Innovative Biorefinery Processes for Agri-Food Value Chains

1st Edition - August 1, 2025
Editors: Brijesh K Tiwari, Milica Pojic, Xianglu Zhu
Language: English
Paperback ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 2 8 8 1 0 - 4
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 2 8 8 1 1 - 1

Innovative Biorefinery Processes for Agri-Food Value Chains provides detailed information on biorefinery concepts and technologies and their applications in agri-food value cha… Read more

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Innovative Biorefinery Processes for Agri-Food Value Chains provides detailed information on biorefinery concepts and technologies and their applications in agri-food value chains. It covers various topics related to biorefinery, such as biomass feedstocks, conversion technologies, product recovery, and economic and environmental sustainability.

Divided into five sections, the first one brings the definitions and fundamental information of agri-food biorefinery. The second section explores biomass for agri-food biorefinery. Section three deals with technological aspects of biorefinery, while Section four brings Novel value chains using renewable biomass for food biorefinery and bioproducts, and Section five presents the environmental and social aspects of biorefinery.

The book also includes case studies and examples of successful biorefinery projects from around the world.

Edited by a team of experts in the field, this book is a great resource for researchers, academics, industry professionals, policymakers, and graduate and post-graduate students working in the fields of food science and technology, agriculture, and sustainable development.

Section 1. Definitions and fundamental information of agri-food biorefinery

1 Introduction to agri-food biorefinery and agri-food value chains
• Scope, definition and types of biorefinery
• Background, benefits and opportunities of biorefinery in agri-food value chains
• Availability of biomass and problems of biomass valorisation
• Process configurations, upstream/downstream processing

2 Overview of the agri-food industry and its challenges
• Introduction to the agri-food industry - Food and non-food value chains and key stakeholders
• Environmental impact of conventional agri-food practices
• Sustainability challenges and the need for innovation
• Role of biorefinery in addressing agri-food challenges

3 Global perspective of biorefinery - Historical development and evolution of biorefinery concepts
• Biorefinery: Current status and development trends
• Technology readiness levels of different biorefinery concepts
• Perspective on biorefinery value chains: Economic hurdles and market opportunities
• Overview of the American, EU and Australian agri-food sector
• Comparative analysis of biorefinery models: American, EU and Australian perspectives

Section 2. Biomass for agri-food biorefinery

4 Sugar/starch rich biomass
• The overview of sugar crops and biomass thereof (e.g. sugarcane, sugar beet)
• The overview of starch crops and biomass thereof (e.g. sweet sorghum, maize, wheat and barley)

5 Fibre-rich biomass
• The overview of agricultural fibre-rich biomass (e.g. wood chips, straw, corn stover, wheat stubble)
• The overview of food industry fibre-rich biomass (e.g. brans, hulls, sugarcane bagasse)

6 Lipid-rich biomass
• The overview of plant-based lipid-rich biomass (e.g. soyabean, rapeseed, sunflower)
• The overview of aquatic-based lipid-rich biomass (e.g. micro- and macroalgae)
• The overview of animal-based lipid-rich biomass (e.g. animal and insect fats)

7 Protein-rich biomass
• The overview of plant-based protein-rich biomass (e.g. soyabean, spent grains, rice/wheat brans)
• The overview of aquatic-based protein-rich biomass (e.g. micro- and macroalgae)
• The overview of animal-based protein-rich biomass (e.g. animal and insect protein)

Section 3. Technological aspects of biorefinery

8 Pretreatments for biorefineries
• Stabilization of biomass – physical (e.g. drying, pelletization, briquetting), chemical (e.g. use of preservatives and antioxidants) and biological (e.g. use of microorganisms)
• Common chemical pre-treatment methods (acid and alkaline methods)
• Common physical pre-treatment methods (size reduction, steam explosion, extrusion)
• Advanced pre-treatment methods (e.g. US, PEF, HPP, MW, ozonolysis, ionic liquids)

9 Physico-chemical conversion systems
• Physical conversion systems (e.g. fractionation, separation)
• Chemical conversion systems (e.g. hydrolysis, pyrolysis, torrefaction, solvolysis)

10 Biological processes for biorefinery
• Fermentation
• Anaerobic digestion
• Enzymatic hydrolysis
• Biocatalysis
• Algae cultivation

11 Separation and purification processes for biorefinery
• Distillation
• Extraction
• Membrane separation
• Crystallization
• Ion exchange

Section 4. Novel value chains using renewable biomass for food biorefinery and bioproducts

12 Design of value chains for agricultural residues and waste biorefinery
• Availability of biomass
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis and market potential

13 Design of value chains for by- and secondary products biorefinery
• Availability of biomass (e.g. from edible oil processing industry, bakery industry, alcoholic beverage industry)
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis and market potential

14 Design of value chains for aquatic plants biorefinery
• Availability of biomass (e.g. algae, duckweed, etc.)
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis and market potential

15 Design of value chains for fishery industry side streams biorefinery
• Availability of biomass
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis

16 Design of value chains for insect processing biorefinery
• Availability of biomass
• Single vs multi product value chains
• Process design and optimization
• Techno-economic analysis

Section 5. Environmental and social aspects of biorefinery

17 Sustainability assessment/LCA approaches for biorefinery
• Environmental aspects of biorefinery
• Sustainable circular bioeconomy
• Life cycle assessment in food biorefinery
• Zero-waste design and management in food industry

18 Social and ethical impact of biorefinery
• Social implications of biorefinery in agri-food value chains (employment opportunities, rural development, job creation, improved livelihood)
• Ethical considerations of biorefinery practices (ethical feedstock selection, land use, environmental impact)
• Public perception, communication and public engagement
• Education and awareness programs for public acceptance and trust-building
• Regulatory and policy considerations

Brijesh K Tiwari

Brijesh K Tiwari is a principal research officer at TEAGASC and adjunct Professor at University College Dublin, Ireland. He obtained his Master’s degree at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (India) in 2003, and his PhD at the University College of Dublin (Ireland) in 2009. He leads a team of 6 postdoctoral researchers/Research officers and 14 PhDs in the area of novel food processing technologies. His research output includes over 200 peer-reviewed research publications and over 100 book chapters. He has also co-edited 14 books and is a book series editor for IFST Advances in Food Science book series. He is currently the Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation.

Affiliations and expertise

Research Officer, TEAGASC – Agriculture and Food development Authority; Professor, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Milica Pojic

Dr Milica Pojić is a Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Food Technology, University of Novi Sad, Serbia. Her research interests are in the area of new food product development and valorization of food by-products and alternative sustainable raw materials of plant origin. She coordinated several international and bilateral research projects in the area of novel food processing and formulation. Her research outputs include numerous peer-reviewed research publications, chapters, and two co-edited book. She is an editorial board member of two scientific journals: Food and Feed Research and Discover Food.

Affiliations and expertise

University of Novi Sad, Serbia

Xianglu Zhu

Dr. Xianglu Zhu is a Researcher based at Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Ireland. He is currently working as research scientist at Nutramara in the area of Marine Bioprocessing and a PhD candidate in the School of Biosystem and Food Engineering in University College Dublin. He has seven peer-reviewed papers and three book chapters published. His work is focus on food process technologies and biorefinery processes and its Industrial application.

Affiliations and expertise

Researcher at Teagasc - Agriculture and Food development Authority, Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin, Ireland

Life Sciences

Physical Sciences & Engineering

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Innovative Biorefinery Processes for Agri-Food Value Chains

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Institutional subscription on ScienceDirect

Brijesh K Tiwari

Milica Pojic

Xianglu Zhu