil conditioners for food production, few studies have investigated whether household‐scale compost methods can safely and effectively process dog feces for use in backyard edible gardens. A broad range of literature on in situ composting of dog feces is evaluated and compared according to scale, parameters tested, and compost methods used. Studies are analyzed based on key identified knowledge gaps: appropriate compost technologies to produce quality soil conditioner on small scales, potential for fecal pathogen disinfection in mesophilic compost conditions, and biodegradation of compostable plastic dog waste bags in home compost systems. This review also discusses how existing methods and quality standards for commercial compost can be adapted to dog fecal home composting. Priorities for future research are investigation of household‐scale aerobic compost methods and potential compost amendments needed to effectively decompose dog feces and compostable plastic dog waste bags to produce a good‐quality, sanitized, beneficial soil conditioner for use in home gardens. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1–16. © 2024 The Author(s). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

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Use of Ricinus communis shredded material as filler in rotational molded parts to improve the bio-disintegration behavior

et al. 2022

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This paper focuses on the use of castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) as filler in rotomolded parts using polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) as polymer matrixes. The vegetable shredded material was used in 5 and 10% weight following a dry blending procedure and then rotomolded to obtain cube test parts. This material was characterized to determine its chemical composition, thermal stability, and structure. The NaOH-treated material shows reduced hemicellulose content and higher thermal stability. Obtained composite materials were characterized in terms of mechanical (tensile, flexural, and impact) and thermal properties, morphology, and bio-disintegration behavior. The use of Ricinus as filler in rotomolded PE composite decreases, in general terms, mechanical properties of neat PE, while no significant changes in thermal or bio-disintegration properties are found. On the contrary, PLA composites show higher tensile strength and similar Young's modulus than the matrix, although with reduced flexural and impact properties. Alkali-treated Ricinus material produces parts with higher porosity and thus, lower mechanical properties than composites with untreated material. Finally, the incorporation of this vegetal material modifies to a great extent the thermal properties of the PLA matrix. The bio-disintegration rate increases due to the use of fibers, probably because of the higher moisture absorption of composites.

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Degradation of bioplastics in organic waste by mesophilic anaerobic digestion, composting and soil incubation

Cited by 94 publications

References 42 publications

Two Birds with One Stone: Bioplastics and Food Waste Anaerobic Co-Digestion

Two Birds with One Stone: Bioplastics and Food Waste Anaerobic Co-Digestion

Household dog fecal composting: Current issues and future directions

Use of Ricinus communis shredded material as filler in rotational molded parts to improve the bio-disintegration behavior

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