About this Research Topic
The increasing amount of food waste (FW) has drawn growing attention for future bio-refineries worldwide. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the annual production of FW increased from 121 million tons in 2019 to 170 million tons in 2023. This trend is expected to continue to rise to 220 billion tons in 2025. With population growth, depletion of fossil fuels, and energy insecurity, the alternative use of FW as biofuels and green energy is a promising solution. Food waste disposed in landfills releases greenhouse gases during decomposition and can also cause soil and water contamination. On the other hand, this carbon-rich bio-waste can be utilized as a resource for the generation of sustainable chemicals and fuels.
Thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal and Biochemical conversion through the use of enzymes, bacteria, or other microorganisms treatment are promising routes for depolymerization of FW into value-added renewable chemicals and fuel production. Several research groups have worked on food waste depolymerization for high-quality bio-oil and gas production, exploring various reaction parameters (solvent, reaction temperature, time, gas and catalysts). It has been observed that certain catalysts, such as metal nanoparticles supported on different porous materials (e.g., activated carbon, Al2O3), metal oxides, and various salts, bases, and acids, can sometimes marginally enhance bio-oil yields, hydrogen gas selectivity, and the properties of bio-oil. However, there is still a need to introduce novel catalysts and refine process parameters for food waste thermochemical conversion to achieve fuel-grade bio-oil and high quality gas production. The primary objective of this Research Topic is to provide a critical and systematic understanding of recent developments in chemicals and biofuels production from FW and to suggest future research directions.
We welcome submissions of Original Research articles, critical Reviews, and Perspectives for this Research Topic. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Exploitation of food waste through thermochemical conversion (pyrolysis, gasification, hydrothermal liquefaction) and biochemical (enzymes, bacteria, or other microorganisms), for chemical, fuel, and gas production,
• New technologies or processes for converting food waste into chemical/biofuel production,
• Production of food waste-derived biochar materials and their application in wastewater treatment,
• Modeling, kinetics, and economic analyses of the conversion of food waste into high-quality biofuels.
Thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal and Biochemical conversion through the use of enzymes, bacteria, or other microorganisms treatment are promising routes for depolymerization of FW into value-added renewable chemicals and fuel production. Several research groups have worked on food waste depolymerization for high-quality bio-oil and gas production, exploring various reaction parameters (solvent, reaction temperature, time, gas and catalysts). It has been observed that certain catalysts, such as metal nanoparticles supported on different porous materials (e.g., activated carbon, Al2O3), metal oxides, and various salts, bases, and acids, can sometimes marginally enhance bio-oil yields, hydrogen gas selectivity, and the properties of bio-oil. However, there is still a need to introduce novel catalysts and refine process parameters for food waste thermochemical conversion to achieve fuel-grade bio-oil and high quality gas production. The primary objective of this Research Topic is to provide a critical and systematic understanding of recent developments in chemicals and biofuels production from FW and to suggest future research directions.
We welcome submissions of Original Research articles, critical Reviews, and Perspectives for this Research Topic. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Exploitation of food waste through thermochemical conversion (pyrolysis, gasification, hydrothermal liquefaction) and biochemical (enzymes, bacteria, or other microorganisms), for chemical, fuel, and gas production,
• New technologies or processes for converting food waste into chemical/biofuel production,
• Production of food waste-derived biochar materials and their application in wastewater treatment,
• Modeling, kinetics, and economic analyses of the conversion of food waste into high-quality biofuels.
Keywords: Food waste, Pyrolysis process, Hydrothermal process, Gasification process, Biochar application, Catalyst materials, Modeling, kinetics and economic analyses, Chemical, Fuel, Biochemical Conversion of Food Waste
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
