Food-Energy-Water Nexus in compliance with Sustainable Development Goals for integrating and managing the core environmental verticals for sustainable energy and circular economy

Nikita Verma; Prakhar Talwar; Apoorva Upadhyay; Rickwinder Singh; Christoph Lindenberger; Nidhi Pareek; Prakash Kumar Sarangi; Antonis A Zorpas; Vivekanand Vivekanand

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172649

Food-Energy-Water Nexus in compliance with Sustainable Development Goals for integrating and managing the core environmental verticals for sustainable energy and circular economy

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Apr 20:930:172649. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172649. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Nikita Verma¹, Prakhar Talwar², Apoorva Upadhyay³, Rickwinder Singh⁴, Christoph Lindenberger⁵, Nidhi Pareek⁶, Prakash Kumar Sarangi⁷, Antonis A Zorpas⁸, Vivekanand Vivekanand⁹

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur 302017, Rajasthan, India. Electronic address: 2021PCV5367@mnit.ac.in.
² Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur 302017, Rajasthan, India. Electronic address: 2021PCV5362@mnit.ac.in.
³ Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur 302017, Rajasthan, India. Electronic address: 2018REN9019@mnit.ac.in.
⁴ Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur 302017, Rajasthan, India. Electronic address: 2021REN9014@mnit.ac.in.
⁵ OTH Amberg-Weiden, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Engineering, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring 3, 92241 Amberg, Germany. Electronic address: c.lindenberger@oth-aw.de.
⁶ Microbial Catalysis and Process Engineering Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Rajasthan 305817, India. Electronic address: nidhipareek@curaj.ac.in.
⁷ College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Imphal 795004, India.
⁸ Open University of Cyprus, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Sustainable Environmental Engineering, Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and Engineering Sustainability, Giannou Kranidioti 89, 2231 Latsia, Nicosia, Cyprus. Electronic address: antoniszorpas@yahoo.com.
⁹ Centre for Energy and Environment, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur 302017, Rajasthan, India. Electronic address: vivekanand.cee@mnit.ac.in.

PMID: 38649042
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172649

Abstract

Food, energy, and water resources are intricately interconnected, and nexus provides a holistic approach for addressing these complex links to minimize inefficiencies and waste. Nexus approach and circular economy are considered as effective solutions for sustainability. Quantification of these relations is the first step towards incorporating nexus modeling which helps sustainable production and consumption. For achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, understanding and effectively managing the FEW nexus becomes imperative. With an integral performance perspective, there is a need to address the interdependencies and trade-offs among food, energy, and water systems and challenges of economic, social and environmental sustainability. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the FEW nexus, identify key opportunities and challenges, and propose integrated strategies for managing these core environmental verticals sustainably. The study addresses the accomplishment of these goals through nexus approaches and outlines the need for technological advancements for shared benefits among resources, contributing to conceptual development of nexus and circular economy. The results highlight the critical importance of adopting a nexus approach to advance sustainable development goals, enhance resource efficiency, and promote synergistic solutions across food, energy, and water systems.

Keywords: COP26; Circular economy; Nexus; Sustainability; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).