Food Waste Valorization for Bioplastic Production

Abstract

The alarming concern over the environment created due to the uncontrolled use of based petrochemical-based synthetic plastic created a research thrust on bioplastics. Bioplastics, in general, refers to the polymers derived from plants, animals, and microorganisms that have close material properties to their synthetic counterparts. Despite having good biodegradability, their commercialization still faces hurdles majorly contributed by the high production cost involved. An integrated strategy of waste valorization with bioplastic production was a sustainable approach toward their cost-effective production and commercialization. Food waste represents a continuous and rapidly available substrate containing high-value nutrients that can be exploited for the production of bioplastics through microbial fermentation and chemical treatment methods. This chapter describes the biotechnological strategies for valorizing food waste into commercially important biopolymeric components like chitosan, polyhydroxyalkanoates, HAp, and cellulose-based polymers. It presents a comprehensive outlook on their chemical nature, production strategy, and application in various fields.