Bioconversion of Biowastes for Energy Applications

The evolution from fossil energy to bioenergy economy demands the scientific breakthroughs and advancements in modern chemical manufacturing. For sustainability, the generation of chemicals and fuels must be originating from renewable resources. The white biotechnology, a technology that uses living cells such as bacteria, yeast, and fungi to produce degradable products, can deliver the essential enzymes for bioconversion of wastes into products that can be used for energy applications. Biowastes from various sources including industrial management (pulp, paper industry, and food industry), fruit and vegetable, animal (slaughterhouse waste), waste wood, and agriculture could be utilized as sustainable materials for nutrient-complete feedstock creation and biorefinery development. This chapter mainly emphasizes the possibility of utilizing biowastes from the existing waste management for the creation of chemicals, byproducts, and biofuels through various bioconversion processes. The first portion of the chapter deliberates the recent prominence and forecasts on feedstock creation of chemicals and biofuels. In the second part, the various sources of biowastes from existing waste management sectors and different bioconversion methods are systematically discussed. The third part presents the applications of biowastes for value-added products, chemicals, and biofuels. It is noticeable that the generation of compounds for chemical industries and biofuels for sustainable future via bioconversion of biowastes for energy applications is a significant research area with remarkable prospects for large-scale industrial production to meet the growing need for energy sustainably.