From garbage to treasure: A review on biorefinery of organic solid wastes into valuable biobased products
Adegoke Isiaka Adetunji, Paul J. Oberholster, Mariana Erasmus
Abstract
The incessant dumping of solid waste has been an issue of global attention, causing significant risks to the environment and human health. The biodegradable organic components of the waste materials pose a greater opportunity in the production of beneficial products. Therefore, adequate management of organic solid waste is key to mitigate environmental pollution and promotes its reuse as a feedstock in the formation of valuable products. Methods such as pyrolysis, gasification, etc. are employed for valorization of organic solid waste. However, these techniques are inept for the treatment of the waste materials due to release of gaseous pollutants, consumption of high energy, among others. Biorefinery is a green and sustainable technology for the breakdown of organic solid waste into valuable biobased products such as biofertilizer, bioethanol, biohydrogen, bioelectricity, biogas, bioplastics, organic acids, and bioenzymes. This review, therefore, provides understandings on the biological technologies for the valorization of organic solid waste into valuable and useful biobased products.