CHAPTER 4: Food Wastes Conversion to Products for Use in Chemical and Environmental Technology, Material Science and Agriculture Check Access

Food wastes are shown as a cost-effective source of added-value products for a wide number of uses. For soluble substances isolated from municipal biowastes, the present chapter reviews work performed in the last 7 years investigating the chemical nature, the physical-chemical properties, and the performance in chemical and environmental technologies, in material chemistry and in agriculture. Very recent unpublished data are also reported to show that ongoing research is a worthwhile effort to realise the full potential of the above refuse-derived biobased products. The available data allow a viable situation to be envisioned where urban waste-treatment plant are turned into biorefinery for the production of energy, chemicals and consumer products with friendly environmental impact. The perspectives for this scenario to become real are discussed.