Search Results (1,356)

Food waste (FW) is a major global challenge with significant economic and environmental costs, yet its nutrient-rich composition also offers an opportunity for valorization into high-value biochemicals and biofuels within a circular bioeconomy. Effective FW management requires systematic frameworks that balance environmental performance, economic returns, and social acceptance, a challenge that is particularly difficult in developing countries where technical, financial, and participation barriers persist. This review proposes a strategic, step-by-step approach to enhance current FW management through the objective integration of biorefinery pathways producing biochemicals and biofuels products. Both biochemical and thermochemical conversion routes are evaluated against industrial yield benchmarks, market value, and end-use specifications to identify the products and processes most capable of enhancing sustainability. The review further presents a framework for multi-objective optimization (MOO) that simultaneously addresses economic, environmental, and social objectives, and for incorporating decision-maker preferences into the selection of optimum solutions. By coupling sustainability assessment with structured decision support, this review provides practical guidance for selecting FW management strategies that are economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable. Full article

Introduction: The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), an endangered scavenger, plays an important role in ecosystem health and corpse decomposition processes. However, populations have been declining throughout the Indian subcontinent, mainly due to anthropogenic influences. The present study explores how human activities affect the scavenging ecology and feeding behavior of Egyptian vultures in Gonda District, Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Methods: The observations were conducted from January to June 2025. Systematic field observations were conducted at certain dumping locations. Point count sampling techniques were used to capture information on interspecific interactions, food type, feeding duration, and frequency of foraging. Results: The findings showed that vultures relied extensively on manmade food sources, mainly animal carcasses (57%), poultry waste (25%), and market rubbish (10%). Feeding activity peaked in the morning (08:00–11:00 h), coinciding with carcass disposal times at dump sites. Feral dogs, cattle egrets, and crows frequently engaged in interspecific conflict, limiting feeding time and food availability. Dependence on human-mediated food sources demonstrates both adaptation and susceptibility—adaptability in exploiting alternative resources, but vulnerability due to potential exposure to toxins, diminished food supply, and habitat disruption. Conclusions: The study underlines the critical need for better waste management techniques, construction of vulture feeding zones, and public awareness campaigns to support the long-term conservation of Egyptian Vultures in human-modified environments. Full article

Coffee is among the most widely consumed beverages globally being cultivated in nearly 80 countries. Its processing generates large quantities of by-products, including mucilage, pulp/husks, silverskin, parchment, and spent coffee grounds. Although traditionally treated as waste, these residues are increasingly recognized as valuable resources rich in bioactive compounds exhibiting antioxidant, antimicrobial, and health-promoting properties. This review explores the antimicrobial potential of coffee by-products, with particular emphasis on their chemical composition and mechanisms of action. Compounds such as caffeine, chlorogenic acids, polyphenols, and melanoidins have demonstrated inhibitory effects against a broad spectrum of bacteria, including both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Many of these compounds, which originate from plant’s defensive system or result from Maillard reactions, are known to disrupt microbial membranes, inhibit DNA repair, and interfere with pathogen metabolism. However, the available literature on their antimicrobial effectiveness remains limited. In the context of the rising worldwide concern over antimicrobial resistance, coffee by-products represent a sustainable and promising source of novel antimicrobial agents. Their valorization may support advances in food preservation, pharmaceutical innovation, and waste management practices, contributing to the implementation of a circular economy framework in the coffee industry while promoting environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Full article

Environmental health services play a critical role in communicable disease outbreaks by addressing environmental determinants of disease transmission. However, the scope, impact, and challenges of Environmental Health Practitioner (EHP)-led interventions remain insufficiently documented. Aim and objectives: This systematic review objectively assessed the role, impacts, and challenges of municipal environmental health services in outbreak response, with a focus on South Africa, to inform the standardisation and strengthening of disease surveillance and prevention. Methods: The PICO framework guided the development of search terms and research questions. PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched for English-language, full-text studies published between 2010 and 2024. Studies not meeting these inclusion criteria were excluded. Screening and reporting followed PRISMA guidelines, and data were synthesised using a standardised extraction tool. Results: A total of 58 studies were included. The key EHP functions identified were water quality monitoring, vector control, food safety, waste management, and outbreak response. While South Africa demonstrated comparatively advanced systems, persistent implementation challenges remain, including the integration of environmental monitoring with disease surveillance. The findings emphasised the need for integrating environmental monitoring with disease surveillance systems and integrating WASH and climate-responsive strategies. Conclusions and recommendation: The review recommends strengthening guidelines and advancing evidence-based practice. Enhancing EHP roles within surveillance frameworks is essential for improving outbreak preparedness and public health resilience. Full article

