environmental-microbiology-ecology-2018-posters

Page 77

Notes:

Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography | ISSN: 2157-7625 | Volume 8

July 11-12, 2018 | Toronto, Canada

International Conference on

Environmental Microbiology & Microbial Ecology

International Conference on

Ecology, Ecosystems & Conservation Biology

Do more with less: Industrial food and agriculture waste valorization

Christopher Simmons, Yigal Achmon, Jesus Fernandez-Bayo, Jean Vander Gheynst,

and

James Stapleton

University of California, USA

ood, agriculture, and the environment are intricately connected. In order to sustain a world with a population of 9 billion people

by 2050, agriculture and food processing will have to maximize resource utilization. As such, food waste can be utilized either

as a soil amendment to enhance sustainable agricultural advantages, or as a sustainable energy source. There is an ongoing effort to

reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in soil pest management, and to use instead agricultural waste amendment is one possible

solution to the problem. One of the environmentally-friendly processes is anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), that when coupled

with passive solar heating, is also known as biosolarization. We have used industrial tomato processing waste, which is a common

waste stream in California, in a bio-solarized application. By combining laboratory studies with field trials we were able to elucidate

the complex biological system of biosolarization. The results showed that our laboratory system that simulates biosolarization, can

predict the soil microbial behavior in the field. The laboratory results were later translated into field trials that showed the ability of

biosolarization to control pests in a fast and environmental friendly procedure. The project will help to open new sustainable venues

for future industrial food waste valorization.

J Ecosys Ecograph 2018, Volume 8

DOI: 10.4172/2157-7625-C3-039