Due to the various types of waste disposal, treatment, utilization and technologies, decision support model for waste management is needed to assist planners and decision makers in finding most suitable way to manage municipal solid waste efficiently. Many planners and decision makers in the area of municipal solid waste have a lack of thorough understanding of the complex chains of waste management system. Therefore the impact for the environment quality and the public health can only be judged at the rudimentary level. However, most existing models are primarily focusing on cost or environmental analysis. Only few consider other crucial factors such as the demographic condition, the characteristics of urban form and urban infrastructure, land transformation aspects due to urban development. Consequently, such models often meet difficulties to cope with cultural requirement. Based on those reasons, a decision support model to set up alternatives of most appropriate technology for sustainable waste management towards a low carbon eco-city on a regional basis is developed in this PhD study. The Low Carbon- and Eco-Region, in particular the contribution of waste management sector, is a vision of living in low rate of carbon generation, using fewer natural resources, and encouraging energy recovery and/or waste reduction at source by improving the used material quality (up-cycling). This decision support model is constructed mainly based on the cultural requirement and local context of a region and synergize the geographic, environmental, social capital and economics aspects in order to fulfill the needs of the respective region and its society. The method employed in this model is not solely a new developed model, but also an advanced model in material flow analysis (STAN), and life cycle assessment on solid waste system (EASEWASTE) and Geographic Information System (GIS). At the same time the model also assists the stakeholders in improving the environmental quality and the public health by promoting waste separation at source and reducing the greenhouse gas emission potential from waste sector.

The Waste Atlas provides a comprehensive analysis of biowaste and residual waste collection in Germany. With the help of 20 thematic maps, key aspects such as collection systems, connection rates and the quantities of waste collected in different regions are presented. The data is based on over 5,100 sources and provides a detailed overview of the current situation of biowaste collection. The atlas provides valuable information for decision-makers, researchers and professionals involved in the circular economy and interested in a more sustainable use of resources.

Investigations of aerobic m situ stabilization of old sites in laboratory-scale tests show that a significant reduction of the nitrogen concentration in the leachate takes place. The degradation and release of organic compounds via the gas phase could be accelerated. The required aeration volumes for the biological stabilization are technically realizable as the total oxygen demand is relatively low.

One of the areas that is directly affected by the changes in global climate and involves the poorest of the world is agriculture and hence by association food security. Unsustainable farming practices like the excessive use of mineral fertilizers and plowing have further aggravated the situation, having led to an irreversible destruction of cultivable soils worldwide. In this regard, certain areas of South Asia have been described as among the regions most vulnerable to climate change. In South Asia, more than 65 % of the 1.7 billion people rely on agriculture for their livelihood and rice is the staple for the majority of the population. With 68 % of the total population based at or near rice ecosystems and nearly 30 % living on less than USD1.25 a day, the resilience of rice based small-holder farms assumes great importance in the present scenario. South Asia would be the worst affected in terms of absolute change in rice production with the production in 2050 being projected at 40 % lower than in the no-climate-change scenario. In this context, it is imperative to focus on agriculture in the context of a changing climate when framing future policies for South Asia. From the perspective of high water productivity and better yields, the rice production system known as System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is among the well-recognized systems in application in various agro-ecological regions of the world. SRI is a methodology for increasing the productivity of irrigated rice by better management of plants, water, soil and nutrients. It is as a climate-smart rice production system having improved resistance to drought, floods, storms, and pests and results in increased yields. The water consumption with SRI-rice being a water-intensive crop is also lower than in the conventional rice production system, a factor that assumes great importance in the current scenario of receding water tables in South Asian countries. This paper will examine the case for SRI in South Asia in the context of climate change and related factors.

The ecological consequences of industrial agriculture and the pace at which the natural resources of soil and water are being exhausted, make a rethink of food systems imperative. Rice being the staple for more than half the world population and a major water consumer crop can play a vital role in this. This work builds the case for agroecological interventions in rice farming to mitigate the negative impacts of the food system on the environment, to attain sustainable development in rural areas. In this regard, the improvements in plant growth parameters and plant health conditions observed under SRIBI (System of Rice Intensification with Beans Intercropping) are reported. Rice iCrop, based on SRIBI, is presented as an alternative rice farming system due to its wide-ranging socioeconomic and ecological benefits.

The ecological consequences of industrial agriculture and the pace at which natural resources of soil and water are being exhausted, make a rethink of food systems imperative. Rice being the staple for more than half the world population can play a vital role in this. This work builds the case for agroecological interventions in rice farming to mitigate the negative impacts of the food system and to achieve sustainable development goals in rural areas. In this regard, the improvements in plant growth parameters and plant health conditions observed under SRIBI (System of Rice Intensification with Beans Intercropping) are reported and it is presented as an alternative farming system due to its socioeconomic and ecological benefits.

