A BSF-Based Closed-Loop Circular Economy Framework for Municipal Organic Waste Management: Evidence from the Shengzhou Case in China

Abstract

Due to urbanization, population growth, and the expansion of food related industries, the fast growth of organic wastes generation has become one of the largest environmental problems of the world. Environmental pollution and low resource recovery efficiency are becoming a problem for conventional treatment methods like landfill and incineration. Under such scenario, BSF bioconversion has proven to be a viable biological method of converting organic waste into valuable resources. The study proposes the concept of closed circular economy with BSF in order to enhance the valorization of organic waste and also the circulation of resources. The study adopts a research approach that is a mixture of conceptual framework development and empirical case analysis of a municipal BSF project in China. The framework applies to all aspects of the organic waste management process, from collection to multi-level resource recovery via pre-processing and biological conversion. The case evidence shows that BSF technology is able to efficiently convert large amounts of organic waste into insect biomass and organic fertiliser in a highly resource recovery efficient and environmentally performing manner. The results show that the BSF system can not only contribute to decreasing the amount of waste and waste impact on the environment, but also to creating economic value by diversifying the range of produced products. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the potential of BSF technology in circular economies and offers insights into sustainable waste management and resource recovery strategies for organic waste.