Mapping spatial supply-demand patterns of resource recovery from biowaste to advance biocycle economies in India

Abstract

Recovering energy and nutrients from biowaste can supply essential resources and reduce environmental impacts. To identify pathways to close resource cycles in India, this study maps the spatial distribution of energy and nutrient recovery potentials from human excrements, the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, manure, and crop residues, comparing them with projected demands in 2030. Full recovery without displacing existing uses of biowaste could cover 17 % of residential energy needs and 22 %, 23 %, and 80 % of national nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertiliser demand, respectively. Most energy and nutrients could be recycled within 25 km and within subdistricts, supporting the economic viability of decentralised biological treatment such as anaerobic digestion. However, in regions with a high nutrient surplus or requiring longer transport, advanced recovery technologies producing concentrated mineral recycling fertilisers are needed to enhance financial feasibility. Our spatially explicit approach informs differentiated strategies for scalable, locally adapted biocycle economy development.