Valorization Scenarios Research Articles

Decentralised by-product valorisation in the dairy value chain: An opportunity for sustainable intensification

Increasing the sustainability of the livestock sector is a vital goal in lowering the environmental burden of food production globally. The dairy sector is of particular interest in this context since it is responsible for a significant share of this burden. In the past, research has focused on approaches to lower the impacts at the farming stage of production, while fewer efforts have been directed at the later stages of the value chain. By-product valorisation is a tool within the wider framework of Circular Economy that allows to increase the efficiency of resource use by increasing the product output at high quality, potentially leading to a sustainable intensification. The present study aims to test this hypothesis. For this purpose, data was collected from a cheese production case study and pilot-scale experiments on whey valorisation, to model several scenarios of by-product valorisation in the dairy value chain. This includes a decentralised valorisation scenario modelled for the purpose of supporting a local Circular Economy and three scenarios representing common valorisation approaches. The impacts of the entire value chain are then assessed based on an attributional LCA considering three different functional units in order to examine the potential for a relative reduction of impacts per unit of product output. The results suggest that while there is no clear favourite among the investigated valorisation scenarios, by-product valorisation in general can lower the relative impacts of the value chain significantly as compared to the base scenario without valorisation. Depending on the valorisation scenario and impact category, impact reductions of up to 14%, 20% and 32% can be achieved for the three functional units, respectively. Hence, by-product valorisation allows for a sustainable intensification. While centralised lower quality valorisation is favourable in terms of product mass and overall process efficiency, decentralised and high-quality valorisation performs better when the economic value of the products is taken into consideration. Thus, the choice for the most suitable approach for a production site will depend on the context of the production and the intentions of the stakeholders.

Status of Fishery Discards and By-Products in Greece and Potential Valorization Scenarios towards a National Exploitation Master Plan.

The valorization of aquaculture/fishery processing by-products, as well as unavoidable/unwanted catches and discards in Greece, is currently an underutilized activity despite the fact that there are several best practices in Northern Europe and overseas. One of the main challenges is to determine whether the available quantities for processing are sufficient to warrant the valorization of discards and fish side streams. This is the first attempt to systematically record and analyze the available quantities of fish by-products and discards in Greece spatially and temporally in an effort to create a national exploitation Master Plan for the valorization of this unavoidable and unwanted biomass. A thorough survey conducted within the VIOAXIOPIO project unveiled a substantial biomass of around 19,000 tonnes annually that could be harnessed for valorization. Furthermore, the production of various High-Added-Value Biomolecules (HAVBs) was investigated and experimental trials were conducted to assess the potential yields, with the collected data used to formulate four valorization scenarios.

Sustainability assessment of orange peel waste valorization pathways from juice industries

AbstractA wide variety of products such as high value-added bioactive materials, biofuels, biochemicals and bioplastics can be obtained by the valorization of waste streams in a comprehensive and holistic biorefinery concept. In this study a meta-analysis of the available technologies utilizing organic waste derived from the juice industry is conducted. Initially, a mass flow analysis is performed to quantitatively illustrate the available orange peel waste volumes in the EU followed by a geographic distribution. The overall sustainability of the available valorization scenarios is then analyzed by considering critical environmental, economic and energy indicators and comparing innovative and conventional valorization technologies. Innovative technologies are better in terms of energy requirements and extraction time and also, in product yield and environmental performance than the conventional ones (85.1%, 9.5% and 47.9% lower CO2 eq values for the extraction of essential oils, pectin and phenolic compounds respectively). In terms of orange peel waste valorization scenarios, landfilling shares the largest environmental impact, followed by thermochemical and biological conversion alternatives. Complex biorefinery schemes are proportionate to environmental performance and energy consumption, but inversely proportionate to production cost. Finally, a trade-off analysis illustrates a positive correlation between environmental indicators of the most under study valorization scenarios.

