RAMIRAN 2015 topics

1. T1: Quality fertilizers from residues
Agricultural production depends on the supply of plants with nutrients. Efficiency in agricultural
production considers not only yields, but also product qualities and fertilizer footprints. Fertilizers
provide nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulphur
(S) as macronutrients in varying proportions and forms. Furthermore micronutrients are needed in
trace amounts, which are valuable not only for plant production, but also in follow up chains such as
food consumption or anaerobic digestion. Trace nutrients in many foods have declined over the last
half century and rock phosphate as the main source of P fertilizers will deplete in 50-100 years. In
some locations, over-fertilization leads to water contamination, while in others high fertilizer prices
leads to nutrient deficiencies in soils. The main source for N fertilizers is ammonia generated via the
energy intensive Haber-Bosch process from atmospheric N. It is estimated that this process alone
demands around 1.4% of the world’s total energy consumption. Agricultural, municipal and industrial
residues contain varying quantities of N, P and other nutrients and trace elements. They are often
disposed of with environmentally damaging effects or through costly treatment processes e.g. by waste
water treatment or incineration. We can conclude that nutrient cycles related to agriculture are a topic
with urgent scope for improvements:
We invite contributions regarding fertilizer production and application which consider the nutrients in
residues towards the aim of supplying the right fertilizer product at the right rate and the right time, to
the right place. Quality, safety, security, environment, markets and distribution are aspects to consider.
Examples of topic areas might include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Innovative techniques for mineral and organic fertilizers from common and new agricultural,
industrial and municipal residues with consideration of logistical aspects and avoidance of
pollution.
• Innovative approaches and application techniques to maximize the use of residual nutrients from
organic fertilizers with consideration of logistical aspects and precision of distribution.
• Issues related to the closing of nutrient cycles with consideration of linking rural and urban
systems.
• Approaches to collect and provide data in a statistical approved way and to present results on local
and global maps for aspects related to residue-based fertilizers and fertilization.
• Development and use of evaluation systems for sustainable fertilization in comparison with
traditional methods, also considering the different demands from agricultural products and land e.g.
food, material, energy cropping and use of by-products and waste-streams as fertilizers.
• Translating scientific results from the fertilizer sector into political and practical procedures and
bringing new fertilizer types economically to the field.
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16th International RAMIRAN Conference 2015 in Hamburg

2. T2: Sustainable soils
Soil is a living body. It is a complex medium comprising mineral particles, organic matter, water, air
and living organisms. Soil is an essential, very slowly-renewable resource, which provides many vital
ecosystem services such as food and the production of other bioresources as well as filtration and
retention of toxic substances and nutrients. Demands on soil are increasing as the world population
and the per capita food demand continue to grow. In addition, the pressure to reduce consumption of
fossil resources has led to a growing demand to provide bioresources as alternative sources for energy
and raw materials. Soil overuse is increasingly leading to soil degradation, both in the EU and at a
global level up to desertification. In line with sprawling urbanization, arable land is decreasing in
quantity as well as in quality. Lacking direct legislation, soil degradation is now having trans-boundary
impacts along with high economic costs. One means of improving soil quality is the use of
organic residues generated by human activities as soil amendments for enhancing soil carbon levels
and soil structure. However this practice is not without risks, namely the introduction of harmful
substances such as antibiotics and other pollutants or unwanted nutrient losses.
We call for contributions which support the debate towards stopping further soil degradation and
effective recovery options for degraded soils by means of utilizing agricultural, industrial and
municipal residues.
Under this topic, submissions might include, but are not limited to the following subjects:
• Evaluation of the efficiency of additives such as composts, biochar, green manure and peat
substitutes on maintaining and improving soil quality.
• Mass balances, greenhouse gas balances and energy balances of remediation of soils by organic
amendments based on organic residues.
• Suitable data provision, soil mapping, aerial view evaluations e.g. to describe conditions, changes
and the success of protective measures for agricultural soils.
• Methods for avoiding the introduction of harmful substances from residues into soils, and from
there into food and other chains.
• Demands on sustainable agricultural soils under special consideration of cultivated product types;
e.g. products differentiated into food, material or energy crop systems.
• Translating scientific results from the soil sector into political and practical procedures for
connecting soils with agricultural, industrial and municipal residues recycling.
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16th International RAMIRAN Conference 2015 in Hamburg

