ABSTRACT

286The human population is growing rapidly throughout the globe. To feed the growing population; there has been a rapid increase in intensive agricultural practices. As a result, the volume and types of agricultural waste biomass have gone up. The common traditional approach to manage agro-waste has been its release to the environment either with or without any treatment. Such practices increase the risk of environmental pollution and public health hazards. With the advancement of biotechnology, many new techniques for the management of agricultural wastes (AWs) have been developed, which had enabled one to reduce the toxic and hazardous effects of waste. These techniques convert the agro-waste into eco-friendly and value-added products having the potential of providing sustainable raw material for utilization of living organisms, including humans. Some of the potential applications of agricultural residues that had been exploited with the aid of biotechnology had been discussed in this review.