ABSTRACT
Many organic wastes can be further biotechnologically transformed into value-added products such as enzymes, single-cell proteins, fuels, chemicals, biodegradable plastic, and pharmaceutical preparations. For instance, the inedible parts of plants, agricultural residues from harvesting, and food processing waste can be used as raw materials for biotransformation, amounting to more than 13 × 109 tons/year. These organic wastes contain valuable components, such as the starch in potato and cassava pulp; pectin in apple pomace; sucrose in molasses; cellulose and hemicellulose in wood, garden waste, and rice hulls. The European Union alone produces 109 tons of agricultural waste, 0.5 × 109 tons of garden and forestry waste, and 0.25 × 109 tons of organic waste from the food processing industry. A signicant part of these wastes can be transferred into value-added products.
