A Review on Conversion of Agricultural Waste to Bioenergy: Processes and Environmental Impacts

Abstract

Agricultural waste is a substantial and underutilized resource with the potential to contribute enormously to sustainable bioenergy production. The conversion technologies for these wastes is a significant step in the bioenergy process, therefore analyzing their impacts on the environment is considered valuable. A review of current literature, with an emphasis on studies that examines the relationship between agricultural wastes, different conversion technologies of wastes to bioenergy, and their environmental impacts was carried out. Databases like PubMed, Google scholar and Web of Science were searched using keywords like “Lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysis”, “bioenergy”, “Agricultural food wastes”, and “environmental impacts”. This review demonstrates how different conversion methods may alleviate climate change, enhance energy security while fostering sustainable development. We examined biochemical conversion methods such as anaerobic digestion and fermentation to show their advantages over the thermochemical approaches. It was found that these conversion processes are not only circular but also environmentally friendly with respect to biofuel production. Anaerobic digestion was identified as one of the most promising options because of its high energy yields and decentralized character. However, there are still issues in optimizing bioenergy conversion processes and conducting a comprehensive life cycle assessment that explains some of these challenges is required. This review highlights the current and emerging technologies for transformation of agricultural wastes into bioenergy and its environmental impacts, as it is necessary to transition into a bioenergy-driven economy to foster a healthy and robust future.