In Europe, a European Agrimax study found that the EU produces 700 million tons of bio-waste each year and is looking for ways to utilize that waste. With agricultural and food waste a major concern around the world, the report looks at waste from potato, tomato, cereals and olives due to their high occurrence in the EU and how new technologies can be used for their valorization (to enhance the value of the product).
The report concluded that “various valuable compounds can be extracted by different techniques from food wastes and by-products.” It also described several applications for the compounds and bio-waste. It concluded that “further research and optimization studies on valorization technologies might be necessary with a recommendation to focus on full rather than laboratory studies to increase their relevance for industrial applications up-scaling from laboratory experiences.”
The AgriMax project is designed to establish the technical and economic viability using bio-refining process on waste from crops and food processing to deliver new bio-compounds for the chemical, bio-plastic, food, fertilisers, packaging and agriculture sectors.