The discrepancies in our food systems have become more pronounced in the last couple of years due to natural disasters of huge magnitude and the current pandemic, that have served to make them visible to a wider range of population. As a result, a shift to agroecological food and farming systems is currently being advocated at different levels. An agroecological approach to food systems involves consideration of all their interactions with the major challenges of our time—food security, water scarcity, climate change, socioeconomic disparity. This paper presents a bibliometric study of peer reviewed literature about the role of agroecology in relation to either or all of these challenges, published between 1990 and 2020. 1990 was the year in which IPCC published its first assessment report that set into motion many framework agreements and protocols regarding climate change. In 2019 and 2020, IPBES and iPES-Food released separate reports advocating an urgent agricultural transition based on agroecological methodologies. There has been an exponential increase in the published research in this field in this time period, whereas an overwhelming majority of the publications were filed under the subject areas of agricultural and biological sciences, environmental sciences, and social sciences. In addition to the increasing acceptance of the role of agroecology to address the challenges of our times, the results of this analysis point to the cross-cutting nature of issues agroecology caters to.

The main objective of this thesis was to assess the anaerobic treatment of blackwater (toilet wastewater) from vacuum toilets without and with kitchen refuse and its potential for resources management sanitation concepts. In a bench scale continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), the performance of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of blackwater without and with kitchen refuse was investigated at varying conditions for hydraulic retention time (HRT), ammonia concentration and pre-treatment. At HRT of 20 days, more than 60 % of the input COD was converted to biogas which represents 87 % of the maximum biodegradable COD. At these conditions, the biogas contained 75 % methane and the specific rate was 14 l CH4/cap/d. The digestion runs uninhibited despite high ammonia concentration of 1,111 mg NH4/l. When increasing ammonia artificially about two times, the inhibition by free ammonia starts at concentration of 300 mg NH3/l. Designing of the CSTR based on hydraulic criteria leads to a high unused potential of organic load. When adding kitchen refuse, the reactor can be operated at 15 days HRT and a maximum load of 5 kg COD/(m3 reaktor·d) in an uninhibited state. It results to an increase of methane production of 10 times compared to blackwater digestion. If the HRT decreases or the COD load increase, the reactor runs at an inhibited steady state at lower methane production until the process breaks down. The mesophilic anaerobic digestion process has a relevant hygienization performance of 2 log reduction for the pathogen indicator E.coli. Additionally 2 log reduction can be reached in case of post-storage of 40 days at ambient temperature. Pre-pasteurization and Pre-acidification were studied, but no treatment is able to meet safely the standard of 1.000 CFU/g TR set by WHO (2006) and US EPA (Anonymous 1993). The Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) by IWA was implemented with the software Aquasim. The model was calibrated based on the experimental results. The key parameter were the disintegration and hydrolysis constant kdis and the inhibition constants for free ammonia and pH. The calibrated model was applied for the simulation of process limits and of a technical scale reactor. This model can now be used as a tool to design and predict the performance of an anerobic CSTR for combined blackwater and kitchen refuse treatment. The finally proposed sanitation concept for household wastewaters based on anaerobic technology has major advantages in terms of energy balance and CO2 emissions compared to the conventional aerobic system.

The objective of this research was mesophilic anaerobic digestion of blackwater from vacuum toilets (BW) and kitchen refuse (KR) in a CSTR within an ecological sanitation system. A detailed investigation of the BW characteristics was carried out. Research on anaerobic digestion was performed with CSTR of 10 I volume at HIRT of 10, 15 and 20 days. The digestion of BW at 20 days HRT showed stable performance without inhibition effects, in spite of relatively high ammonium concentrations. The removal of total and particulate COD was 61 % and 53%, respectively, and the methane yield 10 I CH4/cap/day. The addition of kitchen refuse (KR) improved the performance of the CSTR in terms of COD removal efficiency and methane yield. At 20 days HRT the removal of total and particulate COD increased up to 71 % and 67%, respectively, and the methane yield to 27 I CH4/Gap/day. The results at 15 days HRT showed similar performance. At HRT of 10 days, the anaerobic treatment was limited but reached steady state conditions at higher VFA concentrations in the effluent, with a decrease of COD removal of 30 to 33% and of methane yields of 19 to 21 %.

