[December thematic report] Agricultural Waste & its managementby Abdullah khalid | 03-12-2022 17:08 |
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Agricultural waste is a waste produced as a result of various agricultural operations. It include animal manure, poultry waste, Pesticides etc. Agriculture waste may be Agro-waste, crop waste, agricultural waste water etc. The major categories of AWs that have raised the public concern include crop residues (leaf litter, stems, straws, husks, weeds), livestock wastes (urine, dung, waste feed), poultry waste (spilled feed, feathers, droppings), slaughterhouse waste, Agro-industrial waste. Impacts of Agricultural Waste: Improper disposal of agricultural waste leads to generation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) like carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4), which poses a threat to the human and the natural environment. It may lead to health problems, effect on aquatic life, can reduce long-term agricultural yields, destroys biodiversity, air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and depletion of soil fertility and eutrophication. Management of Agricultural Waste: It is critical to handle, reuse, or valorize(Waste valorization is the process of reusing, recycling or composting waste materials) it for the production of value-added products in order to achieve sustainable agriculture and the environment . Crop wastes may be used as animal feed. For example wheat straw is often used as animal feed. Machines cut it up into tiny bits. Paddy straw is commonly used to build cattle sheds in the winter. Similarly, Crop residue such as rice straw is used for thatching cattle sheds and kaccha houses because it is readily available, and the roof's lightweight nature acts as an insulator (warmer in winter and cooler in summer). Massive agricultural waste can also be composted that can be used to improve crop growth and yield. The use of animal manure and crop residue (organic manure) as a crop fertilizer enhances the crop's growth and yield. Organic fertilisers may be obtained by processing the agricultural waste that enhances the texture and stability of the soil (conditions the soil) and encourages the growth of rhizospheric microorganisms that increase soil fertility. In the same way, Direct combustion and Pyrolysis are other methods to a manage agricultural waste. However, Pyrolysis has the most important environmental advantage over combustion in terms of air emissions In pyrolysis, agricultural wastes are treated to a high temperature of around 400–600 ¡Æc in the absence of oxygen. Similarly, agricultural waste may be used to make high quality fibre in textile industry. References: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935121015863 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935121015863#bib64 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935121015863#bib215 |