Near-expired food has received increasing attention in recent years as an important way to reduce food waste and promote sustainable consumption. However, although consumers recognize its economic value and environmental significance, they still have concerns about its quality and potential risks. Drawing on social cognitive theory and social exchange theory, this study adopts a benefit–risk trade-off perspective to examine how personal and environmental factors influence purchase intention toward near-expired food through perceived benefits and perceived risks. Based on 547 valid questionnaires collected from Chinese consumers, this study employs PLS-SEM, multi-group analysis (MGA), and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) for empirical testing. The results show that personal norm and price discount significantly increase perceived benefits, whereas social image concern and product uncertainty significantly increase perceived risks. Perceived benefits have a significant positive effect on purchase intention, whereas perceived risks have a significant negative effect. The MGA results further show that purchase experience and income level lead to significant differences in consumers’ decision paths. The fsQCA results indicate that both high and non-high purchase intention can be formed through multiple distinct but equivalent paths. High purchase intention mainly follows two patterns, benefit-driven and cognitive trade-off. Non-high purchase intention is mainly characterized by benefit deficiency and risk interference. The findings provide implications for the marketing and risk management of near-expired food. Full article

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has emerged as a promising technique for food waste treatment. However, food waste is composed of complex components, including refractory proteins and polysaccharides, which lead to low efficiency and high costs during the HTC process. Enhancing the decomposition of food waste while enabling efficient nutrient recovery remains a significant challenge for the widespread application of HTC in food waste management. This study introduces deep eutectic solvents (DESs) to enhance treatment efficiency during the HTC of food waste. A comprehensive characterization of the resulting hydrochar and aqueous phase was conducted, and the effect of DES addition on the migration and speciation of phosphorus and nitrogen species during HTC was investigated. The results indicated that the addition of DESs promoted the decomposition of food waste, reducing the hydrochar yield from 22.6% to 20.2% and decreasing the volatile matter content in the hydrochar from 86.63% to 71.60% at 200 °C. Additionally, DESs significantly lowered the nitrogen content in the hydrochar from 5.99% to 3.77%. By disrupting the hydrogen-bonding networks in proteins and polysaccharides, DESs facilitated the dissolution of organic matter into the aqueous phase. Furthermore, with DES addition, 5.06 mg of phosphorus species was enriched in the hydrochar, compared to only 1.78 mg in the control group without DESs. This study provides a sustainable strategy for the efficient treatment of food waste while simultaneously enabling the effective recovery of valuable nutrients. Full article

Biogas production through anaerobic digestion is increasingly recognised as a strategic renewable energy pathway capable of addressing South Africa’s energy insecurity, organic waste management challenges, and climate mitigation goals. However, the water-intensive nature of anaerobic digestion raises critical sustainability concerns in water-scarce regions. This systematic review critically examines the water footprint of biogas-based bioenergy systems, with a specific focus on South Africa’s water-stressed context, to understand how water availability, feedstock selection, digester configuration, and governance frameworks influence system viability and scalability. This study adopts a systematic literature review (SLR) approach guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology; peer-reviewed literature published between 2010 and 2025 was retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science and synthesised through descriptive analysis and qualitative meta-synthesis. The review integrates blue, green, and greywater footprint concepts to assess water use across diverse biogas pathways, including livestock manure, agricultural residues, food waste, wastewater sludge, and aquatic biomass. Findings indicate that wet digestion systems, dominant in South Africa, are highly sensitive to freshwater availability, particularly where slurry dilution relies on blue water. In contrast, wastewater-integrated, semi-wet, and co-digestion systems substantially reduce freshwater demand while enhancing methane yields and process stability. The reuse of greywater, industrial effluents, and digestate emerges as a key strategy for lowering water footprints and strengthening circular water–energy linkages. Despite strong technical potential, the adoption of water-efficient anaerobic digestion systems remains constrained by fragmented governance, infrastructure deficits, and limited empirical data on dry and low-water digestion technologies. The review concludes that embedding water footprint considerations into bioenergy planning, policy, and system design is essential for the sustainable expansion of biogas in South Africa. Integrated water–energy–waste governance, coupled with targeted technological innovation, is critical to ensuring that biogas development enhances both energy security and water sustainability in water-scarce regions. Full article

Significant amounts of food waste come from fruit processing, causing economic and environmental impacts. The waste generated is a valuable source of compounds due to its concentration of nutrients, such as dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, lipids with mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and bioactive compounds. Despite the nutritional and functional qualities of the waste, it is still commonly discarded and underutilized, demonstrating the importance of studying it. The selected fruits described in this study are widely consumed by various populations around the world and are used at an industrial scale. The objective of this review is to discuss the use of seeds from grapes, passion fruit, melon, watermelon, papaya, guava, raspberry, and pomegranate and their benefits for human consumption. The seeds stand out for the possibility of oil extraction, creating a sustainable and healthy mode of production. Due to their nutritional composition rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, they have been shown to be beneficial to health, promoting development, strengthening the immune system, and promoting the growth and maintenance of cell membranes, cardiovascular benefits, and antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, in addition to innovation in the cosmetics sector and applicability as biofuel. Therefore, the exploitation of this type of by-product shows promise in the search for alternative sources of vegetable oils and bioactive compounds with high added nutritional value and potential nutraceutical application, helping to increase the value of food waste and thus contributing to a better use of plant resources. Full article

