Simulating a Biorefinery Ecosystem to Manage and Motivate Sustainable Regional Nutrient Circulation

Abstract

Animal husbandry, food production, and soil fertilizing in agriculture all include streams of organic mass that are used in production processes. A large portion of the nutrients of these materials are contained in the secondary outputs, that is, side streams of material, such as manure and industrial side streams. In the interest of more efficient resource usage, it is desirable to collect these nutrients back to circulation with the ecosystem of industries and primary production. Equally important is to be able to manage the distribution of nutrients into the environment in an ecologically sustainable way, that preferably promotes biodiversity also. In addition to the refined nutrient content of outputs, organic mass is suitable for biogas production that can be used in heat and electricity production, and also as transportation fuel.