Novel strategy for effective utilization of anaerobic digestate as a nutrient medium for crop production in a recirculating deep water culture hydroponics system

From Waste to Plate: Exploring the Impact of Food Waste Valorisation on Achieving Zero Hunger

“…Despite the aforementioned benefits, the food waste utilised as the substrate for anaerobic digestion is typically a source of pathogenic microbes and some pathogens, such as Listeria and spore-formers, can survive the anaerobic digestion treatment and remain in the digestate, posing potential hazards to the environment, and cause serious illnesses in both humans and animals [69,70]. The incorrect calculation of fertilizer dose and nutrient availability can result in improper biofertilizer application and imbalanced release of nutrients that could compromise soil quality and crop growth [66,71]. The high water content of the digestate poses challenges and increases transportation and storage costs.…”

Pilot-Scale Evaluation of Poultryponics: Insights into Nitrogen Utilization and Food Pathogen Dynamics

“…Although advancements in wastewater treatment techniques have shown promise for mitigating nutrient pollution, , water scarcity and the current supply chain challenges of inorganic fertilizer production have sparked a shift toward wastewater reuse for sustainable agricultural applications. − A bioponic system is a technology that combines biological waste/wastewater treatment with soilless agriculture (hydroponics). − It has been demonstrated that wastewater composed of mixtures of agricultural runoff, domestic effluent, pharmaceutical, textile, and petroleum discharges could be effectively reclaimed by biological treatment for irrigation of edible crops such as lettuce, beets, broccoli, and tomatoes. , Highly concentrated organic substrates added to the bioponic system are mineralized by microorganisms in several compartments of the system (e.g., reactors, biofilters, and hydroponic grow beds). , In addition, organic compounds such as proteins, peptides, and urea among others are degraded while ammonium nitrogen is converted into nitrate to support crop production. ,, However, the bioponic application of poultry processing wastewater (poultryponics) has not been studied to date, perhaps due in part to concerns about pathogens. Irrigation of grass has been demonstrated with poultry processing wastewater, but this is considerably different from hydroponic production of food crops.…”