The potential of anaerobic digestion in ecological and decentralised sanitation has been investigated in this research. Different anaerobic digestion systems were proposed for the treatment of sewage, grey water, black water and faeces. Moreover, mathematical models based on anaerobic digestion model no.1 (ADM1) were developed for determination of a suitable design for each system. For stable performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating sewage, the model results indicated that optimisation of wastewater conversion to biogas (not COD removal) should be selected for determination of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the reactor. For the treatment of sewage or black water in a UASB septic-tank, the model results showed that the sludge removal period was the main parameter for determination of the HRT. At such HRT, both COD removal and wastewater conversion are also optimised. The model results demonstrated that for treatment of faeces in an accumulation (AC) system at temperature ≥25°C, the filling period of the system should be higher than 60 days. For maximisation of the net biogas production (i.e. reduction of biogas losses as dissolved in the effluent), the separation between grey water, urine and faeces and reduction of water consumption for faeces flushing are required. Furthermore, the faeces and kitchen organic wastes and grey water are digested in, respectively, an AC system and UASB reactor, while the urine is stored.

Deinking sludge (DS) is a residue from the waste paper recycling industry. It is a by-product originating from the deinking process which is designed to remove inks and other impurities from waste papers to recover usable fibers. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of anaerobic digestion (AD) of DS in order to produce methane (CH4) by degrading organic matter. DS differs clearly from common AD substrates due to its specific composition. The focus was laid on comparing various inocula in order to find appropriate microbial consortia. Three inocula from different origins were investigated. After sludge and inocula characterization, batch AD at a mesophilic (37 °C) condition was performed for 21 days to determine biogas and CH4 potentials as well as sludge biodegradability in comparison to cellulose. The highest average CH4 yield achieved in the 21 days of the batch experiment was 167 NmL/g organic dry matter (oDM). However, the CH4 potentials from all experiments did not have a wide range (average 160 NmL/g oDM; standard deviation ±5.0 NmL/g oDM). The highest organic matter degradation achieved was 31%. It can be stated that conventional AD inocula are usable to degrade DS, but that a significant part of the oDM was anaerobically not degradable. The overall CH4 yields were lower compared to top AD substrates such as energy crops, but in a similar range like residue-based AD substrates such as manure. Since actual DS management is cost-intensive and affecting the profitability of waste paper industry significantly, AD as a management option with an energetically valuable output is a very promising option.

Sustainable sanitation is one of the biggest challenges in the world today. Technologies are available but many countries lack the necessary management capacity and institutional framework. This research provides a strategy with ten key actions related to the institutional framework, organisation, technology and users. Developed indicators and rating criteria are the basis of a scorecard that is implemented as a software tool. A case study illustrates the application of the strategy and tool. This work enables informed experts to quickly assess, implement, and monitor management needs and interventions.

Desulphurisation of biogas is needed to prevent corrosion and avoid toxic concentrations. High concentrations of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) cause problems to the incineration process. When biogas is turned, sulphur dioxide and sulphur trioxide are emitted which are even more hazardous to air pollution than H2S. The sulphurous acid formed is highly corrosive. When upgrading biogas to biomethane an effective and economical desulphurisation is also needed. Biogas has typical H2S concentrations from 1000 to 3000 ppm. Within this paper the biological desulphurisation with addition of humic substances is presented. The idea concerns the optimising of the biological treatment with a usage of adapted washing liquids in a bioscrubber to improve the absorption of H2S. Bioscrubbers can be built smaller, thereby reducing the costs. Regeneration by microorganisms is a low cost possibility. Analyses proved humic substances to be an effective solubiliser. Compared to other desulphurisation methods, this bioscrubber-system has high advantages because of its environmentalfriendly usage. Particularly in comparison with other biological treatments, an addition of humic substances is really efficient.

Collectable amounts and concentration of public urinals were measured, to evaluate the potential of a system for separate urine collection and treatment in an urban context. The collected substrate was processed amongst others by rectification and evaporation for nutrient recovery and reduction of micropollutants as pharmaceutical residues. After proving the technical feasibility of the treatment in pilot scale, transport and achievable product values were discussed in respect to scale.

The energy transition, including the substitution of Russian natural gas, is a major challenge that requires supportive measures in many areas of the energy sector. One of these areas is the production of biomethane from domestic kitchen waste. This mainly includes food waste. There is a large untapped potential for its use. Citizens, waste management companies and politicians can contribute to realise this.

