ORBIT 2012: Global assessment for organic resources and waste management.

Global assessment for organic resources and waste management: Assessment of technologies for optimal organics management processes and enlightened environmental policies
 

During the last years, a big strength has been put on organic resources recovery in order to achieve our aspiration towards a « Recycling Society » and climate stabilisation. Energy, nutrients and organic matter needs have thus driven sustainable management of resources and wastes and promoted new technological developments. In this context, biological processing of organic wastes and the use of natural resources to recover nutrients as phosphorus, to produce soil improvers and to supply energy is of great interest. However regulations on the management of organic resources waste are fragmented. So the current legislation in Europe might be not sufficient to achieve the stated objectives of its effective management. Moreover there is an open question on the tools that can be used to assess the efficiency of management systems for organic resources and waste which lead to the adequate processes selection. Especially the increasing use of Life Cycle Assessment tools has to be carefully addressed with a special focus on the considered indicators and the local applicability of the results.

Following the ORBIT conferences tradition, ORBIT2012 will deal with all aspects of organic resources and waste management with a special focus on the assessment of technologies with environmental, social and economical point of view. A large place will be given to climate change and decision making tools between waste treatment options. Traditional themes as energy recovery (Biofuels, biogas, hydrogen production), biological treatments (composting and anaerobic digestion) and also mechanical biological treatment still remain central issues that have to be discussed in order to improve technologies and product quality, especially for land application. More local approaches such as home and community composting will also be discussed as they may represent solutions that have to be considered in an integrated organic waste management plan which includes prevention. Special emphasis will also be laid on EU policies and strategies for sustainable management of organic resources and waste. The conference will present high quality and innovative research in all the aforementioned topics and will include oral presentations, poster sessions and specific workshops.

Cal for papers: Abstract submission deadline : September 30, 2011

Més informació a la pàgina web del congrés: http://www.orbit2012.fr/

CONFERENCE TOPICS

• EU policies and strategies for sustainable organic resources and waste management
• Climate change, waste management assessment and decision tools
  Environmental aspects (life cycle analysis, best management practices, carbon sequestration), social aspects (public involvement, education, communication), economical aspects.
• Collection and local management of organic wastes
  Separate collection, home and community composting
• Energy recovery
  Biofuels, biogas, biomethane, hydrogen production
• Biological treatments (composting and anaerobic digestion)
  Process control and optimization, microbial environment, environmental and health impacts (including gaseous and odours emissions, bio-aerosols, hygiene), modelling, quality assurance, new technologies
• Mechanical biological treatment
  Process control and optimization, microbial environment, environmental and health impacts (including gaseous and odours emissions, hygiene), modellin
• Organic fertilisers and soil improvers for agricultural and horticultural issues (including sludge, manures, composts and digestates)
  Characterization parameters and methods, benefits for soil productivity (nutrients, organic matter, humus) and phyto-sanitary advantages, risks (pathogens, heavy metals, organic pollutants, gaseous emissions), application criteria
• Natural resources in the global context
  Peat replacement, phosphorus recovery, humus, etc.