Project Name:
Omics to Close the Loop: optimized amendment from local agrifood waste for carbon footprint reduction
URL Identifier:
Loop
Project Description:
Conventional agriculture and food waste management generate 150 MT CO2-equivalents (CO2e) of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) annually in Canada. Emerging circular approaches in urban agrifood can mitigate GHGs by upcycling food waste streams into new food and fertilizers, avoiding landfill emissions while strengthening the resilience of food systems. For every tonne of food waste, landfilling and centralized composting emit 116 and 94.6 kg CO2e, respectively, whereas decentralised composting emits only 67.5 kg CO2e. Conversely, mushroom and insect farming could remove 16.5 and 160 kg CO2e per tonne of food waste upcycled into protein-rich food or fertilizers. With a unique network of food producers and farmers leveraging the circular economy to upcycle waste into value-added products, our team will exploit omics technologies to reduce GHGs and optimize urban agrifood systems that can no longer rely on a black box approach for development. We propose a scalable circular agrifood cluster project which aims to shed light on the inherent complex biochemical systems and optimize the microbiota machinery present across an integrated system of living bioreactors. For the identification and enrichment of promising microorganisms, consortia, and enzymes, we will use multi-omics approaches such as shotgun sequencing, cost-effective amplicon surveys, high-throughput phenomics, and RT-LAMP assays. These methods will enable effective process control for users. Working closely with end-users, meaningful research outcomes will be developed for the agri-food sector at large. Life-cycle assessments will demonstrate the amount of GHG reduction achieved with waste upcycling, substitution of conventional agrochemicals, production of new food products like mushrooms and edible insects, and fertilizer byproducts. Economic return on investment, business feasibility, and acceptability will be evaluated for each node within the circular farming cluster. Deliverables will include but are not limited to: 1) GHGs, acceptability and economic viability reports, tools, and communication platforms aimed at stakeholders for facilitating adoption; 2) User- centered omics-based tools and best-practices guides for bioreactor monitoring and optimization; and 3) A comprehensive multi-omics database and microbial collections for the development of future marketable by-products, strains, and microbial consortia for further improvement. The close-knit network of co-located end-users in Montreal is an asset for cross-portfolio collaboration and an excellent test bed for innovative applications in GHG reductions and improved food production. The modular nature of the urban agrifood system is directly applicable in a wide range of environments, as the proposed urban living laboratory is both scalable and transferable to rural areas. In close collaboration with the Knowledge Mobilization and Implementation Coordinating Centre, governmental representatives and academic institutions will facilitate wide-reaching benefits, with a wealth of data being shared with Data Coordinating Centre to leverage these unique assets. Overall, the approach proposed here will advance circular urban agrifood systems, mitigate GHG emissions, and increase food resilience while enabling a new generation of farmers to contribute to sustainability.
Principal Investigator (PI):
 
HUB-Harmonization Link:
 
Contact Email:
admin@csdcc.ca