19 - Agricultural biomass as value chain developers in different sectors

Abstract

Agricultural biomass is the most abundant and easily available source of renewable energy. Recent trends in utilization of agricultural residues have resulted in enormous applications in fields of medical, pharmaceuticals, textile industry, chemicals, and biocomposites. Microorganisms-aided pharmaceuticals and biofuels production using agricultural residues as feedstock has been also analyzed at large scales. Agricultural biomass conversion to bioenergy and biomaterials is one of the fundamental approaches toward a sustainable way of strengthening the ecological integrity and bio-based economy. Moreover, this multifunctional and integrated approach will help to deal with global environmental concerns such as climate change and pollution. The physicochemical and biological technologies developed so far facilitate the valorization of biomass to various value-added products such as biocomposites, antibiotic synthesis, organic acid synthesis, biofuel production, etc. However, despite number of applications, there is a need to cover different feasibility aspects to enhance the scientific and commercial applications of agricultural biomass. This review entails the possible end applications of agricultural biomass in different commercial and industrial sectors.