Revista de Ecología y Toxicología

Abstracto

Management of Food Wastes in the Global Economy as Potential Biosorbents

Jhangir K

The usage of affordable and environmentally friendly adsorbents is becoming more and more necessary in wastewater treatment applications. It has been thoroughly examined and reviewed both conventional adsorbents and biosorbents derived from various natural and agricultural sources. Reviews on biosorption using industrial wastes, especially those from the food and pharmaceutical industries, are lacking. The current review assesses these wastes' potential as biosorbents for the elimination of various hazardous pollutants. While discussing the variables affecting biosorption, sources and uses of various biosorbents are provided. A review of equilibrium, kinetics, and biosorption mechanisms is also provided. Even though these biosorbents are widely used to remediate heavy metals and dyes, additional study is still needed on other types of contaminants. The process's ability to be scaled up and its economic viability should also be studied further. Enhancing the biosorbent's mechanical strength, stability, life span, and repeatability should receive more focus. By providing workable options for pollutant immobilisation or biosorbent regeneration, environmental concerns regarding the disposal of used biosorbents should be addressed.

Food producers, processors, retailers, and customers have all expressed a strong interest in the issue of food waste. Since it immediately affects the profitability of the entire food supply chain, food waste is seen as both an economic problem and a sustainability issue related to food security. Consumers in industrialised nations are one of the biggest causes of food waste and are ultimately responsible for all wastes generated along the entire food supply chain. Understanding all of the many food waste sources present throughout the food supply chain is crucial for ensuring food security and reducing food waste. The current review analyses several publications that are currently available in the literature, quantifies waste levels, and looks at trends in food waste for a variety of food sectors, including grains, fisheries, meat and poultry, grains, fruits and vegetables, and fish. Large-scale food waste processing is hampered by a number of factors, including those that contribute to food waste, efficient, cost-benefit methods of utilising food waste, sustainability and environmental concerns, and public acceptance. So, in order for government regulators and stakeholders in the food supply chain to actively establish effective waste utilisation policies, we stress the need for additional research to identify and report food waste.