The biodegradation of volatile fully chlorofluonnated hydro carbons (CFCs), partly chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons (H CFCs) and vinyl chloride (VC) were investigated in compost and marl in laboratory studies. Trichlorofluoromethane (R11), dichlorodifluoromethane (R12), 1,1,2-trichlorotriflu oroethane (R113), difluoromethane (R32) and VC were bio degradable in compost under anaerobic conditions, probably by methanogenic bacteria. The anaerobic decomposition products of R11 were dichlorofluoromethane (R21 ) and chlo rofluoromethane (R31). The degradation product of R12 was chlorodifluoromethane (R22). R11 and its degradation prod ucts have the inhibiting effects of the R12 degradation under anaerobic conditions. The partly halogenated hydrocarbon R22 and VC were degraded preferentially under aerobic con ditions in marl, probably by methanotrophic bacteria. Under aerobic conditions R22 and VC have inhibited the biodegra dation of methane by methanotrophic bacteria.

Background: The project KREIS focuses on a new combination of renewable energy provision with innovative wastewater treatment, called the “Hamburg Water Cycle®” (HWC) which will be applied in Hamburg’s neighbourhood Jenfelder Au. HWC includes a separate collection of rainwater, greywater and blackwater. Vacuum toilets are used to concentrate the blackwater. Biogas will be produced from the blackwater in an anaerobic digestion process together with co-substrates. The blackwater will be transported to the anaerobic pre-treatment facility via a vacuum system. Construction of water systems started in 2013, and commercialization of houses is planned to be finished in 2018. Methods: The article focuses on research work accompanying the demonstration project. Blackwater and the co-substrates, lawn cuttings and grease trap residues from restaurants and canteens will be considered as bioresources, not as residues. To evaluate the utilization efficiency, three investigation steps were carried out: inventory to determine substrate quantities and qualities, anaerobic digestion to determine biogas production, and evaluation of digestate utilization options. Results: The daily amount of blackwater in Jenfelder Au is calculated to be about 12 m3 (dry matter (DM) 0.6 %; organic dry matter (oDM) 65 % DM; nitrogen (N) 28 % DM; phosphorus (P) 2.7 %). To increase the biogas production, co-substrates will be added. Grease trap residues (averages: DM 2 %; oDM 85 % DM; N 2.5 % DM; P 0.6 % DM) and lawn cuttings (averages: DM 30 %; oDM 80 % DM; N 2.6 % DM; P 0.3 % DM) were selected. The inventory study showed a sufficient potential of lawn cuttings within a 5-km radius. The lawn cuttings must be pre-treated for wet fermentation. Two options were investigated: press juice preparation and wet shredding of the fresh and silage lawn. Batch test was used to determine the biogas potential of the substrates with the following average results: blackwater 500 nl/kg oDM, grease trap residues 1000 nl/kg oDM, lawn cuttings 400 nl/kg oDM and lawn juice 500 nl/kg oDM. The effects of the composition of the substrate mixture and of the retention time in the reactor on biogas quantity and process stability were studied in semi-continuous operating reactors. Experiments showed that a stable process with an average biogas production of 800 nl/kg oDM is, e.g., possible with a mixture of blackwater, press juice of lawn cuttings and grease trap residues in a fresh mass ratio of 1:1:1. Furthermore, the N and P contents in digestates were determined. These nutrients are valuable for fertilization. Conclusion: It has been shown that blackwater combined with local waste streams can be used for biogas generation and that it has a potential as fertilizer. The experiments have shown that co-digestion has a positive effect on biogas yields and lawn cuttings are suitable as co-substrate. Lawn cuttings can be applied as lawn juice or lawn suspension. Ways of an integral utilization and the potential of nutrient recovery are shown in this work.

The "Lecture for Future" series on the topic of "Residual and by-product-based bioresources" gives an impression of the diversity of different bioresources and the status quo of their management. Furthermore, impressions are given on how these can be better utilised in the future, e.g. in biorefineries for the parallel production of different bio-based products. The first of the four learning units deals with the topic "Bioresource categories - primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary bioresources". First, general basics on the topic of bioresources are given and some categorisation possibilities are mentioned. Then the concept of the four bioresource categories is introduced and the categories are discussed in general and with examples. The categorisation of bioresources into primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary bioresources helps to design efficient utilisation pathways. Categorisation may help to avoid an inefficient bioresource use and to prevent the use of a high-quality bioresource for the production of a low-value product. The documents stored here comprise the print version of the learning unit. The original, interactive version can be found at the following link: https://www.hoou.de/projects/lff/pages/residue-and-by-product-based-bioresources

