Waste Biomass Conversion in Useful Various Chemicals

Waste biomass conversion into valuable chemicals is rapidly becoming one of the most popular techniques of tackling climate change and diversifying sources of energy. Waste biomasses are carbon-neutral, renewable materials and fuels extracted from it are cleaner in combustion than the other available carbon fuels. As per the estimates, biomass could meet 25% of the total global energy requirement. Furthermore, waste biomass can become a great source of raw material to produce chemicals, medicines, food additives, etc. for lab and industrial uses. Waste biomass from various sources like forest waste (wood-based), agricultural trash (crop residue), animal slaughter houses (garbage), food industry waste (pulp, peel, seeds, etc.), and sludge coming from water treatment facilities can be transformed into useful chemicals such as fuel, medicines, etc. Bio-methanol, bioethanol, and bio-glycerol are some precious products of the biomass valorization that can be used for power generation and many other purposes. This article provides a condensed summary of various processes used to produce bio-methanol, bioethanol, and bio-glycerol from waste biomass in a sustainable, environment-friendly, and economically feasible manner. The benefits and drawbacks of the valorization processes have also been considered in order to present a short overview of their fundamental concepts and to emphasize upon the challenges that must be solved by future technical improvements in order to meet future needs. Also, the uses of methanol, ethanol, and glycerol along with their advantages and disadvantages are discussed.