Biochar–Compost Mixtures as a Promising Solution to Organic Waste Management Within a Circular Holistic Approach

Abstract

In the common linear economy approach, organic waste treatment mainly generates energy, due to the existing demand and the goal of reducing the use of fossil fuel. Yet recent innovations and associated products are calling for an increasingly diverse use of organic waste within a circular holistic framework where the biochar and composting mixture appears to be the key to achieving a robust solution for sustainable development. Nonetheless, the inhomogeneity of organic waste and the synergies between biochar and composting require further investigation before broad-scale field application. In this chapter, we illustrate how governmental policies should be updated and revised to effectively support the development of new sustainable solutions, that should take into account social, economic and environmental implications, as well as their mutual interactions. As a consequence, robust tools and reliable procedures to evaluate sustainability will have to be established in this new ecological structure.