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The biogas from waste has emerged as a realistic and reliable renewable energy proposition and can deliver social-economic benefits when integrated with local communities. In the last decade, the biogas sector in European countries has seen unprecedented growth due to favorable policy supports and perceived social-economic benefits. Among different biogas producing schemes, waste to biogas using anaerobic digestion is considered most environment friendly due to minimum carbon leakage and positive waste resource recycling impact. Many countries, including the UK, envision creating a circular economy utilizing Biogas from Waste (BfW) recycling potential. This paper aims to analyze the state of the UK’s BfW scheme through the lens of circular economy and discern areas that need attention to usher BfW potential in supporting a circular economy. The paper also discussed key challenges and barriers to create a local circular economy using the BfW scheme. Based on the analysis, it is observed that the BfW scheme in the UK is currently impeded due to lack cross-sectoral policy coherence, and far from contributing to a circular economy. Additionally, the UK's waste to energy concept is concentrated around incinerator-based systems without much attention on improving resource efficiency and waste recycling. This paper makes three recommendations to improve prospects of the BfW scheme in the UK (1) decentralized approach in the BfW scheme development, (2) considering bio-waste and digestate as value streams, and (3) creating a policy cohesiveness across multiple departments.

Abstract Rapid economic growth and accelerating urbanization in the past three decades have accelerated the exhaustion of China’s mineral resources. China is the world’s largest consumer and importer of nickel resources; therefore, a growing domestic demand will increase China’s import dependence and in turn make it potentially vulnerable to supply shortages. One hundred years from 1950 to 2050 were examined for China’s nickel utilization. Identified domestic nickel resources can only sustain China’s industries until 2017, but nickel will reach peak utilization around the year of 2020–2022. Given the 5% annual increase in applications and the growing importation of minerals in China, the carrying duration of nickel resources until 2020 will require a nickel-recycling rate of more than 90%. To sustain China’s nickel utilization, future strategies should foster three solutions: maintaining a high level of imports, adjusting the landscape of nickel applications, and shifting from virgin mining of geological minerals to urban mining of anthropogenic resources.

Abstract Small hydropower projects (SHPs), though generally considered more environmentally benign and socially acceptable as compared to large projects, yet their overall sustainability is under suspicion in the Himalayan regions. Almost all SHPs in this region are being developed as run of the river mode which generally causes less/no submergence and quite less displacement of people as compared to large reservoir based hydropower production mode. However, in the absence of proper planning and monitoring mechanism, these projects are causing implacable tunnelling of hills, choking of streams, conversion of streams into dry ditches and long term socio-environmental impacts. This paper presents a SHP development study from hydro rich Beas river basin of Himachal Pradesh, a state nestled in western Himalayan region of India. In depth field studies, focus group discussions with the project affected people and interaction with project proponents of five SHPs in this region suggest that sustainability issues with respect to SHPs are not small vis-a-vis size of their installed capacity. There is an urgent need to take steps to include SHPs having an installed capacity of above 10 MW into the ambit of environment clearance process which is absent in many countries of the world at present.

The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a complex and expensive task. This is especially the case in developing countries, where waste generation rates are continuously increasing and where current MSW management strategies are focused on inadequate practices, such as landfilling and incineration, which result in numerous health and environmental problems. The anaerobic digestion (AD) of MSW has been implemented worldwide as a solution to decrease the amount of waste ending up in landfills. This process allows for the recovery of energy from the organic fraction of MSW (OFMSW) in the form of biogas, which is largely composed of methane. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to evaluate the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of the OFMSW generated within different socioeconomic strata of the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara (MAG), Mexico. From a microscale perspective, the microbial communities within the experimental AD system were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to assess the relationship between these communities and the biogas composition. This microbial identification revealed a typical AD composition consisting of the following six phyla: Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Euryarchaeota, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Furthermore, through the identification of Methanobacterium and Methanosaeta, two methanogenesis pathways (hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic) were pinpointed. From a macroscale perspective, a multi-stage Gompertz kinetic model was used to describe cumulative biogas production. This model considered the complex nature of the OFMSW substrate in order to estimate the potential level of biogas production in the MAG using a weighted average that was based on the size of the population in each socioeconomic stratum evaluated (732.8 mL⋅g−1 VS). This novel contribution to the literature provides an estimation of the potential economic, energetic, and environmental benefits of treating the OFMSW produced in the MAG through AD. Through this approach, an estimated 8.5 MWh·year−1 of electrical power could be produced, translating into 1.13 million USD of yearly revenue and resulting in reduced GHG emissions (10,519 tonne CO2eq⋅year−1).

