Fingerprinting Agro-Industrial Waste: Using Polysaccharides from Cell Walls to Biomaterials

Débora Pagliuso, Adriana Grandis, Amanda de Castro Juraski, Adriano Rodrigues Azzoni, Maria de Lourdes Teixeira de Morais Polizeli, Helio Henrique Villanueva, Guenther Carlos Krieger Filho and Marcos Silveira Buckeridge ()
Additional contact information
Débora Pagliuso: Laboratory of Plant Physiological Ecology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil
Adriana Grandis: Laboratory of Plant Physiological Ecology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil
Amanda de Castro Juraski: Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-010, Brazil
Adriano Rodrigues Azzoni: Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-010, Brazil
Maria de Lourdes Teixeira de Morais Polizeli: Laboratory of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Science and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-901, Brazil
Helio Henrique Villanueva: Laboratory of Thermal and Environmental Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-030, Brazil
Guenther Carlos Krieger Filho: Laboratory of Thermal and Environmental Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-030, Brazil
Marcos Silveira Buckeridge: Laboratory of Plant Physiological Ecology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-21

Abstract: Climate change resulting from human development necessitates increased land use, food, and energy consumption, underscoring the need for sustainable development. Incorporating various feedstocks into value-added liquid fuels and bioproducts is essential for achieving sustainability. Most biomass consists of cell walls, which serve as a primary carbon source for bioenergy and biorefinery processes. This structure contains a cellulose core, where lignin and hemicelluloses are crosslinked and embedded in a pectin matrix, forming diverse polysaccharide architectures across different species and tissues. Nineteen agro-industrial waste products were analyzed for their potential use in a circular economy. The analysis included cell wall composition, saccharification, and calorific potential. Thermal capacity and degradation were similar among the evaluated wastes. The feedstocks of corn cob, corn straw, soybean husk, and industry paper residue exhibited a higher saccharification capacity despite having lower lignin and uronic acid contents, with cell walls comprising 30% glucose and 60% xylose. Therefore, corn, soybeans, industrial paper residue, and sugarcane are more promising for bioethanol production. Additionally, duckweed, barley, sorghum, wheat, rice, bean, and coffee residues could serve as feedstocks for other by-products in green chemistry, generating valuable products. Our findings show that agro-industrial residues display a variety of polymers that are functional for various applications in different industry sectors.

Keywords: feedstock; pectin; hemicellulose; cellulose; saccharification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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