Unlocking the potential of food waste chemistry for biodegradable plastics production: Recent advancements, perspectives, and life-cycle assessment

Abstract

Background

This review addresses the global concern of food waste management by exploring the potential of converting food waste into biodegradable plastics. Understanding the chemistry of food-to-waste conversion is crucial for developing innovative methods that lead to sustainable and value-added products. The focus is on bioplastics derived from food waste, offering an eco-friendly solution for mitigating plastic waste. The study highlights the role of microbial strains and enzymatic processes in converting food waste into bioplastics, while also providing a life-cycle assessment of these biodegradable materials.

Scope and approach

The research identifies key chemical processes such as Maillard reactions, enzymatic degradation, and fermentation that facilitate the conversion of food waste into bioplastics. The review discusses various microbial strains, including engineered species, that can efficiently utilize food waste as a substrate for bioplastic production. Additionally, it presents recent advancements in industrial feasibility, particularly in microbial engineering, which have enhanced bioplastic production yield. The life-cycle assessment underscores the environmental benefits of bioplastics, particularly in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also highlights areas needing further research.

Key findings and conclusions

This study highlights the potential of bioplastics from food waste to address plastic pollution sustainably, aided by recent advancements in microbial engineering and chemical processing, which improve bioplastic production yields. The life-cycle assessment emphasizes environmental benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, though challenges remain for industrial-scale application. The research calls for further innovation in microbial engineering and enhanced life-cycle assessments to fully replace fossil-based plastics. These findings offer valuable insights for advancing sustainable bioplastic production from food waste. This study for the first time emphasize the chemistry of food during its transformation from waste to biochemicals.