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The need to increase agricultural production to feed a steadily growing population may clash with the more environmentally friendly but less efficient production methods required. Therefore, it is important to try to reduce the use of chemical inputs without compromising production. In this scenario, natural biostimulants have become one of the most sought-after and researched technologies. In the present study, the results of a greenhouse experiment on hydroponic tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are presented, which involved comparing the use of ordinary NPK fertilizer (Cerbero®) with the use of NPK fertilizers enriched with 0.5% protein hydrolysate of plant origin (Cerbero Green®) at both standard (100%) and reduced (70%) fertilization rates. The results highlight how the use of Cerbero Green® fertilizers improves the production performance of tomatoes. More specifically, they show that the use of Cerbero Green® leads to higher marketable yields, especially under reducing fertilizer use, ensuring a positive net change in profit for the grower. In addition, carbon footprint analysis has revealed that the use of Cerbero Green® reduces the environmental impact of hydroponic tomato growing practices by up to 8%. The observed higher yield of hydroponically grown tomatoes even with reduced fertilization rates underlines once again the key role of natural biostimulants in increasing both the economic and environmental sustainability of horticultural production.

Coffee, the most globally prevalent beverage, entails environmental and economic consequences due to the high content of toxic compounds in leftover from brewing. Waste-to-energy technologies propose recovering energy from solid or liquid wastes via various treatment methods. This study investigates the environmental performance of the spent coffee ground application in pellet production as a valuable bio-product by life cycle assessment. System boundaries comprise four stages: (1) spent coffee ground collection; (2) pellet production; (3) thermal energy generation; and (4) waste disposal. The LCA model is interpreted by ReCipe 2016 in both midpoint and endpoint levels per 1 MJ of thermal energy as functional unit. Alternative waste-to-energy approaches into transesterification, pyrolysis, and direct combustion of spent coffee ground are also assessed. The impact assessment shows that the pelletizing process significantly contributes to all impact categories except ozone formation and terrestrial ecotoxicity, which is influenced primarily by the transportation process in the spent coffee ground collection stage. The spent coffee ground pellet can lead to climate change mitigation, and reduction in freshwater eutrophication and use of resources due to credits from ash disposed to landfill.Biodiesel is the worst potential option among alternative scenarios, while pellet production and bio-oil demonstrate the most favorable environmental profiles for all impact categories. Damage assessment indicates that pellet production and alternative scenarios mainly influence human health.