Roots, Tubers, and Bulb Crops Wastes: Residue Utilization for Industrial Biotechnology

The escalating global demand for both sustenance and energy has led to intensified agricultural activities, yielding substantial amounts of waste from vegetables, including root, tuber, and bulb crops. This chapter details the utilization of these agricultural residues for industrial biotechnology applications. Since disposal of such waste becomes a mounting concern, an urgent need arises to convert these underutilized resources into valuable commodities. Root, tuber, and bulb crops, spanning a diverse range, including potatoes, cassava, and onions, offer an enticing prospect for biorefineries. This study explores their potential as a sustainable feedstock for biofuel production, particularly in the face of dwindling fossil fuel reserves. As these crops are widely cultivated across the globe, their waste materials present an abundant and accessible resource for bioconversion processes. Additionally, this chapter presents the viability of transforming these residues into bio-plastics, and other high-value chemicals. Through innovative approaches such as enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, and thermal conversion, these crop wastes can be harnessed to generate bioethanol, biogas, and other bioproducts.