Considering a projected world population of 10 billion by 2050, global agriculture and the millions of tons of annually generated renewable residues are expected to increase. Currently, these untreated and underutilized resources are disposed of by dumping, burning, or landfilling, which has detrimental effects on soil, air, and water resources. It also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and affects both ecosystems and human health. These low-cost, renewable by-products include crop residues, fruit and vegetable wastes, and livestock manure, which have an abundant availability and unique chemical composition that makes them an ideal feedstock for the development of value-added bioproducts for sustainable agricultural production, from small-scale to large-scale agro-industrial operations. The latent benefits of these wastes have been harnessed through their conversion into biofertilizers, biostimulants, biopesticides, bioenergy, and bioadsorbents and coagulants for agricultural wastewater treatment. Such products are potentially greener, safer for plants, the environment, and, most importantly, for human consumers. Their production requires harvesting, transport, storage, and bioconversion. Pre-treatment methods, upstream and downstream processing, process optimization and scale-up are involved during the formulation of these bio-based products. In addition, assessments of plant design and location, availability of renewable resources, logistics, and the most environmentally friendly conversion methods are essential. Bringing innovation to the market also implies partnerships between R&D and industry, government incentives, and support through bioeconomic policies. In this context, the future integration of bio-products derived from agricultural residues into agro-industrial systems could mitigate waste generation, improve resource efficiency and sustainability throughout the value chain, and foster circular economies, minimizing environmental impact and improving agricultural productivity. In conclusion, this chapter reviews the latest developments to design a closed loop whereby agricultural waste materials are reused as a resource stream in the sector, leading to a sustainable agricultural scenario.

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Agricultural Renewable Residues for a Sustainable Agro-Industrial Production

  • María Carla Groff,
  • Luis Fernando Flores,
  • Khayali Vaidya,
  • Patra Priyadarshini Priyanka

摘要

Considering a projected world population of 10 billion by 2050, global agriculture and the millions of tons of annually generated renewable residues are expected to increase. Currently, these untreated and underutilized resources are disposed of by dumping, burning, or landfilling, which has detrimental effects on soil, air, and water resources. It also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and affects both ecosystems and human health. These low-cost, renewable by-products include crop residues, fruit and vegetable wastes, and livestock manure, which have an abundant availability and unique chemical composition that makes them an ideal feedstock for the development of value-added bioproducts for sustainable agricultural production, from small-scale to large-scale agro-industrial operations. The latent benefits of these wastes have been harnessed through their conversion into biofertilizers, biostimulants, biopesticides, bioenergy, and bioadsorbents and coagulants for agricultural wastewater treatment. Such products are potentially greener, safer for plants, the environment, and, most importantly, for human consumers. Their production requires harvesting, transport, storage, and bioconversion. Pre-treatment methods, upstream and downstream processing, process optimization and scale-up are involved during the formulation of these bio-based products. In addition, assessments of plant design and location, availability of renewable resources, logistics, and the most environmentally friendly conversion methods are essential. Bringing innovation to the market also implies partnerships between R&D and industry, government incentives, and support through bioeconomic policies. In this context, the future integration of bio-products derived from agricultural residues into agro-industrial systems could mitigate waste generation, improve resource efficiency and sustainability throughout the value chain, and foster circular economies, minimizing environmental impact and improving agricultural productivity. In conclusion, this chapter reviews the latest developments to design a closed loop whereby agricultural waste materials are reused as a resource stream in the sector, leading to a sustainable agricultural scenario.