IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i11p8692-d1157448.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Synergetic Benefits for a Pig Farm and Local Bioeconomy Development from Extended Green Biorefinery Value Chains

Author

Listed:
  • James Gaffey

    (Circular Bioeconomy Research Group, Shannon Application Biotechnology Centre, Munster Technology, V92 CX88 Tralee, Ireland
    BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre, O’Brien Centre for Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
    Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Limerick, Plassey, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland)

  • Cathal O’Donovan

    (Carhue Piggeries, Cooligboy, Timoleague, Co., P72 HD61 Cork, Ireland)

  • Declan Murphy

    (Makeway Nutrition, Unit 6, Riverstown Business Park, Tramore, Co., X91 TRF9 Waterford, Ireland)

  • Tracey O’Connor

    (Circular Bioeconomy Research Group, Shannon Application Biotechnology Centre, Munster Technology, V92 CX88 Tralee, Ireland
    BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre, O’Brien Centre for Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland)

  • David Walsh

    (Barryroe Co-Operative, Lislevane House, Tirnanean, Bandon, Co., P47 YW77 Cork, Ireland)

  • Luis Alejandro Vergara

    (BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre, O’Brien Centre for Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland)

  • Kwame Donkor

    (Celignis Analytical, Unit 11, Holland Rd., Castletroy, Plassey, Co., V94 7Y42 Limerick, Ireland)

  • Lalitha Gottumukkala

    (Celignis Analytical, Unit 11, Holland Rd., Castletroy, Plassey, Co., V94 7Y42 Limerick, Ireland)

  • Sybrandus Koopmans

    (Grassa BV, Villafloraweg 1, 5928 SZ Venlo, The Netherlands)

  • Enda Buckley

    (Carbery Group, Phale Lower, Ballineen, Co., P47 YW77 Cork, Ireland)

  • Kevin O’Connor

    (BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre, O’Brien Centre for Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland)

  • Johan P. M. Sanders

    (Grassa BV, Villafloraweg 1, 5928 SZ Venlo, The Netherlands)

Abstract

As the global population rises, agriculture and industry are under increasing pressure to become more sustainable in meeting this growing demand, while minimizing impacts on global emissions, land use change, and biodiversity. The development of efficient and symbiotic local bioeconomies can help to respond to this challenge by using land, resources, and side streams in efficient ways tailored to the needs of different regions. Green biorefineries offer a unique opportunity for regions with abundant grasslands to use this primary resource more sustainably, providing feed for cows, while also generating feed for monogastric animals, along with the co-production of biomaterials and energy. The current study investigates the impact of a green biorefinery co-product, leaf protein concentrate (LPC), for input to a pig farm, assessing its impact on pig diets, and the extended impact on the bioenergy performance of the pig farm. The study found that LPC replaced soya bean meal at a 50% displacement rate, with pigs showing positive performance in intake and weight gain. Based on laboratory analysis, the resulting pig slurry demonstrated a higher biogas content and 26% higher biomethane potential compared with the control slurry. The findings demonstrate some of the local synergies between agricultural sectors that can be achieved through extended green biorefinery development, and the benefits for local bioeconomy actors.