The growing worldwide need for sustainable, high-quality protein sources has intensified interest in single-cell protein (SCP) production, particularly mycoproteins derived from filamentous fungi. This shift is further driven by global sustainability priorities articulated by regulatory bodies, which promote resource efficiency, waste valorization, and sustainable food systems. Despite their high carbohydrate potential, the agricultural sector generates vast quantities of starch-rich by-products. Examples include broken rice, cassava peels, potato waste, and cereal-processing residues, which remain largely underutilized and thereby contribute substantially to environmental pollution. This literature review examines the potential of starch-based agricultural by-products as low-cost, renewable feedstocks for fungal SCP production in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These by-products include broken rice, cassava peels, potato waste, and cereal processing residues, which remain largely underutilized despite their high carbohydrate content. Key topics include pretreatment strategies, fungal fermentation with Neurospora and Fusarium spp., and process optimization to maximize biomass yield and feedstock valorization. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) indicate reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional protein sources, highlighting the potential of starch residues in circular bioeconomy systems. Furthermore, considerations related to process design, environmental benefits, and techno-economic feasibility are evaluated in the context of converting starch residues into fungal protein. In summary, the evidence suggests that valorizing starch by-products for mycoprotein fermentation, used both as a protein alternative and as an ingredient, represents a promising strategy to reduce waste management and production costs and support global food sustainability. Full article

Food insecurity persists in Ecuador, and organizations like the Quito Food Bank (BAQ) are key to mitigating it. This study evaluatesBAQ’s management from a sustainability perspective, analyzing its social, economic, and environmental impacts in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A mixed, exploratory, and descriptive case study approach was employed. Data collection included direct observation, a review of internal records, and semi-structured surveys administered to 240 volunteers. The environmental impact was quantified using a “gate-to-gate” Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with OpenLCA software and the ReCiPe 2016 methodology, while The social and economic analysis was conducted in R, using non-parametric statistical tests. The LCA identified storage as the main critical environmental, responsible for over 80% of the impacts due to high-energy consumption for refrigeration. Socially and economically, the BAQ’s food basket provides significant savings for beneficiary households, allowing them to redirect resources to other essential needs. However, this assistance is only partial and does not generate full economic security. The study highlights the duality of the BAQ’s operations: while food redistribution generates social and environmental benefits by reducing waste, it has its own environmental footprint due to the use of energy resources. A more holistic perspective is therefore proposed to ensure these interventions are truly sustainable in the long term. Full article

This study addresses the issue of low utilization rates of kitchen waste recycling facilities in urban communities in China, caused by insufficient resident willingness to participate and sustain use, which impacts the efficiency of urban sustainability. A system design model based on Affordance Theory (BIATM) is proposed to connect behavioral insights with design and decision-making tools to improve sustainability outcomes at the local level. This model includes three components: demand classification identification based on Affordance Theory and the Best-Worst Method (BWM), hierarchical relationship analysis of demand based on Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), and design transformation based on Affordance Theory. Unlike prior approaches that apply affordance theory as a post hoc interpretive lens, this study operationalizes it as a generative design tool integrated with quantitative demand analysis. The results indicate that “Incentive Feedback” is a key factor directly influencing sustained participation behavior, while factors related to hygiene anxiety and operational burden are fundamental constraints to residents’ use of community kitchen waste recycling facilities. This suggests that the explicit needs expressed by residents may not always be the primary drivers of behavior initiation and continuity. To promote sustained participation, design should prioritize meeting deeper behavioral prerequisites and maintain participation through superficial feedback and incentive mechanisms. Based on this analysis, three design proposals for community kitchen waste management facilities are presented, evaluated, and optimized using the TOPSIS method. The study concludes that combining demand weight identification, hierarchical relationship analysis, and Affordance Theory translation effectively supports the identification, design generation, and optimization of community kitchen waste management facilities, providing a methodological reference for the sustainable design of public service facilities and practical pathways for promoting resident participation in community resource recycling. Full article

