The potential of agri-food waste in the context of biorefinery for a circular bioeconomy

Abstract

Climate change is evident, society must take effective action to reduce anthropogenic carbon emissions and avoid breaching tipping point thresholds in the Earth system. To limit global warming to below 1.5 Celsius degree, the concept of circular bioeconomy (CBE) has been promoted as a convergence of bioeconomy and circular economy. Biorefineries, which valorise waste biomass and secondary streams to generate multiple value-added products, are a strategic pillar of CBE. However, before implementation, they must be developed beyond proof of concept and their economic and environmental feasibility must be assessed. This thesis aims to assess the feasibility of bio-based circular strategies in key sectors of the bioeconomy, such as agriculture, livestock, and food industries.