Integration of Waste to Bioenergy Conversion Systems: A Critical Review

Abstract

Sustainable biofuel production is the most effective way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuels while preserving food security and land use. In addition to producing bioenergy, waste biorefineries can be incorporated into the waste management system to solve the future challenges of waste disposal. Biomass waste, on the other hand, is regarded as a low-quality biorefinery feedstock with a wide range of compositions and seasonal variability. In light of these factors, biomass waste presents limitations on the conversion technologies available for value addition, and therefore more research is needed to enhance the profitability of waste biorefineries. Perhaps, to keep waste biorefineries economically and environmentally sustainable, bioprocesses need to be integrated to process a wide range of biomass resources and yield a diverse range of bioenergy products. To achieve optimal integration, the classification of biomass wastes to match the available bioprocesses is vital, as it minimizes unnecessary processes that may increase the production costs of the biorefinery. Based on biomass classification, this study discusses the suitability of the commonly used waste-to-energy conversion methods and the creation of integrated biorefineries. In this study, the integration of waste biorefineries is discussed through the integration of feedstocks, processes, platforms, and the symbiosis of wastes and byproducts. This review seeks to conceptualize a framework for identifying and integrating waste-to-energy technologies for the varioussets of biomass wastes.