Turning biowaste into biomaterials and bio-active products: A domain of circular economy

Abstract

The increase in the world's population is a challenge for primary and secondary producers and major industrial companies to meet the demands of consumers for goods and services. However, this high demand goes hand in hand with an excessive consumption of resources, mainly non-renewable fossil resources not only in energy production processes, but also as raw materials in the manufacture of a wide variety of products. In this context, the search for biologically based resources, of a renewable nature and with lower associated environmental impacts, is a high potential strategy. Forest resources and non-usable flows from the agri-food sector have become key elements in the search for sustainability and circularity in the use of resources. For this reason, within the framework of this doctoral thesis, the development of biotechnological processes based on the use of non-usable resources derived from timber exploitation activities and the agri-food sector is proposed. Biotechnological production strategies for the valorization of resources in high added value products will be evaluated through circularity, sustainability and life cycle analysis methodologies to study their main advantages and impacts.