Waste and their polysaccharides: Are they worth bioprocessing?

Abstract

Environmental sustainability has gained serious concern worldwide due to rapid depletion of natural resources and simultaneous increase of carbon footprint. Disposing of waste biomass due to an ever-growing population has become a big issue imposing substantial environmental consequences. It is crucial to find an innovative solution to these challenges and high molecular weight (HMW) carbohydrate has proved to be one promising product. HMW carbohydrates obtained from waste biomass possess certain unique physicochemical properties which makes them optimal not only for environmental associated applications like wastewater treatment, bioremediation procedures, carbon sequestration processes but also suitable for commercial implementation. This paper gives an overview of the various sustainable energy alternatives, biopolymers and biocomposites obtained from carbohydrate waste biomasses highlighting their pros and cons. This study discusses the potential application of these in various industrial and commercial sectors along with environment associated aspects.