State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China.
Soils and Plant Nutrition Division, Coconut Research Institute, Lunuwila 61150, Sri Lanka.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 10;881:163311. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163311. Epub 2023 Apr 10.
One-third of the annual food produced globally is wasted and much of the food waste (FW) is unutilized; however, FW can be valorized into value-added industrial products such as biofuel, chemicals, and biomaterials. Converting FW into soil amendments such as compost, vermicompost, anaerobic digestate, biofertilizer, biochar, and engineered biochar is one of the best nutrient recovery and FW reuse approaches. The soil application of FW-based amendments can improve soil fertility, increase crop production, and reduce contaminants by altering soil's chemical, physical, microbial, and faunal properties. However, the efficiency of the amendment for improving ecosystem sustainability depends on the type of FW, conversion method, application rate, soil type, and crop type. Engineered biochar/biochar composite materials produced using FW have been identified as promising amendments for soil remediation, reducing commercial fertilizer usage, and increasing soil nutrient use efficiency. The development of quality standards and implementation of policies and regulations at all stages of the food supply chain are necessary to manage (reduce and re-use) FW.
全球每年生产的食物中有三分之一被浪费掉了，而其中很大一部分食物垃圾（FW）未被利用；然而，FW 可以被转化为有附加值的工业产品，如生物燃料、化学品和生物材料。将 FW 转化为堆肥、蚯蚓堆肥、厌氧消化物、生物肥料、生物炭和工程生物炭等土壤改良剂是最佳的养分回收和 FW 再利用方法之一。FW 基改良剂的土壤应用可以通过改变土壤的化学、物理、微生物和动物区系特性来提高土壤肥力、增加作物产量和减少污染物。然而，改良剂提高生态系统可持续性的效率取决于 FW 的类型、转化方法、应用率、土壤类型和作物类型。使用 FW 生产的工程生物炭/生物炭复合材料已被确定为有前途的土壤修复改良剂，可以减少商业肥料的使用并提高土壤养分利用率。需要在食品供应链的所有阶段制定和实施质量标准以及政策法规，以管理（减少和再利用）FW。
