Page 470 - Refining Biomass Residues for Sustainable Energy and Bioproducts

428 Refining Biomass Residues for Sustainable Energy and Bioproducts

source of animal feed is most cost-effective. However, it is sometimes limited by
regulatory issues as well as the nature of the coproduct generated in the process
(European Union).
Owing to environmental concerns, the valorization of food loss has gained sig-
nificant traction in the past decade due to the enormous volume of waste created.
The best scenario is to convert FW into high-value chemicals. FW is rich in carbo-
hydrates, and its percentage varies from 35.5% to 69% (Uc¸kun Kiran et al., 2014).
Contrary to lignocellulose-based second-generation biorefineries, which require
harsh thermomechanical and chemical pretreatments, FW biorefineries utilize bio-
mass rich in starch and protein. The hydrolysis of FW using acid/alkali treatment
leads to the breakage of glycosidic bond, and sugars such as glucose, fructose,
xylose, arabinose, lactose, and sucrose are obtained (Uc¸kun Kıran et al., 2015).
These sugars can act as intermediates for the production of several platform chemi-
cals. There are several types of catalytic treatment of starchy/cellulosic FW that can
render different reactions which can produce different chemicals such as carboxylic
acids, furans, and amino acids. There is a large range in market maturity for plat-
form chemicals, ranging from mature markets such as lactic acid to nascent markets
for chemicals such as succinic acid. Fig. 19.1 gives an overview of the integrated
concept for the production of platform chemicals using food waste as feedstock.
Considerable research has been done on the production of biomass-derived
chemicals over the last 5 years; however, the reports on the production of platform
chemicals from food waste are limited. This book chapter aims to provide an over-
view of the sources and types of food waste, with a particular focus on the chemical
route of transformation to platform chemicals.

19.2 Food waste

Food waste, as defined by food and agriculture organization (FAO) and widely
accepted, refers to the food lost taking place toward the end of the food chain asso-
ciated with the behaviors of consumers and retailers (Parfitt et al., 2010). Food
waste poses a significant threat to the world economy as there is no clear plan to
sort it out from mainstream waste. In addition, the inappropriate collection of food
waste makes things worse as these approaches often lead to uncontrolled emission
of GHGs by anaerobic digestion. Food waste makes a catastrophic impact to soci-
ety. The amount of Food Waste is increasing rapidly owing to the high global popu-
lation growth particularly in Asian countries. The annual amount of urban Food
waste generated in Asian countries will rise from 278 to 416 million tons from
2005 to 2025, respectively. The most recent study conducted by Economist
Intelligence Unit employed a food sustainability index (FSI) to rank 34 countries
selected amongst low- to high-income countries (Food and Nutrition
Sustainability). The FSI is based on food loss and waste (FLW) components that
evaluate food sustainability and the quality of countries’ policies toward FLW.