Abstract
The valorization of food and agro-industrial wastes into platform chemicals offers a sustainable solution to waste management and resource utilization, addressing both environmental and economic challenges. This review explores the latest advancements in bioconversion technologies for producing platform chemicals, such as bioethanol, lactic acid, succinic acid, and levulinic acid. It highlights the potential of utilizing agro-industrial residues, including crop residues, fruit and vegetable processing waste, and dairy by-products, as valuable feedstocks for chemical production. These residues, often discarded as waste, contain organic compounds that can be converted into essential platform chemicals, which are vital for biofuels, bioplastics, and specialty chemicals. The review examines both thermochemical and biochemical processes, such as pyrolysis, gasification, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation, for converting food and agro-industrial wastes into valuable products. Case studies, including the enzymatic production of lactic acid from spoiled grains and anaerobic digestion of fruit wastes to produce volatile fatty acids, demonstrate the effectiveness of these technologies in waste valorization. Furthermore, the review discusses the environmental and economic benefits of waste-to-value processes, incorporating life cycle assessments and circular economy principles. Despite challenges such as feedstock variability, process scaling, and the need for regulatory standards, ongoing innovations in genetic engineering and integrated biorefineries present promising solutions for overcoming these barriers. The successful commercialization of these technologies requires collaboration among researchers, industries, and policymakers to foster sustainable production practices and reduce dependence on fossil-based resources, ultimately contributing to a circular bioeconomy.