Page 486 - Refining Biomass Residues for Sustainable Energy and Bioproducts

Processing food waste for the production of platform chemicals 443

Conventional strategies of food-waste management such as composting, incinera-
tion, use as animal feed are not efficient and environmentally unsafe to process
large quantities of waste. Food waste is becoming a sustainable source with the sig-
nificant potential to be used as feedstock for the synthesis of chemicals due to the
presence of diverse chemical components such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fatty
acids. The valorization techniques for conversion of FW into value-added products
such as platform chemicals should also be environment friendly and should involve
the use of mild chemicals with low GHG emissions. The processes reported till
date for FW valorization are mostly tested at laboratory scale, and R&D work for
their scale-up is required for making industrially viable processes for utilization of
large quantities. Use of genetically modified microorganisms and process integra-
tion can increase the yields of platform chemicals obtained from low-value food
waste. Moreover, there is a need to develop a biorefinery model using FW as feed-
stock for making it more economically profitable. A synergistic approach involving
the public, R&D labs, and industries, aided by government support is required for
battling with the humongous problem of food-waste disposal and its best utilization
globally.

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