Agricultural Waste-Derived Materials for Electronics: Environmental Advantages and Economic Potential

Agricultural wastes (AW) have attracted attention for their potential to convert waste into valuable products such as biodiesel, biochar, and biodegradable plastics. However, unlike obvious waste such as e-waste, agricultural waste primarily has limited potential for value addition. The current challenges in recycling and waste management have highlighted the need for green electronics, as the rise of lightweight, flexible electronics from polymers adds to the polymer-based e-waste and microplastic pollution. Many manufacturers, such as NatureWorks LLC (USA), BASF SE (Germany), and Mitsubishi Chemical Group (Japan), are now considering agricultural feedstocks as a viable alternative to synthetic biodegradable polymers for creating green or disposable electronics. Prototypes have shown promising results in energy storage and implant biocompatibility. However, ongoing challenges include minimizing variable biodegradability and inferior mechanical properties. Apart from them, higher production costs and competition for food resources are matters of concern. The conversion of materials such as rice husks, wheat straw, and banana peels into applications like batteries, sensors, and displays paves the way for future research. There is a growing motivation to engineer advanced carbon structures from agricultural waste to develop fully biodegradable, self-powered systems that can be integrated into the Internet of Things (IoT).