Instant Insights: Developing a circular economy

Description

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on developing a circular economy in agriculture.

The first chapter discusses the relationship between a circular economy and bioeconomy as they relate to agriculture, as well as the key principles and challenges of circular, closed-loop agricultural systems.

The second chapter introduces new approaches to food production and ‘waste’ management, including the opportunity to partially close nutrient cycles in urban agricultural settings and the wider food system.

The third chapter provides a brief overview of the key principles of a circular economy and discusses how the advent of new alternatives to plastic food packaging can contribute to mitigating plastic waste and its environmental impact.

The fourth chapter discusses facility-based plant production systems, such as plant factories, and the importance of the circulation of materials in achieving a sustainable balance between food production and environmental protection.

The final chapter considers how regenerative urban agri-food systems can be built through a circular economy approach and provides examples of how this can be achieved, as well as how novel natural resource networks can be created in circular food economies in urban areas.

Table of contents

• Chapter 1 - Circular, closed-loop agricultural systems: key principles and challenges: Rolf Meyer, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Circular agriculture: principles and practice
  • 3 Circular biomass use
  • 4 Circular nutrition provision
  • 5 Circular energy provision
  • 6 Cascade use as a special form of circularity
  • 7 Conclusion and future trends
  • 8 Where to look for further information
  • 9 References
• Chapter 2 - Redirecting nutrients in urban waste to urban agriculture: Rosanne Wielemaker and Jan Weijma, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Urban agriculture and new sanitation
  • 3 Background information
  • 4 Case studies
  • 5 Challenges for integration: areas for future research
  • 6 Conclusion and future trends
  • 7 Where to look for further information
  • 8 References
• Chapter 3 - Developing bioplastics from agro-industrial wastes for applications in food packaging: Angela Marchetti, Gaia Salvatori and Lionel Tayou Nguemna, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; Mattia Grumi, Ahmet Ozan Basar, María Pardo-Figuerez, Jose Maria Lagaron and Cristina Prieto, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), Spain; Chiara Marcoaldi, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy and Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), Spain; Marianna Villano and Mauro Majone, Research Center for Applied Sciences to the Safeguard of Environment and Cultural Heritage (CIABC) and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; and David Bolzonella, University of Verona, Italy;
  • 1 Introduction: the problem of plastic waste
  • 2 Bioplastics as a promising alternative
  • 3 Types of bio-based polymers
  • 4 Bioplastics from renewable feedstocks: the example of polyhydroxyalkanoates from agricultural waste
  • 5 Cost evaluation of biopolymers
  • 6 Applications of bioplastics in food packaging
  • 7 Innovative food packaging
  • 8 Packaging production techniques
  • 9 Case study: the Horizon 2020 Usable Packaging project
  • 10 Conclusion and future research needs
  • 11 References
• Chapter 4 - Closed plant production systems in vertical farms for a circular economy: Yoshiaki Kitaya, Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Environmental control in facility-based plant production systems as semi-closed systems
  • 3 Facility-based plant production systems with efficient circulation of materials
  • 4 Sustainable balance of human activities and environmental conservation in urban ecosystems
  • 5 Conclusion
  • 6 References
• Chapter 5 - Building natural resource networks: urban agriculture and the circular economy: Stefano Pascucci, Exeter University, UK;
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Rethinking urban agriculture and food provisioning beyond a linear economy
  • 3 Designing regenerative urban agri-food systems through a circular economy approach
  • 4 Strategies for building natural resource networks in circular urban agriculture
  • 5 Key bottlenecks to transition into circular urban agriculture and food provisioning
  • 6 Conclusions
  • 7 References