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Biotechnological Application of Agro-Industrial Wastes

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2020) | Viewed by 15560

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anil K. Patel

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02853, Korea
Interests: carbon capturing system using microalgae; waste to value; biofuels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Waste management has become an important global issue for developing sustainable and liveable cities and that only can be resolved through an integrated system with efficient, sustainable, and socially supported policy-based approaches. The economy is a major factor for waste collection and proper management, and, hence, acquiring value from waste management is a promising strategy to overcome economic-burden in waste management. Waste-to-Value in the form of biochemicals and biofuel generation are appropriate solutions. Biofuel can be derived from any biodegradable organic wastes may be in solid, liquid, or gaseous forms. The use of waste resources from agro-industrial processes to generate biochemical/energy can decrease waste management problems, pollution, greenhouse gaseous emissions, and the use of fossil fuels. There is a huge potential for biochemical/bioenergy obtained from waste to decrease the speed of global warming.

I invite several scientists worldwide working on the single/dual focus of waste valorization and value-addition for circular economy and for sustainable bioprocess development to contribute your related work to this Special Issue of Applied Sciences to motivate a new batch of readers or upcoming generations towards the further development of this technology. The research on waste management and value-addition must address one of the following topics:

Negative impacts of waste on health and environment and focus on cost-effective waste disposal methods
Biorefinery approach of waste valorization into various forms of biochemicals/energy carriers
Case study and/or ideas that can promote investments in the field of recycling and waste management
Integration of ideas to develop a regional/international strategy for waste management and recycling waste that deliberates policies, legislation, and implementation mechanisms.
Review of regional and international experiences for effective recycling and waste management
Review of modern methods, technologies, and solutions for better management of industrial, medical, and municipal waste

Dr. Anil K. Patel
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Waste-to-fuel
Waste-to-wealth
Waste-to-value
Waste valorization
Value-added products
Biofuels
Bioenergy
Biohydrogen
Biogas
Waste resources
Waste remediation
Industrial waste
Agro waste

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1425 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Chromium from Synthetic Wastewater Using Modified Maghemite Nanoparticles

by Shishir Kumar Behera, Srijan Sahni, Gunjan Tiwari, Aditi Rai, Biswanath Mahanty, Ayi Vinati, Eldon R. Rene and Arivalagan Pugazhendhi

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 3181; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10093181 - 2 May 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3532

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to ascertain the removal of chromium ions from synthetic wastewater using modified maghemite nanoparticles (MNPs). Commercially available maghemite nanoparticles (NPs) (< 50 nm) were modified using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The MNPs were characterized using a powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR). Statistically designed batch experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of various parameters, namely the pH of the solution, initial chromium concentration, and adsorbent dose, on the chromium removal efficiency (RE). The results from this study showed that the adsorbent dose had a synergistic effect on chromium RE, while pH and initial chromium concentration had antagonistic effects on the RE. An optimal chromium RE of 95.8% was obtained at pH = 2.6, adsorbent dose = 5 g/L, and initial chromium concentration = 20 mg/L. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that the model was significant, with high F value (F = 80.07) and low P value (P = < 0.001). Based on the results obtained from the experiments, the MNPs could be exploited as an efficient adsorbent for chromium removal from wastewater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Application of Agro-Industrial Wastes)

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12 pages, 3748 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Evaluation for Simultaneous Removal of Anionic and Cationic Dyes onto Maple Leaf-Derived Biochar Using Response Surface Methodology

by Yong-Keun Choi, Ranjit Gurav, Hyung Joo Kim, Yung-Hun Yang and Shashi Kant Bhatia

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 2982; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10092982 - 25 Apr 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2806

Abstract

Rapid development in the printing and dying industry produces large amounts of wastewater, and its discharge in the environment causes pollution. Keeping in view the carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of various dyes, it is important to treat dyed wastewater. Maple leaf biochars were produced at different pyrolysis temperatures, i.e., 350 °C, 550 °C, and 750 °C, characterized for physicochemical properties and used for the removal of cationic (methylene blue (MB)) and anionic dye (congo red (CR)). Response surface methodology (RSM) using three variables, i.e., pH (4, 7, and 10), pyrolysis temperature (350 °C, 550 °C, and 750 °C), and adsorption temperature (20 °C, 30 °C, and 40 °C), was designed to find the optimum condition for dyes removal. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed an increase in CaCO₃ crystallinity and a decrease in MgCO₃ crystallinity with the increase of pyrolysis temperature. RSM design results showed that maple biochar showed maximum adsorption capacity for cationic dye at higher pH (9–10) and for anionic dye at pH 4-6, respectively. Under the selected condition of pH 7 and an adsorption temperature of 30 °C, biochar MB550 was able to remove MB and CR by 68% and 74%, respectively, from dye mixtures. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses showed that MB550 was able to remove both dyes simultaneously from the aqueous mixtures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Application of Agro-Industrial Wastes)

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14 pages, 2843 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pre-Composting and Vermicomposting of Pineapple (Ananas Comosus) and Vegetable Waste

by Eduardo Castillo-González, Mario Rafael Giraldi-Díaz, Lorena De Medina-Salas and Marcela Patricia Sánchez-Castillo

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(17), 3564; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9173564 - 31 Aug 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4268

Abstract

In the last few years, pineapple (Ananas comosus) has grown to be considered one of the most important fruits worldwide due to its high production and consumption. However, inadequate disposal of the waste it generates, which represents up to 67% of its total weight, can have environmental impacts. Therefore, this study focuses on the degradation of organic waste produced in the industrialized processing of pineapple waste (rinds, crowns and cores), which undergo a process of vermicomposting at a laboratory level. The methodology used included the pre-composting process and vermicomposting through Californian red worms using mixes tested in three different proportions of pineapple waste (PR) and load material (LM) made up of vegetable waste and eggshells. Testing revealed that the pre-composting process for this waste was feasible as a first stage of the degradation process; the characteristics of the pre-composted material allowed a favorable adaptation for both the worms and general degradation. It also showed efficiencies in the removal of organic carbon between 36.40% and 45.78%. Results also showed the total nitrogen content remained between 1.2% and 2.2% and the carbon/nitrogen relation (C/N) had values under 20 as required for high-quality vermicompost. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Application of Agro-Industrial Wastes)

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Review

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13 pages, 1154 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Waste Management by Biological Approach Employing Natural Substrates and Microbial Agents for the Remediation of Dyes’ Wastewater

by Divakar Dahiya and Poonam Singh Nigam

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(8), 2958; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10082958 - 24 Apr 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4448

Abstract

This article aims to provide information on two aspects: firstly, waste management of residual biological agro-industrial materials generated from agriculture, and secondly, for the sustainable remediation of textile wastewater. Annually, huge amounts of solid renewable biomass materials are generated worldwide from agricultural and farming sectors. The generation of these vast amounts of solid wastes could be utilised as a valuable and renewable natural resource for various applications. The goal of promoting sustainable development has increased the interest in recycling wastes economically and in an eco-friendly way. This article reviews the published research on this topic and discusses the usage of these solid substrates in the remediation of a major environmental component, textile dye-contaminated water. The purpose of this article is to discuss an integrated and cross-disciplinary approach to sustainable solid and liquid waste management and remediation of environmental components and to report the biological approaches and their efficiency in a chemical-free and economically viable bioremediation process for large volumes of dye-contaminated water resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Application of Agro-Industrial Wastes)

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