Determining best practices for sustainability of the circular bioeconomy: Characterizing flows and transformations of organic carbon, nutrients and contaminants

我的研究计划的指导原则和长期目标是开发新技术和最佳管理策略，将城市有机残留物回收到农业中，作为可持续循环生物经济的一部分。商业化农业是基于一个线性的采掘经济模型，奖励最大化的生产，而不强调可持续性，土壤健康和食品质量。相比之下，循环经济模式寻求最小的折旧和最大的资源再利用。土壤健康取决于土壤有机质的丰富。负责任地管理有机资源可以促进和维持土壤、作物和人类的健康。在加拿大，每年产生250万吨湿生物固体和3400万吨城市固体废物（50%有机）。通过堆肥、厌氧消化等方式处理这些材料，并将产品应用于农业用地，可以增加有机碳和微量营养素，有助于实现可持续农业和循环经济。对这些材料的有效管理有利于农学，并通过固碳和抵消化肥的使用来减缓气候变化。 我的长期目标将通过短期目标来实现，即通过废物管理和农业生态系统来量化有机碳、宏观和微量营养素的移动和转化。我们还将跟踪微塑料、金属和温室气体（GHG）等污染物。微塑料的命运，它们如何在生态系统中集中和转化，在很大程度上仍然是未知的。微量金属，即使是微量营养素，如果过度浓缩也是有害的。最后，关于有机物回收的温室气体排放的数据是不完整的。我们将沿着生物经济的路径对有机材料进行沿着采样：废水生物固体，城市固体废物的有机部分，堆肥和生物消化的有机物，土壤，作物和食物。我们将量化这些材料中的有机碳，常量营养素和微量营养素含量，以及微塑料，金属和温室气体。我们将使用物质流分析（MFA）中的数据，并构建基于过程的模型来模拟这些物质在不同管理策略和气候情景下的演变。这些模型将用于模拟农业用有机残留物的处理和再循环的管理战略。将进行生命周期分析，以评估不同战略对环境的影响，并建议最佳管理做法，以最大限度地提高效益，减少风险。最后，我们将使用这些模型来预测可能的气候情景的影响，并建立缓解和适应的BMPs。这项研究计划的结果将帮助加拿大人负责任地评价有机废物，改善农业土壤，生产丰富和健康的食物，并减轻气候变化的影响，因为我们从线性过渡到循环生物经济。

The guiding principle and long-term goal of my research program is to develop new technologies and best management strategies for recycling municipal organic residues to agriculture as part of a sustainable circular bioeconomy. Commercial agriculture is based on a linear extractive economic model that rewards maximum production while deemphasizing sustainability, soil health, and food quality. By contrast, a circular economic model seeks minimum depreciation and maximum reuse of resources. Soil health depends on abundant soil organic matter. The health of soils, crops and humans can be facilitated and sustained by responsible management of organic resources. In Canada, 2.5 Mt wet biosolids and 34 Mt municipal solid waste (50% organic) are generated annually. Processing these materials by composting, anaerobic digestion, etc. and applying the products to agricultural land recycles organic carbon and micro and macronutrients and helps to achieve sustainable agriculture and a circular economy. Efficient management of these materials benefits agronomy and mitigates climate change by sequestering carbon and offsetting use of chemical fertilizers. My long-term goal will be achieved by short-term objectives to quantify movement and transformation of organic carbon, macro and micronutrients through waste management and agro-ecological systems. We will also track pollutants such as microplastics, metals, and greenhouse gases (GHG). The fate of microplastics, how they concentrate and transform in ecosystems is still largely unknown. Trace metals, even those which are micronutrients, are hazardous if overconcentrated. Finally, data about GHG emissions from organics recycling are incomplete. We will sample organic material along the paths through the bioeconomy: wastewater biosolids, organic fraction of municipal solid waste, composted and biodigested organics, soil, crops, and food. We will quantify the organic carbon, macronutrients and micronutrients contents in these materials, as well as microplastics, metals, and GHGs. We will use the data in Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and construct process-based models to simulate how these materials evolve under different management strategies and climate scenarios. The models will be used to simulate management strategies for the handling and recycling of organic residues for use in agriculture. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) will be done to assess the environmental impacts of the different strategies and to recommend Best Management Practices (BMPs) to maximize benefits and minimize risks. Finally, we will use these models to predict the impact of possible climate scenarios and establish BMPs for mitigation and adaptation. The results of this research program will help Canadians responsibly valorize organic wastes, improve agricultural soils, produce abundant and healthful food, and mitigate climate change impacts as we transition from a linear to a circular bioeconomy.