The universal recovery strategy

Abstract

Food wastes are mixtures constituted from different phases, whereas their components can be divided into macro- and micromolecular groups. In a third level of division, components can be further classified according to their structural characteristics and physicochemical properties. This simple consideration, moving from macroscopic to micromolecular level, allows the separation of target and nontarget compounds gradually in different streams. Based on these principles, a holistic methodology (the so-called "5-Stage Universal Recovery Process") was herein designed to ensure an optimized management of the available technologies and recapture several kinds of valuable compounds from any waste source. This methodology was further developed to a more general approach (the so-called "Universal Recovery Strategy"), which includes all the relevant information in each case (e.g. waste distribution, availability, and production data, microstructure, etc.) for the designing of a particular application.