Chapters authored
Biorefinery for Rehabilitation of Heavy Metals Polluted Areas
Biorefinery applied in heavy metals polluted lands proposed here describes a process starting from soil (polluted and unfit for food and feed production) and solar energy stored in carbohydrates (regarded here as a solar energy carrier) to deliver liquid and gaseous biofuels, green building block chemicals for the market and return the rest of the matter (not delivered to the market) as fertilizer and soil improver, extracting the heavy metals from the polluted soil for safe reuse and remediating the land to sustainably deliver resources in a circular bioeconomy. The circular economy proposed in this chapter offers a novel approach to land rehabilitation by investigating the opportunity for economic value creation as an integral part of a rehabilitation strategy and production of biomaterials and biofuels as renewable energy carriers. The case study approached here can be developed in a complete circular biorefinery process and value chain enabling the use of heavy metals polluted lands for production of renewable energy and biomaterials and at the same time serve as a means of rehabilitation of contaminated lands. This biotechnology can be transferred and adapted in other areas improper for food/feed production due to contamination human industrial activity.
Part of the book: Heavy Metals
Role of Soil Health in Mitigating Climate Change
Soil health plays an important role in mitigating climate change, soils being the main reservoir for sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. In poorly managed soils or cultivated with unsustainable practices, carbon can be released in the form of CO2 into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. The conversion of forests and pastures into agricultural land has led to large losses of carbon from the soil. The restoration of degraded soils and the use of conservation practices will determine the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, increase of carbon storage capacity and ensure resilience to climate change. This chapter will present the principles of sustainable management of soil fertility with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sequestering carbon in the soil, as well as the effective use of fertilizers to ensure soil health and reduce the impact of climate change.
Part of the book: Global Warming [Working title]