Novel Insights into Agro-Industrial Waste: Exploring Techno-Economic Viability as an Alternative Source of Water Recovery

Christian I. Cano-Gómez, Cynthia Wong-Arguelles, Jessica Ivonne Hinojosa-López, Diana B. Muñiz-Márquez and Jorge E. Wong-Paz ()
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Christian I. Cano-Gómez: Facultad de Estudios Profesionales Zona Huasteca, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Valles 79080, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Cynthia Wong-Arguelles: Instituto Tecnológico de Cd. Valles, Tecnológico Nacional de México, Ciudad Valles 79010, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Jessica Ivonne Hinojosa-López: Facultad de Estudios Profesionales Zona Huasteca, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Valles 79080, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Diana B. Muñiz-Márquez: Facultad de Estudios Profesionales Zona Huasteca, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Valles 79080, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Jorge E. Wong-Paz: Facultad de Estudios Profesionales Zona Huasteca, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Valles 79080, San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Waste, 2025, vol. 3, issue 2, 1-22

Abstract: The growing challenges of freshwater scarcity and the high generation of agro-industrial waste, particularly from fruit and vegetable (F&V) processing, pose significant threats to the sustainability of global food systems. F&V waste, which represents a major portion of the 1.3 billion tons of annual food waste, is characterized by a high moisture content (80–95%), making it a largely overlooked but promising source of water recovery. This review critically assesses the techno-economic and environmental feasibility of extracting water from moisture-rich agro-industrial waste streams. Potential technologies such as solar distillation and membrane separation are evaluated to determine their capacity to treat complex organic effluents and recover high-quality water. The potential end uses of reclaimed water in all sectors are explored, focusing on agricultural irrigation, fertigation, industrial reuse and environmental restoration. This study addresses a key research gap and proposes the reclassification of agro-industrial waste as a viable water resource aligned with circular bioeconomy principles and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 12.

Keywords: pollution; fruit and vegetable residues; water recovery; solar distillation; membrane distillation; circular bioeconomy; reclaimed water (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q16 Q18 Q2 Q20 Q23 Q24 Q25 Q28 Q3 Q31 Q38 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jwaste:v:3:y:2025:i:2:p:15-:d:1656381

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