Sustainability assessment of CO2 valorisation routes for Latvia: LCA, S-LCA and LCCA

To initiate and maintain the European Green Deal transformative policies, an evident-based multi-sectoral forecasting model needs to be timely and effectively deployed. The overall decarbonisation solutions proposed in this research can be defined as regional CO2 “value spots”– areas in regions where CO2 can be directly (CO2-based new products) or virtually (change in planning and implementation) utilised for the development of high-added value products, ensuring decarbonisation of rural areas, as well as promoting economic growth of the regions.Within the framework of this work, three scenarios for using carbon dioxide are analysed – its use in methanol production, cement production and open-air algae ponds. The analysis aims to assess the potential environmental impacts of CO2 utilisation and consider the impact on the environment, human health, labour rights, working conditions, social equity, and other social factors, as well as costs and economic sustainability.LCA provides a decision-making platform to understand the mid-term and long-term environmental effects of CO2 valorisation scenarios according to the ISO Standard 14044 standard requirements. Sensitivity analysis is performed to exclude high input data uncertainties (if any) and identify model behaviour factors. Effects of CO2 valorisation scenarios on social endpoints (well-being of stakeholders) are identified via S-LCA based on multi-regional input/output methods of qualitative and quantitative generic data. The S-LCA include health and safety, cultural heritage, and governance impact categories covering the interests of such stakeholder groups as workers, the local community, society, and consumers.Cost-effectiveness of CO2 valorisation scenarios is performed. Regional valorisation scenarios are assessed and benchmarked via regional development sustainability indicators. A comparative assessment of core indicators is performed.

Comparative environmental and economic life cycle assessment of phytoremediation of dredged sediment using Arundo Donax, integrated with biomass to bioenergy valorization chain

The economic and environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) was integrated into a laboratory-based experiment to evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of phytoremediation of chloride-rich marine dredged sediment, using perennial reed Arundo Donax along with biomass valorization. As a prerequisite for life cycle assessments, a baseline mathematical model was developed to estimate the yields of biomass to bioenergy valorization chain including the estimation of biomass yield per m3 sediment, bioenergy yields from valorization schemes, expected green electricity yield, and the phytoremediation time frame. This mathematical model was applied to develop a parametric life cycle inventory for two scenarios of sediment phytoremediation separately or integrated with biomass valorization, for LCA and further sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Comparative LCA unveiled that the cost and environmental impacts of annual phytoremediation of 1m3 sediment alone or integrated with biomass valorization are much inferior to the corresponding sediment landfill as the inevitable alternative approach for sediment management. With the chloride bioaccumulation capacity of 9940 mg per kg dry biomass of A. donax, the phytoremediation of sediment with chloride concentration higher than 1650 mg/kg may not be achievable in a realistic time frame. Due to the importance of considering sediment depth and the effectiveness of the plant rooting system in estimating the performance of phytoremediation and the time frame, the volume of sediment (1m3) is a more appropriate functional unit than the surface area (ha) for LCA studies of phytoremediation. In addition, considering the volume of sediment as a functional unit retains comparability to other valorization scenarios such as sediment incorporation in cementitious matrices and management scenarios such as landfill, which are generally expressed on a volume or mass basis. Integrating biomass-derived bioenergy production into phytoremediation could offer local and global benefits in terms of economy and environment mainly due to carbon sequestration and avoiding fossil-based fuels.

Social Life Cycle Assessment of CO2 Valorisation Scenarios: Case Study of Latvia

As technologies develop, the question of their influence and effect on the environment and society becomes even more relevant. This is especially true for relatively young technologies that utilise or capture carbon dioxide. The Social Life Cycle Analysis is an indispensable tool to understand the impact of number of factors on the society and sociological factors due to various CO2 valorisation scenarios in the mid-term to long term. The impact of scenarios on the public are identified based on a multi-regional input/output method of qualitative and quantitative generic data. This work takes into account aspects of health and safety, cultural heritage, the impact of various state structures on the interests of social groups – workers, local communities, society and consumers. The paper considers the factors of CO2 valorization technologies that affect society both positively and negatively.

Sustainable valorisation of agri-food waste from open-air markets in Kampala, Uganda via standalone and integrated waste conversion technologies