3. T3: Advances in emission prevention
Farming is a source of emission of pollutants to the atmosphere and to water. A well-known problem
is nutrient leaching and surface run-off, which may cause eutrophication of surface and groundwater
bodies and is detrimental to drinking water quality and human health. The most-studied climate
relevant gases are methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Their atmospheric concentrations have
increased in the last centuries due to human activities, including agriculture. Another important rural
emission pathway is ammonia volatilization, arising largely from livestock manures and urea-based
fertilizers. Together with other reactive nitrogen compounds, e.g. NOX from processes in transport and
industry, it leads to N deposition that damages susceptible ecosystems and leads to soil acidification
Particulate matter originates from a range of agricultural sources, in particular the formation of
secondary particulates from ammonia emissions, and may lead to a variety of health problems and
associated social costs. In the future emissions may also be caused by new anthropogenic
substances/compounds such as nanoparticles from nanomaterials. Urban emissions are numerous and
may lead to the introduction of polluting substances (antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals etc.)
into agricultural chains with a feedback on urban systems.
We call for innovative strategies including rural-urban linkages to manage and minimize emissions,
reducing environmental pollution and enhancing the utilization of nutrients instead of their emission.
Examples of topic areas might include, but are not limited to the following:
• Measurements and mapping of emissions from the rural organic residues and fertilizer sectors,
including local and global distribution issues and short-, mid- and long-term projections of trends.
• Contributions to process oriented research in order to develop new technologies for emission
reduction in agriculture.
• Contributions to improve emission prevention through a better knowledge of agricultural emission
patterns and emission factors, and the development and application of predictive models for
emissions from agricultural residues and urban residue-based products.
• Innovative approaches in emission prevention by utilization of residue-based products from urban
areas in rural systems, by improved residue handling and new recycling techniques.
• Issues related to technical methods for emission prevention in agriculture and for utilization of
emitted compounds to generate new products.
• Following the pathways of new types of urban emissions and their impacts on soil, food and other
agricultural products.
• Holistic ecological, economical and societal considerations of rural-urban systems, including the
identification of and solutions for weaknesses and systemic changes though new approaches in the
field of emission and immission.
• Cross-discipline and technology linkages to prevent and manage rural emissions, to support the
utilization of nutrients and to improve environmental protection and management practices.
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16th International RAMIRAN Conference 2015 in Hamburg

4. T4: The bioresource challenge
The sustainable use and the protection of natural resources are essential for enduring food production
and quality of life. In this context, bioresources will play a key role. Bioresources are non-fossil
biogenic resources which can be used for multiple purposes: to produce food, substantial products
such as paper, biobased plastics, biochemicals and composite materials or energy carriers such as
bioethanol, biogas and heat. Bioresources are renewable, but they are not available in unlimited
quantities and have limits to their utilization. One limiting factor is the available agricultural and forest
area and competition for its use. Bioresources will presumably be the only means in the future of
delivering food, feed and substantial products. They may also have a role in energy provision,
although other renewable sources will also be important here. To meet future demands, efficient
bioresource utilization procedures are needed. This includes the consideration of whole chains from
primary production, through processing and up to residues utilization. Moreover, not only single
chains such as the food chain have to be considered.
To reach high efficiency we need to study multibranch and cascade utilizations options. In this
context, agricultural, municipal and industrial residues, wastes and wastewaters are of high
importance. The careful and sustainable use of bioresources must be accounted through holistic
approaches to close loops. A special focus is made on compounds with reuse-value for agriculture
such as nutrients, water and soil improvers.
Examples of topic areas might include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Innovative approaches regarding efficient bioresource utilization including planning, management
and logistical consideration for reuse of agricultural, municipal and industrial residues in
agriculture.
• Issues related to the overall bioresource chain including data inventory and provision, monitoring,
evaluating, modelling to ensure bioresource availability, quality balanced utilization, environmental
protection, societal integration.
• Holistic ecological, economical and societal considerations of bioresource systems to produce food,
materials and energy including the understanding of and developing solutions for current areas of
weakness.
• Linking of disciplines and technologies to increase bioresource sustainability, to support
environmental protection and to improve management practices.
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16th International RAMIRAN Conference 2015 in Hamburg

