The study & development of an integrated & additive-free waste orange peel biorefinery

The overall aim of this thesis is to demonstrate how food supply chain waste (FSCW) could be used as a renewable feedstock for a product-focused biorefinery. The volumes of FSCW produced as a result of common food processing operations have been estimated using a new methodology. The latter is based on sold manufactured goods published every year by the European Union (PRODCOM) and highlights the geographical waste hot spots for common food processing operations. The use of this methodology led to the selection of waste orange peel (WOP) as a raw material for the design of an integrated biorefinery. A SWOT analysis was carried out to analyse the opportunity for the design of a WOP valorisation process aimed at the extraction of a maximum of the chemical components, while avoiding the use of acid, additives or pretreatment. The successful development of a microwave biorefinery process centred on the valorisation of WOP was designed based on the integration of microwave assisted D-limonene extraction and a low temperature hydrothermal extraction of pectin. The work carried-out using microwave hydrothermal treatment proved that pectin can be extracted between 100 and 150 °C under acid-less conditions on a 100 mL scale. A competitive molecular weight distribution was obtained for pectin produced at a temperature of 110 and 120 °C using WOP from which D-limonene, flavonoids and sugar had been previously extracted. A CPMAS 13C-NMR technique was developed to determine the degree of esterification of pectin. D-limonene was extracted under microwave-assisted solvent-less conditions. The optimised conditions studied led to a yield of 1.09 ± 0.18% food grade D-limonene with a high reproducibility on a 1 L scale (500 mbars). Finally, the process used also allowed for the isolation and characterisation of flavonoids and monosaccharides. Following ethanol extraction, a mixture of polymethoxy flavonoids (tetra-O-methyl scutellarein, tangeritin, nobiletin and heptamethoxyflavone), hesperidin and sugar monosaccharides were obtained with yields of 5.87%, 0.24% and 18.35% respectively on a wet basis. The later fraction was composed of 74.21% glucose and 25.35% fructose, as determined by quantitative 13C NMR, showing the potential for this fraction as a fermentation feedstock

Towards a circular economy : waste management in the EU ; study

This report examines the role of waste management in the context of a circular economy transition. Key challenges relate to moving beyond the perception of "waste as a problem" to "waste as a resource". To this end high levels of cooperation are needed between the waste industry and enterprises engaged in circular economy business models. Collecting high quality waste streams for re-use, remanufacturing and recycling also requires citizen engagement and integrated infrastructure development from the municipal to the EU level. Ultimately, both waste prevention as well as a widespread growth in circular economy activities will require a coherent and holistic approach that takes recovery options into account at every stage of the product life cycle. Co-benefits will include reducing environmental burden as well as creating both high-skilled and low-skilled jobs for an inclusive, green economy. In concrete terms, this report examines five waste streams identified in the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan: municipal waste, packaging waste, food waste, bio-waste and critical raw materials. It looks at the current state of policy development, presents trends and data comparing Member State performance, reviews the state of technological development, and assesses employment opportunities relevant to each waste stream in the overarching context of assessing progress toward the circular economy transition in the EU. Case studies of specific options for collecting and treating waste based on experiences in Denmark, Italy and Slovenia complement the more macro-level analysis of trends. Finally, key policy options are identified, in particular focused on ways to prevent waste, align circular economy and waste management objectives and improve the quality and reliability of indicators toward more robust monitoring

The potential of microwave technology for the recovery, synthesis and manufacturing of chemicals from bio-wastes

Through a series of case studies it is demonstrated that microwave dielectric heating can be a powerfultool to recover and synthesize valuable molecules from a wide range of biomass types. In addition, undermicrowave irradiation the production of chemicals from biomass proceeds at markedly lower temper-atures (up to 150?C) compared to conventional heating. This has a secondary benefit in that moleculeswith a high degree of functionality are produced while conventional heating tends to produce a greatproportion of lower value gases. Furthermore, the technical set-up of a microwave reactor can easilyaccommodate for an in-situ separation of acids and valuable products therewith improving the shelf lifeof the latter. The benefits of combining hydrothermal conditions with microwave irradiation are alsoillustrated. In addition, a specialized case of selective heating in a biphasic reaction system is discussed,allowing for improved yields and selectivity.Peer Reviewe

Current and future trends in food waste valorization for the production of chemicals, materials and fuels: a global perspective

Food waste is currently generated in significant quantities worldwide. While most of this has generally few uses different from landfilling or composting, advanced valorization alternatives should be developed to maximize the value derived from such an important waste source. This contribution aims to illustrate a series of examples and current valorization strategies proposed in different countries in order to tackle the food waste issue. Proposed processing schemes involve biorefinery approaches based on both chemical and biological technologies. Important legislation aspects in different countries are also presented. (c) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Lt