The first theme: waste management and converted to added value
Globally, abundant agricultural wastes (AWs) are being generated each day to fulfil the increasing demands of the fast-growing population. The limited and/or improper management of the same has created an urgent need to devise strategies for their timely utilization and valorization, for agricultural sustainability and human-food and health security. The AWs are generated from different sources including crop residue, agro-industries, livestock, and aquaculture. The main component of the crop residue and agro-industrial waste is cellulose, (the most abundant biopolymer), followed by lignin and hemicellulose (lignocellulosic biomass).
The AWs and their processing are a global issue since the vast majority is currently burned or buried in soil, causing pollution of air, water, and global warming. Traditionally, some crop residues have been used in combustion, animal fodder, roof thatching, composting, soil mulching, matchsticks, and paper production. But lignocellulosic biomass can also serve as a sustainable source of biofuel (biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, biohydrogen) and bioenergy in order to mitigate fossil fuel shortage and climate change issues.
The current intensification of the use of plastic materials in agriculture, although has significantly increased productivity, is also generating growing adverse effects on the environment of the agro-ecosystem. Agriculture is responsible for the massive use of plastic materials, in addition to energy and water inputs, chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Besides the pollution generated during the manufacture, at the end of their lifetime plastic materials used for crop covering, soil mulching, packaging, containers, pots, irrigation, and drainage pipes, may became a pollution source when improperly disposed, leaved on the ground or burned. Instead, agricultural plastic waste (APW), if correctly collected, can be used as a new secondary raw material or as an energy source. An adequate APW management can prevent economic losses and environmental damage.
Hazardous waste management is one of the important vital environmental issues that has taken on a global, regional, and local dimension since the last few decades. Waste generation increased with the increase in population and with rapid industrial progress. Waste includes both non-hazardous waste and hazardous waste. Non-hazardous waste does not cause harm or potential threat to the environment. Hazardous waste is one that poses a threat to the environment, environmental health, human and animal health. Hazardous waste contributed to its generation mainly and in large quantities the fast-growing industrial sector in and resulted in hazardous chemical compounds used in agriculture, such as pesticides, which caused a high risk and pollution to the elements of the environment and the effects of some of them were severe and chronic in addition to their accumulated hazardous waste, unused, expired or banned agrochemicals due to their health effects on humans and the environment and their stability in the environment. Therefore, to reduce the environmental risks of these hazardous wastes, proper attention is required during the storage, separation, transportation and disposal of hazardous waste, as it cannot be disposed of in the environment. This axis will deal with hazardous waste, and what are the scientific foundations and the international environment on which these wastes were considered hazardous or highly dangerous, their types, potential dangers, the best way to manage them internationally, and international conventions related to the management of these wastes.
Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
21-23 Rabi' Thani 1445 AH (5-7 November 2023 AD)