Waste

Fabio Fava

Professor of Industrial & Environmental Biotechnology at the Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna.

Niels Jørn Hahn

President of the International Solid Waste Association.

Cees Buisman

Professor in biologically sustainable technology and scientific director of Wetsus.

Michel Dutang

Head of research at Veolia Environnement.

Organic waste, in particular agro food by-products and surplus, can be valorised to produce value added fine chemicals, fine materials and biofuels. Fabio Fava
People do not want waste treatment facilities in their neighbourhood and politicians do not dare to decide otherwise. The consequence is that waste is land filled. In developing countries there are a lot of social and health problems because they do not have an efficient collection system and because there are people that exist by sorting waste on the open land fills. Niels Jørn Hahn
It is not feasible to provide the rest of the world population with the same drinking water that we are used to in the Netherlands. A process technology approach is more feasible. Because a person actually needs only a few liters of clean water a day, we should develop a system that provides water locally, without the use of an extensive network of water pipes. Cees Buisman
We have to develop better sorting and detection techniques in order to better analyse materials and recover the energy use in producing the products. Michel Dutang

Waste

The more people on our planet, the more waste we produce. As resources get scarcer, waste management focuses more and more on recycling and reuse. The challenge is to valorise the waste and to use more efficiently all the raw materials and energy.

Waste does not only include solid waste, but also contaminations in soil, water and air. Clean soil, water and air are essential for a healthy living environment.

How can we valorise our materials from waste? Can we reuse the energy put in all those materials? And does biotechnology play a role?

This website was open for discussion from April 9 to May 28 2008.
We thank all the participants. The results of the discussion will be used in an advice to the Dutch Minister of the Environment. If you would like to receive the results, please send an e-mail to info@globalchange-discussion.org


April 20 2008 05:07Dr. Seetharam Annadana, Avesthagen Limited

Waste generated in the Bio chain starting from production to consumer waste must be dealt better for better production, healthy food and a sustainable world.

April 20 2008 05:08Dr. Seetharam Annadana, Avesthagen Limited

Agricultural residue and bio industry waste can go through the magiclly process callee composting, wherein dead material provides life for new fresh material. Biotechnology has to be employed to organise composting in a manner that is less emission extensive and also design crops and cropping systems to be adapt to organic inputs.

April 20 2008 05:10Dr. Seetharam Annadana, Avesthagen Limited

Crop breeding in the past only focussed on harvst index and response to chemical inputs. It is time now to use biotech tools that look at more efficient forms of nutrient utilisation and crop breedinbg for sustainable cropping systems and to cope with climate change is necessary.

May 12 2008 10:50Mark van Loosdrecht, TUDelft

The amount of poisonous compounds emitted in the environment has tremendously decreased over the years, thanks to biological waste treatment processes. It is our present perceived fear for all kind of micropollutants that is increasing. Many of these compounds have been there already for a long term, the effects are very difficult (or not!) to prove at the concentration levels in nature. Yet we are wanting to add all kind of resources and energy demanding processes to combat this perceived fear. The society should better focuss on what risks it wants to accept or how individual risk evaluations can be better incorporated in society