Chapter 1. Food waste in the sustainable development framework
• The triple bottom line: "people, planet, and profit"
• Decoupling of production from fossil feedstock and non-renewable resources
Chapter 2. Food processing industries and food waste classification
• Fruits and Vegetable
• Cereals and tubers
• Pulses
• Oilcrops
• Meat products
• Fishery by-products
• Dairy products
• Breweries and wine making industries
Chapter 3. Current state of art of the usual food waste valorization
• Biogas and biofuels
• Fertilizers
• Animal feed
PART 2- INNOVATIVE FOOD WASTE UPCYCLING
Chapter 4. Biocascading: general recovery strategy of valuable substances from food waste.
• Pretreatment
• Separation
• Extraction
• Purification
• Product formation
Chapter 5. Biocascading: platform molecules, value added chemicals, and bioactives
• Glucose
• Phosphate
• Amino acids
• Pectins
• Lipids
• Antioxidants
• Nutraceuticals
• Enzymes
• Others
Chapter 6. Biobased polymers from food waste feedstock and their synthesis
• PLA
• PBS
• PHA
• Blends
• Others
Chapter 7. Food waste as biofiller
• Animal sources
• Vegetal sources
Chapter 8. Composites and nanocomposites from food waste
• Compatibilization
• Biofiller in fossil based plastic
• Inorganic fillers in biobased polymers
• Biofillers in biobased polymers
PART 3 - CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOBASED PRODUCTS
Chapter 9. Mechanical characterization of biobased products from food waste
• The main challenge of the biobased sector
• Tensile tests
• Hardness
• Tear
• Flexural
• Impact
• Compression
• Creep
• Fatigue
• Friction
• Wear
• Adhesion
Chapter 10. Physico-chemical characterization of bioplastics and biocomposites
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
• 1H-NMR
• Chromatography
• Tacticity
• Barrier properties
• Moisture absorption
• The chemistry of biodegradation and composting
PART 4- SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF BIOBASED PRODUCTS FROM FOOD WASTE
Chapter 11. Assessment of the safety of biobased products
• Volatile organic Compounds
• Catalyst Residues
• Contaminants
• Migration
• Survey of Regulations, government policies and REACH
Chapter 12. Life Cycle Assessment
• Ecological Footprint
• Carbon sink
Chapter 13. Taking advantage of the digital revolution to assess the sustainability and efficiency of the feedstock
• Emergence of food value chains: a circular and sustainable economy approach
• Databases and logistic
• Support of the rural economy in the Horizon 2020 framework
• Negative cost processes
Chapter 14. Research gap and needs.
• From waste to wealth using green chemistry: the way to long term sustainability
• Exploitation of non-food feedstock as a smart alternative to crops usage
• Bio-based product recycling
CONCLUSIONS
Teresa Cecchi, Analytical Chemist PhD, ITT Montani, Via Montani 7, 63900 Fermo, Italy
Carla De Carolis, Biomass expert PhD, UNIVPM - University Polytechnic of Marche, DIISM Department, Via brecce bianche, 63100 Ancona (AN) ITALY
In the past, food waste has been used to produce biogas and biofuels, fertilizers, and animal feed. Using it as a feedstock for innovative biorefineries is not only an ethical issue but also a smart application of the circular economy. This book explores the zero-waste concept in the thriving biobased sector, proposing technologies and procedures to meet the sustainable development goals.
The volume categorizes food waste sources and proposes an impressive number of high value-added compounds (e.g., platform chemicals, enzymes, nutraceuticals, antioxidants, organic acids, phosphate, bioadsorbents, pectin, solvents, and pigments) that can be obtained in a sequential biocascade, via chemical, biochemical, thermal, and physical technologies.
The synthesis of bioplastics from food waste, their copolymerization and blending, as well as the production of biocomposites and bionanocomposite with biofillers from food scraps, are presented: eluding the cost of waste disposal, reducing biobased materials price, and avoiding using edible resources as a starting material for biobased items are the main beneficial peculiarities of the process. The Authors illustrate challenging characteristics of new biobased materials, such as their mechanical and physico-chemical features, their biodegradability, compostability, recyclability, chemical compatibility, and barrier properties.
The volume also delves into socioeconomic considerations and environmental concerns related to the upcycling of food waste, as well as the safety and life cycle assessment of biobased products. Finally, the authors address how advances in digital technology can make food waste upcycling a negative-cost process and discuss best practices to practically implement the biorefinery concept. Research gaps and needs are suggested, and recommendations for food waste handling and management during this COVID-19 pandemic are provided.