Cascade Processing of Agricultural, Forest, and Marine Waste Biomass for Sustainable Production of Food, Feed, Biopolymers, and Bioenergy

Swarnima Agnihotri (), Ellinor B. Heggset, Juliana Aristéia de Lima, Ilona Sárvári Horváth and Mihaela Tanase-Opedal
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Swarnima Agnihotri: Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden
Ellinor B. Heggset: RISE PFI, Høgskoleringen 6b, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
Juliana Aristéia de Lima: Department of Polymer, Fiber and Composite, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, 504 62 Borås, Sweden
Ilona Sárvári Horváth: Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden
Mihaela Tanase-Opedal: RISE PFI, Høgskoleringen 6b, 7491 Trondheim, Norway

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-25

Abstract: An increasing global population, rising energy demands, and the shift toward a circular bioeconomy are driving the need for more resource-efficient waste management. The increase in the world population—now exceeding 8 billion as of 2024—results in an increased need for alternative proteins, both human and feed grade proteins, as well as for biopolymers and bioenergy. As such, agricultural, forest, and marine waste biomass represent a valuable feedstock for production of food and feed ingredients, biopolymers, and bioenergy. However, the lack of integrated and efficient valorization strategies for these diverse biomass sources remains a major challenge. This literature review aims to give a systematic approach on the recent research status of agricultural, forest, and marine waste biomass valorization, focusing on cascade processing (a sequential combination of processes such as pretreatment, extraction, and conversion methods). Potential products will be identified that create the most economic value over multiple lifetimes, to maximize resource efficiency. It highlights the challenges associated with cascade processing of waste biomass and proposes technological synergies for waste biomass valorization. Moreover, this review will provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential of waste biomass valorization in the context of sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

Keywords: cascade processing; waste management; biomass valorization; circular bioeconomy; resource efficiency; sustainable waste management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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