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Carbon farming has become increasingly popular as it integrates agriculture, forestry, and diverse land use practices, all crucial for implementing European strategies aimed at capturing 310 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These farming methods were proven to reliably increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil. However, there is a lack of discussion and consensus regarding the standards used to report these values and their implications. This article analyzes carbon sequestration rates, calculation methodologies, and communication procedures, as well as potential co-benefits and best practices. The average carbon sequestration rates in major staple crops range from very low values (0–0.5 Mg/ha/yr) to medium values (1–5 Mg/ha/yr). Scientific agricultural experiments in key global staple crops demonstrate positive rates of 4.96 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in wheat–maize rotations and 0.52–0.69 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in rice–wheat rotations. In agriculture, carbon sequestration rates are reported using different terms that are not consistent and pose communication challenges. This assessment involves a systematic review of the scientific literature, including articles, reviews, book chapters, and conference papers indexed in Scopus from 2001 to 2022. Specifically, this review focuses on long-term experiments, meta-analyses, and reviews that report an increase in soil carbon stock. The research trends observed, through a VOSviewer 1.6.18 analysis, show a steadily increasing interest in the field of carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main priority at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is the attainment of a high quality of treated effluent ensuring the highly effective removal of pollutants and protecting the environment and public health. However, WWTPs are made of energy-intensive processes and consequently, they are considered major energy consumers in the public sector. The need to move towards energy neutrality in the wastewater sector was recently pointed out by the proposal of a recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. To date, a comprehensive methodology for energy audits at WWTPs is still missing. The present review aims at discussing the state of the art on energy consumption at WWTPs and at surveying the energy benchmarking methodologies currently available highlighting the main advantages and limitations. It was pointed out that aeration represents the highest energy-intensive compartment in WWTPs (40–75% of total energy). The wide overview provided by key performance indicators (KPIs) might be overcome by applying benchmarking methodologies based on data envelopment analysis (DEA). The latest is properly designed for WWTPs and able to manage multiple inputs and outputs. However, the obtained findings are often limited and fragmented, making the standardization of the methodology difficult. Consequently, future investigations are advised on the development of standard procedures related to data acquisition and collection and on the implementation of online and real-time monitoring. Considering the lack of standardized methodology for the energy benchmarking of WWTPs, the present article will provide essential information to guide future research, helping WWTP utilities to reach the energy audit goals in the accomplishment of incoming EU directives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the "contributive" approach, balancing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cannot be considered comprehensive, as all footprints, such as ecological and water, shall be assessed and balanced by regenerative actions contributing not only to carbon removal, but also to the regeneration of biodiversity, land, and water. A survey on existing methodologies for the assessment of the damage (environmental burden) and the calculation of the environmental repair (offsets) has been presented in this work. Its outcome pointed out a lack of scientific knowledge on how to put metrics beyond the regenerative development model and in particular on how life cycle assessment (LCA) can scientifically support a number of key features essential to develop a new methodology. The proposed approach is based on three pillars: reduce, remove, and repair. Indeed, this paper aims to develop a methodological LCA-based approach for the definition of Regenerative Contribution Units (RCUs) to quantitatively assess the contribution of projects in line with Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) and the framework of regenerative model development. These regenerative units might be marketed locally and globally by enterprises interested in purchasing such assets to scientifically and ethically comply with their corporate ESG obligations. Furthermore, the novelty and feasibility of the proposed approach has been preliminarily investigated through an example of footprints balancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the world has witnessed one of the most severe raw material crises ever recorded, with serious repercussions for maintaining its agri-food supply chain. This crisis risks dramatically impacting the poorest areas of the planet and poses profound reflections on global food security. In this complex geopolitical context, the recovery and recycling of renewable resources have become an obligatory path and, today, more than ever, essential in the fertiliser industry. To achieve these objectives, TIMAC AGRO Italia S.p.A. has undertaken a research activity to review the formulation of fertilisers by diversifying the raw materials used and introducing recycled raw materials. This article carried out a life cycle assessment (LCA) on four fertilisers to identify and quantify whether the changes influenced the environmental impacts, highlighting how applying the circular economy within industrial processes can reduce the pressure on natural resources. The results demonstrate that the global warming potential (GWP) impacts of the different reformulated fertilisers show a considerable variation of 4.4–9.2% due to the various raw materials used, the nitrogen content, and related emissions deriving from environmental dispersion. This study shows the importance of the LCA methodology to analyse and quantify the impact categories generated on the life cycle of fertiliser production and to identify the optimal by-products and end-of-waste for the fertiliser industry to find a synergy between environmental and agronomic performance. It also highlights the relevance of the transition to circular production and consumption systems to reduce environmental pressures and their effects on communities and ecosystems without compromising yields. Finally, the positive results encourage accelerating the circular transition and finding alternatives to virgin-mined raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]