Suggested Citation

  • James Gaffey & Cathal O’Donovan & Declan Murphy & Tracey O’Connor & David Walsh & Luis Alejandro Vergara & Kwame Donkor & Lalitha Gottumukkala & Sybrandus Koopmans & Enda Buckley & Kevin O’Connor & Jo, 2023. "Synergetic Benefits for a Pig Farm and Local Bioeconomy Development from Extended Green Biorefinery Value Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-22, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:11:p:8692-:d:1157448
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/11/8692/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/11/8692/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rajeev Ravindran & Sybrandus Koopmans & Johan P. M. Sanders & Helena McMahon & James Gaffey, 2021. "Production of Green Biorefinery Protein Concentrate Derived from Perennial Ryegrass as an Alternative Feed for Pigs," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-14, September.
    2. Idiano D’Adamo & Massimo Gastaldi & Piergiuseppe Morone & Paolo Rosa & Claudio Sassanelli & Davide Settembre-Blundo & Yichen Shen, 2021. "Bioeconomy of Sustainability: Drivers, Opportunities and Policy Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Freitas, F.F. & Furtado, A.C. & Piñas, J.A.V. & Venturini, O.J. & Barros, R.M. & Lora, E.E.S., 2022. "Holistic Life Cycle Assessment of a biogas-based electricity generation plant in a pig farm considering co-digestion and an additive," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PB).
    4. Anna Pääkkönen & Kalle Aro & Pami Aalto & Jukka Konttinen & Matti Kojo, 2019. "The Potential of Biomethane in Replacing Fossil Fuels in Heavy Transport—A Case Study on Finland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-19, August.
    5. Wu, Benteng & Lin, Richen & O'Shea, Richard & Deng, Chen & Rajendran, Karthik & Murphy, Jerry D., 2021. "Production of advanced fuels through integration of biological, thermo-chemical and power to gas technologies in a circular cascading bio-based system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    6. Johan Rockström & Will Steffen & Kevin Noone & Åsa Persson & F. Stuart Chapin & Eric F. Lambin & Timothy M. Lenton & Marten Scheffer & Carl Folke & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Björn Nykvist & Cynthia , 2009. "A safe operating space for humanity," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7263), pages 472-475, September.
    7. Rajeev Ravindran & Kwame Donkor & Lalitha Gottumukkala & Abhay Menon & Amita Jacob Guneratnam & Helena McMahon & Sybrandus Koopmans & Johan P. M. Sanders & James Gaffey, 2022. "Biogas, Biomethane and Digestate Potential of By-Products from Green Biorefinery Systems," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-16, January.
    8. Andrew M. Neill & Cathal O’Donoghue & Jane C. Stout, 2020. "A Natural Capital Lens for a Sustainable Bioeconomy: Determining the Unrealised and Unrecognised Services from Nature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-24, September.
    9. Igliński, Bartłomiej & Pietrzak, Michał Bernard & Kiełkowska, Urszula & Skrzatek, Mateusz & Kumar, Gopalakrishnan & Piechota, Grzegorz, 2022. "The assessment of renewable energy in Poland on the background of the world renewable energy sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PB).
    10. Nguyen, Thu Lan T. & Hermansen, John E. & Mogensen, Lisbeth, 2010. "Fossil energy and GHG saving potentials of pig farming in the EU," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 2561-2571, May.
    11. Santamaría-Fernández, M. & Molinuevo-Salces, B. & Lübeck, M. & Uellendahl, H., 2018. "Biogas potential of green biomass after protein extraction in an organic biorefinery concept for feed, fuel and fertilizer production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(PB), pages 769-775.
    12. Zhang, Yizhen & Jiang, Yan & Wang, Shun & Wang, Zhongzhong & Liu, Yanchen & Hu, Zhenhu & Zhan, Xinmin, 2021. "Environmental sustainability assessment of pig manure mono- and co-digestion and dynamic land application of the digestate," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    13. Cong, Rong-Gang & Termansen, Mette, 2016. "A bio-economic analysis of a sustainable agricultural transition using green biorefinery," MPRA Paper 112189, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lefteris Melas & Maria Batsioula & Apostolos Malamakis & Sotiris I. Patsios & Dimitris Geroliolios & Evangelos Alexandropoulos & Stamatia Skoutida & Christos Karkanias & Anna Dedousi & Maria-Zoi Krits, 2023. "Circular Bioeconomy Practices in the Greek Pig Sector: The Environmental Performance of Bakery Meal as Pig Feed Ingredient," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-26, July.
    2. Theresa Rubhara & James Gaffey & Gavin Hunt & Fionnuala Murphy & Kevin O’Connor & Enda Buckley & Luis Alejandro Vergara, 2024. "A Business Case for Climate Neutrality in Pasture-Based Dairy Production Systems in Ireland: Evidence from Farm Zero C," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-18, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nelson, Ewan & Warren, Peter, 2020. "UK transport decoupling: On track for clean growth in transport?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 39-51.
