Enzymatic hydrolysis of food waste for bioethanol production

Abstract

The concern for environmental sustainability and the rational use of natural resources drives the development of new technologies to better utilize energy sources, culminating in the use of waste for biofuel production. This approach is strategic, as the use of agro-industrial and food waste aligns with the concept of circular bioeconomy and food security, allowing for value addition to waste and reducing environmental liabilities. Bioethanol stands out as the most promising biofuel derived from food waste, considering its chemical composition rich in carbohydrates and fermentable sugars. The biotechnological conversion of biomass into bioethanol requires pretreatment steps to facilitate enzyme action during the hydrolysis process, a crucial stage for sugar release. However, it underscores the need to optimize enzymatic processes, especially regarding pH and temperature ranges for enzyme activity, to ensure efficiency in converting biomass into bioethanol. The aim is to understand the processes involved in the enzymatic hydrolysis of organic waste. The literature review included studies with recent advances on the enzymatic hydrolysis of food waste for the sustainable production of bioethanol, using the keywords "Biomass," "Enzymatic hydrolysis," "Bioethanol," and "Food waste" or "Food residues". The hydrolysis of food waste for bioethanol production highlights the necessity of selecting the most efficient and sustainable pretreatment techniques, aiming to minimize byproduct generation while fully utilizing the raw material. Additionally, the use of different classes of enzymes in consortium during the production processes is emphasized.