Though the magnitude of organic-rich agri-food waste arisings from open-air agri-food markets in many sub-Saharan Africa cities such as Kampala, Uganda are largely unknown, the predominant approaches to managing them, i.e., open burning and unsanitary landfilling, are unsustainable, emitting greenhouse gases, and represent an inefficient use of their intrinsic compositional and energy value. This study combined waste-to-energy (WtE) process modelling/simulation, material flow analysis and life cycle assessment to comparatively evaluate the bioenergy production, value-added material recycling opportunities and associated environmental impacts of characterised agri-food waste from three major open-air agri-food markets in Kampala City under three agri-food waste management scenarios: conventional landfilling, standalone (anaerobic digestion, AD) and integrated (hydrothermal carbonisation, HTC & anaerobic digestion; i.e., HTC-AD) technologies. Results reveal that an estimated 14.1 kt (eq. 34.8 TJ) of agri-food waste aggregated from the focus open-air markets is disposed of in an unsanitary landfill annually. Intrinsic agri-food waste compositional analyses evidence suitability for technology-based valorisation scenarios. Further, integrated HTC-AD performed better than standalone AD, marked by higher diversion of input agri-food waste from landfill (91% vs 75% for AD), recovery of diversified fuels (hydrochar and biogas) with higher energy efficiency (ηeff = 69% vs 45% for AD) and minimal environmental impacts. When benchmarked against landfilling, both technology-based valorisation scenarios significantly reduce (∼96%) adverse environmental responses for most life cycle analysis impact assessment categories. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of addressing the interlinked challenges of agri-food waste management and associated environmental pollution whilst promoting energy/value-added resource recovery from open-air agri-food markets. This is critical and timely to support near-term decision-making on selecting appropriate decentralised WtE technology-based agri-food waste valorisation systems that can realise economic, environmental, and technical (operational and strategic) goals in the city and other similar contexts.

Valorizing Biodiesel and Bioethanol Side-Streams: Sustainability Potential Assessment through a Multicriteria Decision Analysis Framework and Appraisal of Valuable Compound Recovery Prospects

A framework for assessing, from a sustainability and circular bioeconomy point of view, the best valorization approach for biorefineries side-streams has been developed and validated. Two biorefinery side streams are considered as case-studies for validation: rapeseed meal from biodiesel and corn oil from bioethanol production. Firstly, a methodology to evaluate different valorization scenarios has been developed following a holistic approach that addresses technical aspects, environmental impact, and economic analysis. This way, a framework (inspired by the Battelle Method and using insights from Multicriteria Decision Analysis) has been produced where the sustainability potential of each scenario can be assessed. Such framework has been validated for five valorization scenarios for rapeseed meal and seven scenarios for corn oil. It can be concluded that protein extraction through alkaline (NaOH) hydrolysis is the best approach for rapeseed meal valorization while carotenoids recovery through ion exchange extraction is the most suitable strategy for corn oil. Secondly, for the selected scenarios, an estimation of the maximum recoverable amount of valuable compounds is conducted at the European and country-level. The use of this framework substantially aids in the best choice of the cutting-edge conversion technologies, supporting industry practitioners in the selection of processes to be further scaled-up.

Environmental, economic and experimental assessment of the valorization of dredged sediment through sand substitution in concrete

The integrated life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle cost assessment (LCC) and laboratory-based experimental assessment were applied to provide insight for early stage decision-making on the valorization of the dredged sediments. The objective was to find a viable and sustainable solution for the valorization of the dredged sediment in concrete, holding up a certain level of standard concrete performance without compromising in terms of economy and environment. For the sensitivity analysis, parametric life cycle inventories were developed to assess the sensitivity of environmental and economic costs to the rate of sand substitution by sediment, as well as the variations in the concrete components. The workability of fresh concrete and the compressive strength of hardened concrete at 28 days were assigned as the quality indicators to evaluate the influence of sand substitution by sediment on the concrete performance. The compressive strength evaluation in the laboratory demonstrated that a maximum rate of sand substitution in concrete up to 40 % by predominantly sandy sediment could sustain the concrete strength class. However, LCA and LCC negated the rate of sand substitution by sediment higher than 20 %. The integrated environmental, economic, and experimental assessments demonstrated that the substitution of sand by predominantly fine sediment downgrades the strength class of concrete, even in the low rate of incorporation (10 %) and increases the environmental and economic costs. Inferred from the results, the maximum rate of sustainable sand substitution by sediment in concrete could be optimized through a compromise between the expected mechanical strength and workability of the concrete, the economic and environmental impacts of the superplasticiser and the sediment transport. Overall, integrating environmental and economic cost assessments into the laboratory-based assessment of the valorization scenarios would determine the threshold for the sustainable rate of incorporation of sediment in valorization scenarios.

