Assessment of Fruit and Vegetable Residues Suitable for Renewable Energy Production: GIS-Based Model for Developing New Frontiers within the Context of Circular Economy

Abstract

Due to the necessity of developing renewable energy sources, the anaerobic digestion for producing biomethane has developed significantly in the last years, since it allows to both reduce disposal treatment and produce green energy. In this field, fruit and vegetable wastes have been recently put forward, since they could represent a suitable resource for producing biomethane as a new frontier within the context of a circular economy. This study aims at filling the gap in the knowledge of the production, quantities and biogas potential production of these residues. On this basis, a GIS-based model was developed and applied to the Sicily region by investigating the specific regulatory framework as well as by analysing descriptive statistics. The results of the GIS analyses enabled the localisation of the highest productive territorial areas and highlighted where fruit and vegetable wastes are abundantly located. In this regard, about 7 million Nm3 of biogas could be produced by reusing only the fruit and vegetable residues coming from the three most representative Sicilian wholesale markets among those considered. Finally, the regulatory framework is of crucial importance in inhibiting or supporting the use of the selected biomass in a specific sector, with regard to the case study considered.

A GIS-Based Model to Assess the Potential of Wastewater Treatment Plants for Enhancing Bioenergy Production within the Context of the Water–Energy Nexus

“…Today, these findings are crucial for minimizing environmental impacts derived from the logistic-supplying phase, so it is important to plan the suitable locations for new plants (both considered types) in a circular and green economy perspective. Some research studies were carried out by combining GIS tool and statistical database, by taking into account different sources of biomass, but with the same objective of reducing environmental impacts related to logistic supply phase, with the key criterion of minimizing transportation cost [5,7,42,43]. In line with the results reported here, all of these studies demonstrated that new bioenergy plants must be located as near as possible to the biomasses production sites.…”

“…With this increasing population, a significant amount of fuel may be in demand to aid the energy requirements in the coming years [2]. The renewable energy sources for producing electricity and heat could reduce the negative impact of fossil fuels on GHG released into the atmosphere [3][4][5] by playing a key role in the current CO2 mitigation policies. Among the suitable renewable energy sources that the past few decades have been developed, biomasses are one of the most important renewable energy sources [6].…”

Biogas Production from Organic Wastes: Integrating Concepts of Circular Economy

“…There are several manuscripts available in the literature reporting the relevant role that anaerobic digestion should exert in a circular economy model, considering the capability of this process for producing energy from organics, manures, and a great diversity of agronomic wastes [10][11][12][13]. Table 1 lists the products associated with the role of anaerobic digestion in the circular economy based on scientific literature.…”

Assessment of Tomato Peels Suitable for Producing Biomethane within the Context of Circular Economy: A GIS-Based Model Analysis

“…In Sicily, greenhouses horticultural cultivations are mainly concentrated in the province of Ragusa, in the southern coastal area, where more than 56% of the Sicilian greenhouse surface is located [41].…”

“…In this regard, anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural by-products (e.g., animal slurry, food waste, food processing residues) has been recognized by several studies [34][35][36] as a suitable and effective solution to produce renewable energy by means of a cogeneration system (electricity (EE) and thermal energy (TE)) [37][38][39]. In detail, the exploitation of biomass for producing biogas by anaerobic digestion (AD) shows high potential to meet the challenges of sustainable and green energy [40,41].…”