Perspective on the strategies and challenges in hydrogen production from food and food processing wastes

A phenomenal increase in food and food processing wastes is a leading global concern, as over one-third of all food and its derivatives produced globally are discarded. At this juncture, an intriguing solution is to utilize food waste to produce biohydrogen, which may be used as a fuel. The emphasis on the hydrogen economy is an effort to reduce our emissions and decarbonize our energy systems. The conversion of food and food-processing wastes to (bio)hydrogen is possible via biochemical and electrochemical methods. This review examines the primary methodologies for producing hydrogen from food and food-processing industry waste streams, and discusses the associated challenges. The combination of dark and light fermentation, metabolic engineering, and bioaugmentation are considered as approaches for enhancing biohydrogen production. Once the process robustness, quality, and performance of biological and electro-chemical routes for biohydrogen production are optimized and pilot-scale studies are demonstrated, food and food-processing wastes may be plausible candidates for the transition to a sustainable circular hydrogen economy