Upcycling of biomass waste from durian industry for green and sustainable applications: An analysis review in the Malaysia context

Durian with high nutritional value is cultivated mainly in tropical countries especially in Southeast Asia. The high annual durian production volume of approximately 350,000 MT in Malaysia has led to the abundance of durian biomass waste. Biochar derived from durian biomass waste has huge potential for sustainable applications in various fields. In this paper, durian biomass waste generation and management system in Malaysia are first discussed. The estimated potential energy available in Malaysia from durian biomass waste is then presented followed by the discussion on the conversion of durian biomass waste into biochar through pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization. Applications of durian biochar as catalysts, bio-sorbents for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater, biocomposite, fertilizers, supercapacitor electrode material, and briquettes have also been reviewed. Moreover, this paper highlights the potential applications of durian biochar-derived biodegradable mulch film and supercapacitor electrode material in Malaysia to tackle both plastic waste and energy storage issues. Besides biochar, production and applications of bio-oil, biogas and other valuable compounds from durian biomass waste are also discussed. Furthermore, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) on the durian industry in Malaysia which includes Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and autonomous systems, sustainability assessment tools as well as the challenges are discussed. Based on the work presented, despite Malaysia has great potential in upcycling the durian biomass waste for several applications, more in-depth researches are necessary to further solidify the promising application in the specific field and improve production planning of durian fruit while valorizing durian biomass waste which makes up about 19% of total durian biomass waste from major durian producers from Southeast Asia