    2. Richter, Andries & Dakos, Vasilis, 2015. "Profit fluctuations signal eroding resilience of natural resources," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 12-21.
    3. Maria Lourdes Ordoñez Olivo & Zoltán Lakner, 2023. "Shaping the Knowledge Base of Bioeconomy Sectors Development in Latin American and Caribbean Countries: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    4. Rahul Kadam & Sangyeol Jo & Jonghwa Lee & Kamonwan Khanthong & Heewon Jang & Jungyu Park, 2024. "A Review on the Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Livestock Manures in the Context of Sustainable Waste Management," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-27, January.
    5. Rostami-Tabar, Bahman & Ali, Mohammad M. & Hong, Tao & Hyndman, Rob J. & Porter, Michael D. & Syntetos, Aris, 2022. "Forecasting for social good," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 1245-1257.
    6. Huiyuan Guan & Yongping Bai & Chunyue Zhang, 2022. "Research on Ecosystem Security and Restoration Pattern of Urban Agglomeration in the Yellow River Basin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-19, September.
    7. Filipa Correia & Philipp Erfruth & Julie Bryhn, 2018. "The 2030 Agenda: The roadmap to GlobALLizaton," Working Papers 156, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    8. Czekała, Wojciech & Łukomska, Aleksandra & Pulka, Jakub & Bojarski, Wiktor & Pochwatka, Patrycja & Kowalczyk-Juśko, Alina & Oniszczuk, Anna & Dach, Jacek, 2023. "Waste-to-energy: Biogas potential of waste from coffee production and consumption," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    9. Birgit Kopainsky & Anita Frehner & Adrian Müller, 2020. "Sustainable and healthy diets: Synergies and trade‐offs in Switzerland," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(6), pages 908-927, November.
    10. Hervé Corvellec & Johan Hultman & Anne Jerneck & Susanne Arvidsson & Johan Ekroos & Niklas Wahlberg & Timothy W. Luke, 2021. "Resourcification: A non‐essentialist theory of resources for sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(6), pages 1249-1256, November.
    11. Pérez-Sánchez, Laura & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario, 2021. "The international division of labor and embodied working time in trade for the US, the EU and China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    12. Islam, Moinul & Kotani, Koji & Managi, Shunsuke, 2016. "Climate perception and flood mitigation cooperation: A Bangladesh case study," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 117-133.
    13. Yutong Zhang & Wei Zhou & Danxue Luo, 2023. "The Relationship Research between Biodiversity Conservation and Economic Growth: From Multi-Level Attempts to Key Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
    14. Carina Mueller & Christopher West & Mairon G. Bastos Lima & Bob Doherty, 2023. "Demand-Side Actors in Agricultural Supply Chain Sustainability: An Assessment of Motivations for Action, Implementation Challenges, and Research Frontiers," World, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-20, September.
    15. Janet Judy McIntyre‐Mills, 2013. "Anthropocentrism and Well‐being: A Way Out of the Lobster Pot?," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 136-155, March.
    16. Hametner, Markus, 2022. "Economics without ecology: How the SDGs fail to align socioeconomic development with environmental sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    17. Andrés Fernández-Miguel & Maria Pia Riccardi & Valerio Veglio & Fernando E. García-Muiña & Alfonso P. Fernández del Hoyo & Davide Settembre-Blundo, 2022. "Disruption in Resource-Intensive Supply Chains: Reshoring and Nearshoring as Strategies to Enable Them to Become More Resilient and Sustainable," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-13, August.
    18. Ronja Teschner & Jessica Ruppen & Basil Bornemann & Rony Emmenegger & Lucía Aguirre Sánchez, 2021. "Mapping Sustainable Diets: A Comparison of Sustainability References in Dietary Guidelines of Swiss Food Governance Actors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    19. Kim, Yeon-Su & Rodrigues, Marcos & Robinne, François-Nicolas, 2021. "Economic drivers of global fire activity: A critical review using the DPSIR framework," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    20. Barbara Predan & Petra Černe Oven, 2023. "Developing a Pedagogical Approach with the Aim of Empowering Educators and Students to Address Emerging Global Issues such as Climate Change and Social Justice: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-22, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:11:p:8692-:d:1157448. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.