5. T5: Agro-products for the biobased economy
Biobased economy encapsulates the vision of a future society no longer wholly dependent on
fossil resources. The transition into a biobased economy will implicate a paradigm shift also
in agriculture. The basics are bioresources originating from plants, animals, microorganisms
or residues. In biorefineries they are converted into a multitude of products such as chemicals,
materials, feed, fuels, and other energy carriers. Biorefineries are complex and integrated
systems consisting of many process units. They take advantage of the various components
contained in bioresources such as cellulose, hemicelluloses, starch, lignin, proteins, fats, oils,
extractives and their intermediates. To date, the biorefinery industry is still in a nascent state,
mostly using ligno-cellulosic feedstocks on larger scale. However, many concepts and
approaches exist. Frequently discussed biorefinery systems with a connection to agriculture
include sugar, starch, vegetable oil, lignocellulose, green, synthesis gas and biogas
biorefinery.
We call for contributions addressing opportunities and inter-connected challenges for
agriculture in terms of residue generation and application. On the one hand, agriculture may
provide biorefinery feedstocks from primary production and from by-products or wastes
generated along the chain. On the other hand, many new types of biogenic residues will be
generated in biorefineries which may be recycled to agriculture in one form or another.
Examples of topic areas might include, but are not limited to the following:
• Issues related to the design of new agricultural systems considering new plant types and
their demands regarding fertilization, soil and harvesting, decentralized pre-processing
options to produce transportable biorefinery feedstocks and the creation of new reuse-oriented
infrastructures.
• Approaches promoting diversification for a multi-use agriculture in combination with
traditional agriculture including the development of new types of agricultural products and
of possibilities to support local integrated systems.
• Holistic ecological, economic, societal and educational considerations connected with new
types of agricultural products and residues including the detection of new economic
opportunities for rural systems.
• Concepts characterised by almost complete and efficient utilization of agricultural
feedstocks considering the production of different types of agro-products in biorefineries –
e.g. with low-volume but high-value such as chemical or nutraceutical products and low-value
but high-volume agro-products such as biodiesel or bioethanol.
• Approaches and examples for large-scale commercial biorefinery systems involving
agricultural feedstocks and/or applying biorefinery residues in agriculture.
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16th International RAMIRAN Conference 2015 in Hamburg

6. T6: Smart concepts for rural development
In ancient times, humans lived in perfect harmony with nature as hunters and gatherers. After
becoming sedentary and starting to domesticate plants and animals, man initiated the process
of urbanization. In 2008, more people lived in urban than in rural areas for the first time in the
History of Mankind - and the trend continues. Drawbacks of early urbanization such as
accumulation of residues, disease spread, wars and resources disputes are still a reality today.
In this context, residues are increasingly not only a topic of disposal but of utilization. This
provides an opportunity to bring rural and urban systems closer together again. Rural
development generally focuses on improving the quality of life and economic well-being of
people living in relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas.
We call for contributions which support rural development under special consideration of
symbiosis with urban systems in the area of residue management.
Examples of topic areas might include, but are not limited to the following:
• Design of symbiotic systems and systemic changes considering rural-urban interfaces
between agriculture and other areas (e.g. rainwater harvesting, energy generation,
permaculture and education).
• Innovative approaches considering a decentralized reuse-oriented infrastructure to
improving the environment for a balanced climate and a balanced resource security
together with maintaining food security and a competitive agricultural sector.
• Approaches promoting economic diversification and business models combining
traditional agriculture with new challenges e.g. restoration of degraded soils, production of
sustainable fertilizers, processing residues for economic transport, utilizing urban residues,
developing novel agricultural products, implementing multi-use agriculture.
• Policies and other drivers to support rural-urban symbiosis and locally integrated
strategies, incuding approaches for mobilizing local stakeholders.
• Holistic ecological, economic and societal considerations for rural-urban residue
management systems including the identification and development of solutions
overcoming of weaknesses and the establishment of cross-discipline linkages.
Ralf Otterpohl in YouTube: Thoughts to the development of “New Towns” and their essential
need for our survival in the future are presented on http://youtu.be/_M0J2u9BrbU
©
© Millhouse / Pixelio © Thomas Max Muller / Pixelio
16th International RAMIRAN Conference 2015 in Hamburg

