Polymers (May 2021)

<i>Persea Americana</i> Agro-Industrial Waste Biorefinery for Sustainable High-Value-Added Products

  • Anthony Mora-Sandí,
  • Abigail Ramírez-González,
  • Luis Castillo-Henríquez,
  • Mary Lopretti-Correa,
  • José Roberto Vega-Baudrit

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111727
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 11
p. 1727

Abstract

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Significant problems have arisen in recent years, such as global warming and hunger. These complications are related to the depletion and exploitation of natural resources, as well as environmental pollution. In this context, bioprocesses and biorefinery can be used to manage agro-industrial wastes for obtaining high-value-added products. A large number of by-products are composed of lignin and cellulose, having the potential to be exploited sustainably for chemical and biological conversion. The biorefinery of agro-industrial wastes has applications in many fields, such as pharmaceuticals, medicine, material engineering, and environmental remediation. A comprehensive approach has been developed toward the agro-industrial management of avocado (Persea americana) biomass waste, which can be transformed into high-value-added products to mitigate global warming, save non-renewable energy, and contribute to health and science. Therefore, this work presents a comprehensive review on avocado fruit waste biorefinery and its possible applications as biofuel, as drugs, as bioplastics, in the environmental field, and in emerging nanotechnological opportunities for economic and scientific growth.

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