Organic waste management remains a pressing environmental and economic challenge, particularly in small-scale or domestic contexts where access to industrial composting technologies is limited. This study investigates the performance of the BSG-2 fermenter, a low-cost aerobic system designed to convert brewery spent grain (BSG) and vegetable waste into nutrient-rich compost through solid-state fermentation. The fermenter, constructed from food-grade plastic, relied on intermittent forced aeration, and manual temperature and pH control to sustain microbial activity. Temperature, pH, and substrate degradation were monitored throughout a complete fermentation cycle. The system achieved consistent bio-thermal performance with peak temperatures of approximately 32 °C and a substrate volume reduction of 30–40%, confirming active microbial metabolism and substantial organic matter degradation. Minimal odor generation and low energy input highlighted the fermenter’s environmental suitability. While occasional anaerobic pockets and limited heat retention were observed, these limitations could be addressed through improved insulation and automated aeration. The sustained mesophilic heat generation observed in the system may also present opportunities for low-grade thermal recovery in small-scale applications, such as localized environmental conditioning, although the magnitude of heat produced is limited. Overall, the BSG-2 fermenter demonstrates a feasible, replicable approach to valorizing organic waste into compost and sustained mesophilic heat generation using simple, accessible materials, contributing to circular economy strategies and sustainable small-scale waste management. Full article

The stabilization of two-stage bioenergy systems and optimization of the energy recovery efficiency have been found to be closely related to the management of VFA-rich effluent obtained after the dark fermentation of food waste. In this study, the performance of a mesophilic UASB reactor was investigated at different OLR levels. The focus of this study was to assess methane yield and substrate degradation during anaerobic digestion. The results revealed that the performance of the UASB reactor was stable within the range of 2.5–7.0 kg COD m⁻³ d⁻¹. At this range, it was possible to convert VFAs into methane gas through the synergistic interaction of fermentative bacteria and methanogenic archaea. The methane content was 67.9%, TCOD removal efficiency was 89.7% at the optimal OLR of 7.0 kg COD m⁻³ d⁻¹, and volumetric methane production rate was 2.41 L_CH4 L⁻¹ d⁻¹. The increase in OLR to 10.0 kg COD m⁻³ d⁻¹ resulted in instability of the anaerobic digestion process. The instability of the anaerobic digestion process was characterized by propionate accumulation and a high VFA/alkalinity ratio of 0.89. The Grau second-order and Modified Stover–Kincannon models were found to describe COD removal efficiency. The Monod model was found to show limited preliminary agreement under the conditions tested for high-rate granular sludge. The highest methane yield and efficiency of energy recovery were obtained at 7.0 kg COD m⁻³ d⁻¹. The recoverable energy obtained at this OLR was 2.04 MJ d⁻¹. The results of this study revealed that it is possible to integrate dark fermentation and anaerobic digestion through the use of UASB reactors. Full article

Valorization of agricultural residues into biochar for soil applications offers dual benefits of waste management and sustainable agriculture. However, the mechanisms governing sandy soil and lettuce response to biochar under deficit irrigation are not well understood. This study evaluated the effects of biochar types on sandy soil physiochemical properties and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) yield at different irrigation levels. A field experiment was performed using a randomized complete block design with four treatments (soil only, cotton stalk biochar, cashew nutshells biochar, and a mix of cotton stalks+ cashew nutshells biochar) and three irrigation regimes (100%, 80, and 60% of crop water requirements ETc) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The results showed that biochar-amended soils had consistently higher water retention and macronutrients, resulting in higher fresh, marketable lettuce yields under deficit irrigation compared to untreated soils. Compared to other treatments, a mix of cotton-stalk and cashew-nutshell biochar produced the highest yield (18.1 tons/ha) under moderate irrigation (80% ETc). Achieving optimal yields with 20% less irrigation water indicates biochar’s water-saving potential in climate-resilient vegetable farming. These findings underscore the potential of combining deficit irrigation and biochar for sustainable vegetable production to mitigate food security in water-scarce regions. Full article

University cafeterias generate solid waste as a result of high user turnover and routine food service operations. While waste characterization studies are common in higher education institutions, data-driven predictive modeling remains limited, particularly in Latin American contexts. This study addresses this gap by integrating physical waste generation with behavioral surveys to develop predictive tools for operational decision-making. The findings should be interpreted as a single-site operational demonstration; broader generalization requires replication and local recalibration in cafeterias with different operational and social characteristics. Waste generation was characterized in a Panamanian university cafeteria by shift over 20 consecutive working days, separating organic and inorganic fractions, and collecting 705 user surveys on consumption habits. Two complementary predictive approaches were developed: a rule-based classification model and a Monte Carlo simulation framework. Organic waste exhibited a stable pattern throughout the study period, with clear concentration during lunch hours and a strong dependence on user volume. In contrast, inorganic waste showed higher day-to-day variability and increased during evening service, reflecting changes in service practices rather than attendance alone. Statistical analysis indicated that waste generation was more closely associated with food type purchased and faculty affiliation than with self-reported environmental awareness. Overall, the results demonstrate that straightforward predictive approaches can support shift-level planning and operational waste management decisions in university cafeterias. Full article