Insights on the hydrogel-forming ability and post-gelling mechanical properties of structural extracellular polymeric substances (sEPS) from aerobic granular sludge (AGS): A comparison with model biopolymers

The hydrogel-forming ability and post-gelling mechanical properties of structural extracellular polymeric substances (sEPS) extracted from aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were studied in comparison to well-known biopolymers (i.e., alginate and κ-/ι-carrageenan) taking advantage of material-saving, reproducible and robust experimental protocols.With respect to alginate and κ-carrageenan, sEPS and ι-carrageenan hydrogels formed in presence of divalent metal ions M2+ behaved similarly once subjected to consecutive compression-decompression cycles, deforming elastically in all the applied range of deformations. While the overall mechanical response remained almost unchanged varying polymer concentration and ionic cross-linker concentration and nature, the Young's modulus E appeared significantly affected by the applied gelling conditions (E ≃ 4–20 kPa). As a result of the higher complexity of the extracellular biopolymeric matrix, higher driving forces (sEPS and M2+ concentrations) were needed to form stable and stiff hydrogels with respect to the studied model biopolymers: the establishment of an extended 3D network started for sEPS concentrations around 2.5 wt% (Ca2+ ≥ 0.1 M). Oscillatory shear experiments confirmed that sEPS were able to form hydrogels with solid-like mechanical properties at 1–10 wt% sEPS concentrations. Overall, the optimization of the gelling methods performed might help to overcome many bottlenecks characterizing this research area. The feasibility of forming sEPS hydrogels with mechanical properties comparable to other biopolymer-based systems currently applied for commercial purposes led to an awareness of the potential application and might open new valorisation scenarios able to contribute to a more bio-based and circular economy.

Environmental comparison of banana waste valorisation strategies under a biorefinery approach

Banana wastes can be valorised in bioethanol due to its high content in cellulose (more than 30% of total on a dry basis) and hemicelluloses (25% of total). Large amount of these wastes is generated during the banana cultivation and harvesting stage. This study proposes the use of, beside conventional acid sulphuric, different organic acids (tartaric, oxalic and citric) during acid pretreatment step, to suppress the unwanted compounds formation and improve bioethanol production. Instead, bioethanol production generates a solid waste flow that is managed in an anaerobic digestion plant, obtaining biogas, to be converted into energy, and digestate, considered as a potential biofertiliser. Life cycle assessment methodology is used to analyse the environmental profiles of four valorisation scenarios to produce bioethanol from banana peel waste. According to the results, reported per kilogram of bioethanol, the citric acid-based scenario has the worst environmental profile due to the background processes involved in the acid production (around 55% for most impact categories). Conversely, the oxalic acid-based scenario has the best environmental profile, with a decrease of around 20% and 35%, depending on the impact category, compared to the citric acid scenario. The energy requirements production (mostly thermal energy) is the main hotspot in numerous subsystems regardless of the scenario (ranging from 30% to 50% depending on the impact category). Therefore, the use of renewable energy sources to satisfy energy requirements combined with an energy optimisation of the valorisation strategies through the reuse of some internal steams, is proposed as improvement activities.

Bioethanol and biogas production: an alternative valorisation pathway for green waste

Biofuels are a research field of great interest given the environmental benefits they offer over conventional fossil fuels. Nowadays, it is urgent to find ways of utilizing waste in the direction of biofuels production. The aim of this paper was the utilization of green waste (branches, leaves and ligno-cellulosic residues from tree prunings, hedge cuttings and grass clippings) towards biofuels production and specifically towards bioethanol and biogas. The experimental plan that was followed included biogas production through anaerobic digestion and bioethanol production through alcoholic fermentation after the necessary chemical pretreatment (acid or alkaline hydrolysis) prior to enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. Based on the results obtained, three valorisation scenarios of green waste were designed and compared in terms of product mass intensity, product yield and energy content of biofuels produced. The optimal results for bioethanol production were 5.22 g/L ethanol, 70.61% saccharification yield and 33.67% ethanol yield with acid pretreatment using H2SO4 3% w/v, 475 μL/g cellulose CellicCtec2 and 10% solids loading. Regarding biogas, the highest biogas production observed was 267.1 mL biogas/g dry substrate resulting from anaerobic digestion of the alkaline stillage. Thus, the production of biofuels from green waste is technically feasible, although it provides moderate efficiencies. However, for a sustainable valorisation of green waste, other techno-economic factors such as the cost of enzymes, chemicals, energy, etc. must be taken into account.

