Manifesting Sustainability Toward Food Waste into Bioenergy: Biorefinery in a Circular Economic Approach

The global issue of excessive food waste has raised significant concerns, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable interventions incorporating eco-friendly technologies. Around 1.3 billion tons of food are discarded every year, representing a one-third of the world total food production. This food wastage comes at a considerable cost to the world economy, estimated at around $750 billion. The escalating generation of food waste highlights the pressing need for effective measures to address this issue with a dual purpose. Utilization of food waste includes distillery waste, feed and poultry waste, oil processing waste, cooking oil waste, seafood waste, dairy waste, vegetable and fruit waste for production of various biobased products reducing economic losses and promoting sustainability by harnessing. This encompasses the utilization of diverse bioprocesses, including acidogenesis, fermentation, photosynthesis, solventogenesis, methanogenesis, bio-electrogenesis, and oleaginous processes, each capable of yielding a wide spectrum of valuable products. Within this book chapter, the primary emphasis on products, specifically bioelectricity, biodiesel, and biofuels, as crucial elements for achieving sustainability and advancing the objectives outlined in sustainable development goals (SDG)-12. SDG-12 leads to responsible consumption and production, particularly SDG 12.3, which aims to halve global per capita food waste. To ensure the economic viability of these bioprocesses and align with sustainable goals, it is imperative to adopt a biorefinery strategy that optimizes the utilization of residual organic waste for the recovery of a diverse range of green products within a circular economy framework.