Mon, Aug 15, 2022: 3:30 PM-5:00 PM
520C
Organizer:
Sarah C. Davis
Co-Organizer:
Derek Kauneckis, M. Toufiq Reza
Moderator:
Sarah C. Davis
Nutrient use efficiency is a key metric of resilience in ecosystems, but it is not widely recognized in human systems despite the dependence of our food nutrition on ecosystem services. This session evaluates methods of recovering and repurposing organic wastes from human food systems, to approach nutrient recycling that more closely emulates natural ecosystems. This topic will be addressed with an interdisciplinary lens, representing expertise from social sciences, engineering, and environmental sciences. The session will begin with an overview of current systems of organic waste management and human behaviors that shape these systems. Next, several emerging technologies will be introduced for recovering and upgrading organic wastes. Then, the uses of these upgraded wastes will be evaluated in the context of agriculture, energy, and water remediation. By highlighting convergent research at the nexus of multiple systems, this session will provide insight on changes that will be needed in food and waste management systems to address ecological priorities in a human dominated landscape.