RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Liquid fertilizer production from organic waste by conventional and microwave-assisted extraction technologies: Techno-economic and environmental assessment
A1 Fernández Delgado, Marina
A1 Amo Mateos, Esther del
A1 Lucas Yagüe, Susana
A1 García Cubero, María Teresa
A1 Coca Sanz, Mónica
K1 Waste compost
K1 Gestión de residuos
K1 Nutrient  recovery
K1 Recuperación de nutrientes
K1 Organic  fertilizers
K1 Abono orgánico
K1 Sustainability
K1 Sostenibilidad
AB The use of mineral fertilizers in agriculture has significantly increased to support the growing global food demand. Organic fertilizers are produced from renewable waste materials to overcome the drawbacks of inorganic fertilizers. The development of novel production processes of organic fertilizers entails a significant advance towards the circular economy that reincorporates waste materials into the production cycle. In this work, the economic and environmental feasibility of an industrial plant with a treatment capacity of 300 kg/h of organic waste for the production of liquid fertilizers has been performed. Two extraction technologies (conventional and microwave) and two solvents (water and alkaline) have been compared to select the most sustainable and profitable scenario for scaling-up. The extraction process consists of 2 steps: extraction followed by a concentration stage (necessary only if water extraction is applied). The resolution of the mass balances shows that the fertilizer production under alkaline conditions is ten times higher than for water-based extraction. The economic analysis demonstrated that the total investment cost of microwave technology (>3.5 M€) is three times higher compared to the conventional extraction technology (<1.5 M€), mainly due to the higher complexity of the equipment. These facts directly impact the minimum selling price, because the fertilizers obtained by conventional extraction with alkaline solvent would have a lower selling price (about 1 €/L). As for environmental assessment, the indicators show that the environmental impact produced by water-based extraction is higher than alkaline-solvent extraction, mainly due to the necessity of a concentration stage of the liquid extract to meet the requirements of European regulations. In view of the results obtained in the economic and environmental evaluation, it could be concluded that the most favourable scenario for scaling up the production of liquid fertilizers from organic waste is the conventional extraction under alkaline conditions.
PB Elsevier
SN 0048-9697
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/49072
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/49072
LA eng
NO Science of The Total Environment, 2022, vol. 806, n. 4, 150904
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 24-nov-2024