Industrial Symbiosis Implementation Potential—An Applied Assessment Tool for Companies

A successful and broad implementation of industrial symbiosis (IS) initiatives is highly related to stakeholder’s involvement and technical considerations on its process’ development. This paper presents a mixed research study (quantitative and qualitative) focusing on the development of a dedicated tool based on sequential modules’ that support companies in the assessment of their potential to develop and implement IS scenarios. The first module considers the identification and characterization of the economic activity of the company to support an IS contextualization analysis. The second module provides the evaluation of the company’s current state, allowing key intervention areas to be defined. The third module focuses on the assessment of the potential scenarios for synergies implementation based on an economic benefit comparison of different valorization scenarios regarding the available surplus or waste. Complementarily, a SWOT analysis for the identification of the internal strengths and weaknesses, the external opportunities and threats associated with the IS process implementation is presented. The final output compiles qualitative and quantitative results regarding each module. The presented tool is currently under validation at industrial case studies. The preliminary results show the high applicability of the proposed tool in order to support decision making processes on surpluses valorization scenarios selection.

Current state and potential valorisation of ship-generated organic waste in Quebec, Canada

The Quebec residual materials management policy implies the banning of organic waste disposal or incineration from 2022 onwards. This policy also applies to domestic ship-generated organic waste. However, little is known about the current state of ship-generated organic waste management in the province of Quebec. This study aims to analyse the current situation and propose sustainable strategies for ship-generated organic waste valorisation in Quebec. Using the available data, it was attempted to estimate ship-generated waste quantities in Quebec, after which the current practices of domestic ship-generated organic waste management in Quebec and Europe were inventoried, along with international waste management practices. Five waste valorisation scenarios were then proposed and compared in terms of advantages and disadvantages, required equipment, and associated costs and revenues. It involves: 1) composting on board of the ship, 2) centralised composting, 3) composting at the port, 4) centralised biomethanation, and 5) biomethanation at the port. The current available data on ship-generated waste quantities in Quebec did, however, not allow selecting an optimal scenario. The information provided in this short communication can serve as a valuable basis to guide future research efforts and decision-making in this regard. Furthermore, the current management of international waste was found to be complex and costly, although biomethanation of such waste could offer a suitable and more sustainable solution. Finally, it was concluded that a good cooperation between ships and ports is crucial to the implementation of any sustainable waste valorisation strategy.

Decision-Making Process in the Circular Economy: A Case Study on University Food Waste-to-Energy Actions in Latin America

Economies have begun to shift from linear to circular, adopting, among others, waste-to-energy approaches. Waste management is known to be a paramount challenge, and food waste (FW) in particular, has gained the interest of several actors due to its potential impacts and energy recovery opportunities. However, the selection of alternative valorization scenarios can pose several queries in certain contexts. This paper evaluates four FW valorization scenarios based on anaerobic digestion and composting, in comparison to landfilling, by applying a consistent decision-making framework through a combination of linear programming, Life Cycle Thinking (LCT), and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The evaluation was built upon a case study of five universities in Costa Rica and portrayed the trade-offs between environmental impacts and cost categories from the scenarios and their side flows. Results indicate that the landfill scenario entails higher Global Warming Potential and Fresh Water Eutrophication impacts than the valorization scenarios; however, other impact categories and costs are affected. Centralized recovery facilities can increase the Global Warming Potential and the Land Use compared to semi-centralized ones. Experts provided insights, regarding the ease of adoption of composting, in contrast to the potential of energy sources substitution and economic savings from anaerobic digestion.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production from biogas in waste treatment facilities: Assessing the potential impacts on economy, environment and society

Using the biogas generated from organic waste anaerobic treatment to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) has emerged as an attractive alternative to heat and power generation (CHP) in waste treatment plants. The sustainability of biogas combustion for CHP, biogas bioconversion into PHA and a combination of both scenarios was compared in terms of environmental impact, process economics and social responsibility according to the IChemE Sustainability Metrics. Although PHA production presented higher investment and operational costs, a comparable economic performance was observed in all biogas valorization scenarios regarding net present value (0.77 M€) and internal rate of return (6.4 ± 0.2%) due to the higher market value of biopolymers. The PHA production entailed a significant reduction of atmospheric acidification and odor emissions compared to CHP despite showing higher land, water, chemicals and energy requirements. Job creation associated to biopolymer industry and the increasing public demand for bioproducts were identified as fundamental aspects for enhancing social and local acceptance of waste processing facilities. This study demonstrated that PHA production from biogas constitutes nowadays a realistic alternative to CHP in waste treatment plants and that PHA can be produced at a competitive market price when biogas is used for internal energy provision (4.2 €·kg−1 PHA).