7. T7: Towards zero waste settlements
Zero waste is a philosophy to redesign resource life cycles by using all products after
consumption again in one form or another and embedded in this are sustainable production
and consumption patterns. In this context, sending waste for disposal to landfills or
incinerators should be avoided. Zero Waste is a visionary goal connected with changing
people’s lifestyle and behaviour and traditional waste management practices. A large share of
urban and rural waste is of biogenic origin. A multitude of different types are generated at
different locations, in different quantities qualities. Individually their amounts may be rather
small, but accumulated they could contribute significantly as a resource for materials and/or
energy delivery. Commonly they are disposed of or used inefficiently. A holistic and
integrative approach for their improved utilization is the “Civilization biorefinery” - a system
aiming for complete and efficient utilization of secondary, tertiary and quaternary regional
bioresources in a rural-urban symbiosis. It consists of three major parts - collection of the
local bioresources, their conversion in a local network of centralized and decentralized
technical units into material and energy products and the utilization of these products. All
steps are connected under consideration of logistical aspects.
We invite contributions towards this vision under consideration of a profound knowledge on
the specific regional situation and the establishment of sector-comprehensive regional
networks. The focus is drawn on aspects connected with urban biogenic residues and their
value for rural areas.
Examples of topic areas might include, but are not limited to the following:
• Issues related to whole system changes in waste and waste water management systems
considering e.g. the share of rural and urban areas in a region, the combination of
traditional with new conversion technologies and the specific issues of the location.
• Approaches to promote regionally integrated strategies supporting production and
application of traditional and new types of residue-based products for local and sub-regional
agriculture
• Holistic ecological, economic and societal considerations together with cross-discipline
linkages, formation of local industry, decentralized unit networks and utilization of local
wisdom.
• Creative and innovative strategies for comprehensive local inventories for residue-based
bioresources considering their amount, composition and availability as well as for
processing units involved in bioconversion considering their utilization efficiency.
• Approaches for an open documentation of data necessary to design symbiosis systems
valid within a country or region, statistically approved and provided by trustworthy sources
on a regular basis.
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16th International RAMIRAN Conference 2015 in Hamburg

8. T8: Rural-urban sustainability cases worldwide
Sustainable agricultural systems have been a popular research area over the last decade. A sustainable
agricultural system aims to deliver sufficient productivity, through the use of minimal and non-hazardous
inputs, while maintaining soil quality and contributing to the reduction of environmental
problems. Predominantly rural agriculture fulfills the needs of urban settlements regarding food and
increasingly also regarding energy and material provision, e.g. biobased plastics. On the other hand,
urban residues such as biowaste, sewage sludge, landscaping residues, and biogenic industrial residues
contain valuable organic matter and nutrient for agriculture. However, the recycling of such residues
for fertilizing and soil quality improvement is limited in practice. Reasons for this include economic
factors and legal demands, but practices involving recycling of residues might also cause
environmental problems and lead to the evolution of unwanted compounds and pests.
Practical case studies addressing issues of integrated rural and urban management, flows between rural
and urban systems and multichain bioresource utilization (food, materials and energy) are invited.
Innovative examples will consider links between research and sustainable practice and bridge gaps
between disciplines. In this theme research aims at providing information and justification for
managers across sectors such as agriculture and waste management, wastewater management, energy
provision, logistics and urban planning. Activities can include social, economic and environmental
dimensions and their interactions. Practical case examples shall consist of rural and urban elements
with a holistic perspective.
Topic areas might include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Implementation of innovative concepts, techniques and management systems which include safe
and efficient recycling of processed urban residues to agriculture while enhancing sustainability
both in agriculture and in urban waste management.
• Assessment of practical cases regarding the risks arising from the adoption of new techniques, as
well as regarding their long-term benefits.
• Inclusion of new types of residues and residue-based products (e.g. from bioenergy and biomaterial
production systems) as well as the growing interest in urban agriculture into rural-urban systems.
• Practical examples of new tools allowing predictions for rural and urban development from a long-term
sustainability perspective.
• Implementation and evaluation of strategies and political regulatory measures which encourage the
linking of rural and urban systems and which enable compromise solutions between stakeholders
with conflicting interests.
© RainerSturm / Pixelio
© M.E / Pixelio
16th International RAMIRAN Conference 2015 in Hamburg