Abstract Bioproducts from biomass feedstocks and organic wastes have shown great potential to address challenges across food-energy-water systems. However, bioproducts production is at an early, nascent stage that requires new inventions and cost-reducing approaches to meet market needs. Biochar, a byproduct of the pyrolysis process, derived from nutrient-rich biomass feedstocks (e.g., cattle manure and poultry litter) is one of these bioproducts that has numerous applications, such as improving soil fertility and crop productivity. This study investigates the market opportunity and sustainability benefits of converting manure to biochar on-site, using a portable refinery unit. Techno-economic and environmental impact assessments are conducted on a real case study in Twin Falls, Idaho, USA. The techno-economic analysis includes a stochastic optimization model to calculate the total cost of biochar production and distribution. The environmental study employs a life cycle assessment method to evaluate the global warming potential of manure-to-biochar production and distribution network. The total cost of biochar production from cattle manure near the feedlots is approximately $237 per metric ton, and total emission is 951 kg CO2 eq. per metric ton. The on-site operation and manure moisture content are two key parameters that can reduce biochar unit price and carbon footprint of manure management. It is concluded that converting cattle manure, using the presented strategy and process near the collection sites can address upstream and midstream sustainability challenges and stimulate the biochar industry.

Abstract In Australia, the government spending on public buildings’ energy and water consumption is considerable; however the building energy and water retrofit market potential has been diminished by a number of barriers, especially financial. In contrast, in other advanced economies there are several reported financing strategies that have been shown to accelerate retrofit projects implementation. In this study, a coupled Bayesian Network – System Dynamics model was developed with the core aim to assess the likely influence of those novel financing options and procurement procedures on public building retrofit outcomes scenarios in the Australian context. A particular case-study focusing on Australian public hospitals was showcased as an example in this paper. Stakeholder engagement was utilised to estimate likely preferences and to conceptualise causal relationships of model parameters. The scenario modelling showed that a revolving loan fund supporting an energy performance contracting procurement procedure was preferred. Subsequently, the specific features of this preferred framework were optimised to yield the greatest number of viable retrofit projects over the long term. The results indicated that such a financing scheme would lead to substantial abatement of energy and water consumption, as well as carbon emissions. The strategic scenario analysis approach developed herein provides evidence-based support to policy-makers advocating novel financing and procurement models for addressing a government’s sustainability agenda in a financially responsible and net-positive manner.

Sustainably feeding the world’s growing population represents one of our most significant challenges. Aquaculture is well positioned to make contributions towards this challenge. Yet, the translation of aquaculture production innovations into benefits for rural communities is constrained by a limited understanding of the social dynamics that influence the adoption of new agricultural practices. In this paper, we investigate the factors that shape the spread of small-scale tilapia aquaculture through rural Solomon Islands. Based on diffusion of innovation theory, we focus on three potentially influential factors: (i) socio-economic characteristics of adopters; (ii) the role of opinion leaders; and (iii) characteristics of the innovation. We find that farmers who were wealthier, older, and had more diverse livelihoods were most likely to be adopters. Opinion leaders facilitated the adoption of tilapia aquaculture, but lacked the capacity to provide fundamental knowledge necessary to realize its potential benefits to food security. The paper argues for more explicit attention to the poorest households and makes the case for a deeper engagement with the broader social and institutional contexts that shape the adoption process. Aquaculture interventions that account for these social dynamics are critical for translating production innovations into sustainable benefits to rural communities.

