Solar-Dried Biofertilizers from Marine Waste: Enhancing the Circular Economy

Food waste contributes to hunger, poverty, and environmental pollution. Unfortunately, seafood, which provides high nutrient content, is significantly underutilized, with only 30% of high-value seafood consumed. This study addresses the urgent need to reuse these wastes, converting them into biofert...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 16; no. 15; p. 6593
Main Authors Castillo-Téllez, Beatriz, Castillo Téllez, Margarita, Campo, Martha Fabiola Martín del, González, Edgar Oswaldo Zamora, Domínguez Niño, Alfredo, Mejía-Pérez, Gerardo Alberto
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2024
Subjects
Agricultural production
Carotenoids
Circular economy
Commercial fishing
Cost control
Economic aspects
Emissions
Environmental sustainability
Fertilizers
Fish
Fisheries
Fishing
Food waste
Germination
Greenhouse gases
Humidity
Measuring instruments
Seafood
Solar energy
Solar power plants
Sustainability
Thermal energy
Waste management
Mexico
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Summary:Food waste contributes to hunger, poverty, and environmental pollution. Unfortunately, seafood, which provides high nutrient content, is significantly underutilized, with only 30% of high-value seafood consumed. This study addresses the urgent need to reuse these wastes, converting them into biofertilizers through solar drying. A solar drying plant was designed and built to produce fish powder as the base of fertilizer, achieving an equilibrium humidity of 400 kg in 11 h after sterilization by pre-cooking. The resulting biofertilizer was rigorously tested for its macronutrient composition, germination rate, presence of coliforms, and phytotoxicity. The findings indicate that fish waste can effectively replace synthetic fertilizers, fostering a circular economy and promoting sustainable agriculture. This research highlights the potential of using marine debris to produce biofertilizers, contributing to global sustainability efforts by harnessing marine debris and solar energy to offer an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su16156593