Agricultural Renewable Residues for a Sustainable Agro-Industrial Production

Abstract

Considering a projected world population of 10 billion by 2050, globalagriculture and the millions of tons of annually generated renewable residues areexpected to increase. Currently, these untreated and underutilized resources aredisposed of by dumping, burning, or landfilling, which has detrimental effects onsoil, air, and water resources. It also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions andaffects both ecosystems and human health. These low-cost, renewable by-productsinclude crop residues, fruit and vegetable wastes, and livestock manure, which havean abundant availability and unique chemical composition that makes them an idealfeedstock for the development of value-added bioproducts for sustainable agriculturalproduction, from small-scale to large-scale agro-industrial operations. The latentbenefits of these wastes have been harnessed through their conversion into biofertilizers, biostimulants, biopesticides, bioenergy, and bioadsorbents and coagulantsfor agricultural wastewater treatment. Such products are potentially greener, saferfor plants, the environment, and, most importantly, for human consumers. Theirproduction requires harvesting, transport, storage, and bioconversion. Pre-treatmentmethods, 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, andthe 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 futureintegration of bio-products derived from agricultural residues into agro-industrialsystems 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 chapterreviews the latest developments to design a closed loop whereby agricultural wastematerials are reused as a resource stream in the sector, leading to a sustainableagricultural scenario.