L'aquaculture joue un rôle important dans la sécurité alimentaire et fournit des moyens de subsistance et des emplois à des millions de personnes dans les communautés côtières du monde entier. Cependant, le secteur aquacole en pleine croissance a également suscité des débats sur sa durabilité écologique à long terme, sa viabilité économique, les inégalités sociales potentielles et les problèmes de gouvernance. Nous avons étudié les défis et les opportunités perçus pour parvenir à une aquaculture durable du crabe de boue dans les régions côtières tropicales en utilisant l'étude de cas des fermes côtières de crabe de boue dans l'Andhra Pradesh, en Inde. Sur la base des perceptions et des données financières indicatives d'un échantillon de parties prenantes, nous avons étudié les résultats économiques potentiels dans différents scénarios représentant des niveaux de rendement, des facteurs de risque et des périodes de projet variables. Les principaux risques identifiés par les parties prenantes étaient associés à l'approvisionnement limité en graines de crabe de boue et au manque d'accès aux programmes de soutien gouvernementaux et non gouvernementaux. Il n'y a pas de tampons financiers, donc des épidémies majeures ou des conditions météorologiques extrêmes causées par le changement climatique entraîneraient une perte de moyens de subsistance. Cet article met également en évidence le facteur le plus critique déterminant le niveau de succès de l'élevage du crabe de boue étant le taux de survie du crabe qui est influencé par une variété de facteurs, y compris l'augmentation de la température de la surface de la mer. Les résultats de cette étude montrent que l'élevage de crabes de boue à petite échelle comporte moins de risques et une plus grande flexibilité que l'élevage de crabes de boue à grande échelle. Il pourrait s'agir d'une entreprise économiquement durable et servir d'outil de réduction de la pauvreté dans les pays en développement si un soutien et une formation en matière de microfinance sont disponibles. La acuicultura desempeña un papel importante en la seguridad alimentaria y proporciona medios de subsistencia y empleo a millones de personas en las comunidades costeras de todo el mundo. Sin embargo, el creciente sector de la acuicultura también ha creado debates en torno a su sostenibilidad ecológica a largo plazo, viabilidad económica, posibles desigualdades sociales y problemas de gobernanza. Investigamos los desafíos y oportunidades percibidos para lograr una acuicultura sostenible de cangrejo de fango en las regiones costeras tropicales utilizando el estudio de caso de las granjas costeras de cangrejo de fango en Andhra Pradesh, India. Con base en las percepciones y los datos financieros indicativos de una muestra de partes interesadas, investigamos los posibles resultados económicos en diferentes escenarios que representan diferentes niveles de rendimiento, factores de riesgo y períodos de tiempo del proyecto. Los principales riesgos identificados por las partes interesadas se asociaron con el suministro limitado de semillas de cangrejo de fango y la falta de acceso a esquemas de apoyo gubernamentales y no gubernamentales. No hay amortiguadores financieros, por lo tanto, los grandes brotes de enfermedades o las condiciones climáticas extremas causadas por el cambio climático conducirían a la pérdida de los medios de vida. Este documento también destaca que el factor más crítico que determina el nivel de éxito del cultivo de cangrejo de fango es la tasa de supervivencia del cangrejo, que está influenciada por una variedad de factores, incluido el aumento de la temperatura de la superficie del mar. Los resultados de este estudio muestran que el cultivo de cangrejo de fango a pequeña escala tiene menos riesgos y una mayor flexibilidad que el cultivo de cangrejo de fango a gran escala. Podría ser una empresa económicamente sostenible y servir como una herramienta para el alivio de la pobreza en los países en desarrollo si se dispone de apoyo y capacitación en microfinanzas. Aquaculture plays a significant role in food security and provides livelihoods and employment for millions of people among coastal communities worldwide. However, the growing aquaculture sector has also created debates around its long-term ecological sustainability, economic viability, potential social inequalities and governance issues. We investigated the perceived challenges and opportunities to achieving sustainable mud crab aquaculture in tropical coastal regions by using the case study of coastal mud crab farms in Andhra Pradesh, India. Informed by perceptions and indicative financial data from a sample of stakeholders we investigated the potential economic outcomes under different scenarios representing varying yield levels, risk factors and project time periods. The main risks identified by the stakeholders were associated with the limited supply of mud crab seeds and the lack of access to governmental and non-governmental support schemes. There are no financial buffers, therefore major disease outbreaks or extreme weather conditions caused by climate change would lead to a loss of livelihoods. This paper also highlights the most critical factor determining the level of success of mud crab farming being the crab survival rate which is influenced by a variety of factors including increasing sea surface temperature. The results of this study show that small-scale mud crab farming has fewer risks and higher flexibility involved than large-scale mud crab farming. It could be an economically sustainable enterprise and serve as a tool for poverty alleviation in developing countries if microfinance support and training are available. تلعب تربية الأحياء المائية دورًا مهمًا في الأمن الغذائي وتوفر سبل العيش وفرص العمل لملايين الأشخاص بين المجتمعات الساحلية في جميع أنحاء العالم. ومع ذلك، فإن قطاع تربية الأحياء المائية المتنامي قد خلق أيضًا مناقشات حول استدامته البيئية طويلة الأجل، وقابليته الاقتصادية، وعدم المساواة الاجتماعية المحتملة، وقضايا الحوكمة. لقد حققنا في التحديات والفرص المتصورة لتحقيق تربية مستدامة لسرطان البحر الطيني في المناطق الساحلية الاستوائية باستخدام دراسة حالة لمزارع سرطان البحر الطيني الساحلية في ولاية أندرا براديش، الهند. استنادًا إلى التصورات والبيانات المالية الإرشادية من عينة من أصحاب المصلحة، قمنا بالتحقيق في النتائج الاقتصادية المحتملة في ظل سيناريوهات مختلفة تمثل مستويات عائد متفاوتة وعوامل خطر وفترات زمنية للمشروع. ارتبطت المخاطر الرئيسية التي حددها أصحاب المصلحة بمحدودية المعروض من بذور سرطان البحر الطيني وعدم الوصول إلى خطط الدعم الحكومية وغير الحكومية. لا توجد حواجز مالية، وبالتالي فإن تفشي الأمراض الرئيسية أو الظروف الجوية القاسية الناجمة عن تغير المناخ ستؤدي إلى فقدان سبل العيش. تسلط هذه الورقة الضوء أيضًا على العامل الأكثر أهمية الذي يحدد مستوى نجاح زراعة سرطان البحر الطيني وهو معدل بقاء سرطان البحر الذي يتأثر بمجموعة متنوعة من العوامل بما في ذلك زيادة درجة حرارة سطح البحر. تظهر نتائج هذه الدراسة أن زراعة سرطان البحر الطيني على نطاق صغير تنطوي على مخاطر أقل ومرونة أعلى من زراعة سرطان البحر الطيني على نطاق واسع. يمكن أن يكون مشروعًا مستدامًا اقتصاديًا وأن يكون بمثابة أداة للتخفيف من حدة الفقر في البلدان النامية إذا توفر الدعم والتدريب في مجال التمويل الأصغر.