Environmental Sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grains Composting: Effect of Turning Strategies and Mixtures Composition on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The global production of brewers’ spent grains (BSG) is 37 million tons yearly. Composting represents an eco-friendly method to manage and valorize organic by-products in a circular economy model. This project aims to compare two BSG bin-composting mixtures (BSG and wheat straw with pig slurry solid...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/4/771 |
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| author | Davide Assandri Ginevra Giacomello Angela Bianco Giacomo Zara Marilena Budroni Niccolò Pampuro |
| author_facet | Davide Assandri Ginevra Giacomello Angela Bianco Giacomo Zara Marilena Budroni Niccolò Pampuro |
| author_sort | Davide Assandri |
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| description | The global production of brewers’ spent grains (BSG) is 37 million tons yearly. Composting represents an eco-friendly method to manage and valorize organic by-products in a circular economy model. This project aims to compare two BSG bin-composting mixtures (BSG and wheat straw with pig slurry solid fraction, MIX1, or sheep manure, MIX2) and approaches (manual turning, MT, and static composting, ST). The two mixtures’ physicochemical characteristics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were assessed during the process. The evolution of physicochemical properties is reported in detail. Headspace samples of GHG emissions were collected and analyzed with gas chromatography coupled with specific detectors. Carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) emissions were 34.3 ± 0.03 and 31.0 ± 0.06 g C kg<sup>−1</sup> fresh matter (FM) for MIX1-MT and MIX2-MT, and 28.8 ± 0.01 and 31.2 ± 0.02 g Ckg<sup>−1</sup> FM for MIX1-ST and MIX2-ST. Methane emissions were negligible (all conditions < 0.086 ± 0.00 mg C kg<sup>−1</sup> FM). Nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) emissions from composting are affected by the substrate, bulking material, pile dimension, and manure. Particularly, the total emissions of N<sub>2</sub>O, estimated as CO<sub>2</sub> equivalents, were 45.8 ± 0.2 and 63.0 ± 0.4 g CO<sub>2</sub> eq kg<sup>−1</sup> FM for MIX1-MT and MIX1-ST, respectively. In both composting approaches, MIX2 showed a low CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent (1.8 ± 0.02 and 9.9 ± 0.05 g CO<sub>2</sub> eq kg<sup>−1</sup> FM for MT and ST), likely due to incomplete decomposition. The bin-composting process represents a solution for recycling and reusing organic waste and livestock manure in small to medium-sized breweries. The solid fraction of the pig slurry resulted in the most suitable manure. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-47d9d412563a42f4af49fea65a7c17fb |
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| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-47d9d412563a42f4af49fea65a7c17fb2025-08-20T02:24:41ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-03-0115477110.3390/agronomy15040771Environmental Sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grains Composting: Effect of Turning Strategies and Mixtures Composition on Greenhouse Gas EmissionsDavide Assandri0Ginevra Giacomello1Angela Bianco2Giacomo Zara3Marilena Budroni4Niccolò Pampuro5Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (STEMS), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, ItalyInstitute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (STEMS), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural Sciences of University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39/a, 07100 Sassari, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural Sciences of University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39/a, 07100 Sassari, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural Sciences of University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39/a, 07100 Sassari, ItalyInstitute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (STEMS), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Turin, ItalyThe global production of brewers’ spent grains (BSG) is 37 million tons yearly. Composting represents an eco-friendly method to manage and valorize organic by-products in a circular economy model. This project aims to compare two BSG bin-composting mixtures (BSG and wheat straw with pig slurry solid fraction, MIX1, or sheep manure, MIX2) and approaches (manual turning, MT, and static composting, ST). The two mixtures’ physicochemical characteristics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were assessed during the process. The evolution of physicochemical properties is reported in detail. Headspace samples of GHG emissions were collected and analyzed with gas chromatography coupled with specific detectors. Carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) emissions were 34.3 ± 0.03 and 31.0 ± 0.06 g C kg<sup>−1</sup> fresh matter (FM) for MIX1-MT and MIX2-MT, and 28.8 ± 0.01 and 31.2 ± 0.02 g Ckg<sup>−1</sup> FM for MIX1-ST and MIX2-ST. Methane emissions were negligible (all conditions < 0.086 ± 0.00 mg C kg<sup>−1</sup> FM). Nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) emissions from composting are affected by the substrate, bulking material, pile dimension, and manure. Particularly, the total emissions of N<sub>2</sub>O, estimated as CO<sub>2</sub> equivalents, were 45.8 ± 0.2 and 63.0 ± 0.4 g CO<sub>2</sub> eq kg<sup>−1</sup> FM for MIX1-MT and MIX1-ST, respectively. In both composting approaches, MIX2 showed a low CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent (1.8 ± 0.02 and 9.9 ± 0.05 g CO<sub>2</sub> eq kg<sup>−1</sup> FM for MT and ST), likely due to incomplete decomposition. The bin-composting process represents a solution for recycling and reusing organic waste and livestock manure in small to medium-sized breweries. The solid fraction of the pig slurry resulted in the most suitable manure.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/4/771carbon dioxidemethanenitrous oxidecircular economyaerobic stabilizationagro-industry by-product |
| spellingShingle | Davide Assandri Ginevra Giacomello Angela Bianco Giacomo Zara Marilena Budroni Niccolò Pampuro Environmental Sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grains Composting: Effect of Turning Strategies and Mixtures Composition on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Agronomy carbon dioxide methane nitrous oxide circular economy aerobic stabilization agro-industry by-product |
| title | Environmental Sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grains Composting: Effect of Turning Strategies and Mixtures Composition on Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
| title_full | Environmental Sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grains Composting: Effect of Turning Strategies and Mixtures Composition on Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
| title_fullStr | Environmental Sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grains Composting: Effect of Turning Strategies and Mixtures Composition on Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental Sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grains Composting: Effect of Turning Strategies and Mixtures Composition on Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
| title_short | Environmental Sustainability of Brewers’ Spent Grains Composting: Effect of Turning Strategies and Mixtures Composition on Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
| title_sort | environmental sustainability of brewers spent grains composting effect of turning strategies and mixtures composition on greenhouse gas emissions |
| topic | carbon dioxide methane nitrous oxide circular economy aerobic stabilization agro-industry by-product |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/4/771 |
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