The temperate Himalayan valley of Kashmir is certainly not out of the sphere of influence of climate change induced irregular and extreme weather events. The effects of climate change have become more evident in recent years with drier winters and prolonged dry spells during the agricultural season, when rains are most needed for the crops. The catastrophic floods of September 2014, which led to complete destruction of the harvest-ready crops (mostly rice paddies) is fresh in the memory of the people. Kashmir has traditionally been a farm based self-sufficient economy but now the region is highly dependent on imports from outside, a problem that is aggravated by the high levels of unemployment. Boiled rice is the staple food in the Kashmir region with rice cultivation in inundated paddies being the only method in use. Flooded rice paddies are a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions with 20 % of total methane emissions worldwide coming from them. Methane is an greenhouse gas that is 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide. The use of N-fertilizers, which leads to pollution of the water bodies and also releases nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas 310 times as potent as carbon dioxide –, is in vogue in the region, hence aggravating the situation. This type of rice cultivation also has an inherent disadvantage of not being able to withstand rainstorms or water stress in case of high flooding due to overflow of the rivers into the catchment areas. Rice is a staple food for the majority of the 1.7 billion South Asian population and a source of livelihood for more than 50 million households. With South Asian population predicted to rise to more than 2 billion by 2030, there is a need to find ways to increase rice production in a climate-smart way. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) defines climate-smart agriculture as consisting of three main pillars; 1. Food security: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes. 2. Adaptation: adaptation and building resilience to climate change. 3. Mitigation: reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions, where possible. With these goals in mind, the current work focuses on researching the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in the context of Kashmir valley. SRI is essentially a system for an integrated soil, water, and air management. It results in healthier soils, prevents groundwater contamination, and leads to less emission of greenhouse gases. SRI has been successfully implemented in the neighbouring regions of Punjab (Pakistan), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) and in South and South-East India with. The success stories from these regions have reported an increase in the rice production up to 400 % with reduced water requirements and reduced lodging of the crops due to extreme weather events. The climate in Kashmir is radically different from the one present in these regions, hence adaptations of the system to the local climate may be needed for its successful implementation. Although the effect of System of Rice Intensification with respect to the quantity and quality of rice has been studied in considerable detail, its contribution to climate change mitigation has not been quantitatively assessed. This research aims at addressing this aspect of this climate change adaptation strategy as well. There are evidences that SRI practices can contribute to slowing the accumulation of greenhouse gases so as to reduce the global warming potential. To quantify this, there needs to be a thorough and precise evaluation, which is one of the aims of this research.

This report gives a business outlook on the implementation of the DECISIVE technical concept with the case study of Lübeck, Germany. The concept implementation is sub-divided into three scenarios which include building blocks from household food waste sorting over collection until treatment. The three scenarios comprise the following sub-concepts: 1. Sub-concept 1: Simplified food waste separation for residents 2. Sub-concept 2: Proximity food waste collection by alternative transportation means 3. Sub-concept 3: Food waste treatment by micro-anaerobic digestion technology While scenario 1 is only the implementation of sub-concept 1, scenario two comprises sub-concept 1 and sub-concept 2 and scenario 3 comprises all sub-concepts. The deliverable begins with a definition of the case study including the drivers, limitations and potential success factors for a transition towards decentralised elements in biowaste management. It continues with a detailed description of each sub-concept including its specific goals and a description of current related issues that are aimed at being solved by the respective concept. The following stakeholder analysis includes a description of the main ones to be involved in each sub-concept and their business opportunities. Furthermore, their influence on each sub-concept is analysed by means of a power-interest grid. PESTLE and SWOT analysis were conducted to determine external and internal factors influencing the business concept. The market analysis identified potential markets, its competitors and customers. With regard to the previous analysis, the implementation strategy was described following. First, a business model canvas gives an overview of the key elements of the overall business model. A description of the chosen scenarios for which the business model was developed is presented in order to describe the following financial indicators, which is the core of the business model. The financial indicators include a description of such, the overall costing of each scenario and the results for the chosen financial indicators. The overall costing is based on CAPEX, OPEX, revenues and additional funding necessary to run the concept economically viable. The financial indicators are net present value, return on investment and payback time. It was concluded that scenario one and two can be economically viable a short time after their implementation. However, scenario 2 needs some compensation since the revenue stream of waste fees reduced due to better sorting by inhabitants. It was generally assumed that the waste fee system remains as usual. Scenario 3 can be economically viable in the last quarter of its project lifetime. However, besides the compensation for decreased waste fees, additional funding would be necessary to achieve this net benefit. It was found that, in addition to the financial revenue generated in the case study described, external financial benefits can also be achieved if the scenarios are used as an educational tool to promote better sorting throughout the region. Furthermore, a strong social and environmental impact, which so far can only be monetised indirectly, is an important aspect for the implementation of the whole DECISIVE concept.