Life Cycle Assessment of Alternative Road Base Materials: the Case of Phosphogypsum

Phosphogypsum (PG) is the most abundant by-product generated by the phosphate fertilizer industry. Formed during the production of phosphoric acid from natural phosphate rock, PG is mostly disposed in stacks or released into coastal regions’ waters. Due to the expected increase in the world PG production – currently estimated to be around 250 Mt per year – and the environmental impacts of actual waste management scenarios, there is a call for a paradigm shift, by considering PG not as a waste but as a resource. About 15% of the total PG production is nowadays used as fertilizer, retarder, road base material or building material. The load of radionucleids and heavy metals contained in PG however questions the sustainability of such valorization routes. This paper aims to compare the environmental impacts of different PG valorization scenarios through life cycle assessment. Based on Moroccan conditions for phosphoric acid production, it discusses the key parameters influencing the assessment as well as assumptions regarding the allocation of emissions and resource use over PG and phosphoric acid.

Environmental assessment of valorisation alternatives for woody biomass ash in construction materials

Ash generated during the combustion of woody biomass for energy production is an industrial waste that should be properly managed in order to minimise the respective environmental impacts. Woody biomass ash valorisation in construction materials to replace conventional materials is an alternative that has proven to be technically feasible. On the other hand, it can present potential environmental impacts that should be evaluated to support the choice of more sustainable alternatives. Thus, the purpose of this work is to assess the potential impacts of woody biomass ash valorisation of through incorporation in construction materials using life cycle assessment. The valorisation alternatives consider the incorporation of woody biomass ash in cement mortars, adhesive mortars, concrete blocks, and bituminous asphalts. In addition, a base scenario consisting of ash landfilling is also assessed. Four types of woody biomass ashes were considered, namely fly and bottom ashes generated in a vibrating grate and fly and bottom ashes generated in a fluidised bed. The impact assessment method used is that suggested in the International Reference Life Cycle Data System for selected impact categories. The results showed that the impacts of ash transport and pre-processing and the impacts of producing the avoided materials are factors that affect the net impact of the valorisation scenarios and should be considered in the end-of-life management of biomass ash. Nevertheless, all valorisation scenarios had a lower impact than landfilling in all the impact categories under study, resulting in a significant decrease of the environmental impacts in some scenarios.

Life-cycle assessment on food waste valorisation to value-added products

Food waste can serve as a potential substitute for fossil-derived feedstocks for producing value-added chemicals, such as hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), yet their environmental performance has not yet been evaluated, thus impeding informed decision-making. This study aims to develop a life-cycle assessment (LCA) framework to guide decisions on selecting the most environmentally favourable food waste valorisation option to produce HMF. An LCA framework was developed to assess the environmental performance of eight food waste valorisation scenarios with different combinations of solvents, catalysts, and experimental conditions. The environmental impacts associated with the use of water solvent, organic co-solvents, metal catalysts, as well as the reaction temperature and time were estimated. Experimental data were analysed for building the life-cycle inventory. The conversion of bread waste using water-acetone medium with the catalyst aluminium chloride (AlCl3), at 140 °C for 30 min, was revealed to be the most environmentally favourable food waste valorisation option, due to the utilisation of less polluting co-solvent (acetone) and catalyst (aluminium chloride) as well as the relatively high yield of HMF (27.9 Cmol%). It is expected that when the development of large-scale valorisation systems become more mature and information is more readily available, the decision-supporting tool could be expanded to (1) evaluate the pilot-scale and the industrial-scale food waste valorisation for HMF synthesis, and (2) include the economic performance of the scenarios so that more comprehensive results could be provided to assist decision-making.

Comparative environmental Life Cycle Assessment of integral revalorization of vine shoots from a biorefinery perspective

The use of vine shoots as feedstock in biorefining activities to obtain bioproducts under efficient and optimized conditions could be crucial to make future high added value compounds and processes more sustainable. In this study, five different potential valorization scenarios from vine shoots differing on diverse extraction and delignification steps were assessed from an environmental perspective using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology to identify the most sustainable biorefining route. The main findings from this study reported that an increment on the number of valorization steps involved higher energy and chemical requirements deriving on worse environmental profiles. Scenarios incorporating fermentation of the glucose liquors or organosolv delignification performed the worst profiles. Autohydrolysis, concentration and freeze drying and enzymatic hydrolysis were the main responsible stages of the environmental burdens. Further research should be focused on optimizing chemicals and electricity requirements to develop greener systems.