Maximizing sustainable bioethanol production from food waste: progress in diverse pretreatment methods and integration of artificial intelligence

Abstract

Multifarious food wastes can be transformed into renewable, decentralized biofuels through optimized bioprocessing. In this context, converting food waste into bioethanol provides a sustainable solution for both solid waste management and the energy crisis. Bioethanol from pretreated food waste produces minimal CO₂ and CO emissions, making it a climate-positive alternative to fossil fuels. Therefore, this review critically focuses on maximizing bioethanol production from food waste polysaccharides by shedding light on the progress of different pretreatment methods in the anaerobic fermentation (AF) process. First, this review comprehensively addresses the current scenario of food waste accumulation in India and worldwide and its mitigation strategies. Further, it extensively discusses various pretreatment methods for food waste, such as physical, chemical, physiological, and biological processes, to understand contemporary accomplishments. The integration of artificial intelligence techniques, such as artificial neural networks (ANNs), in the food waste-based bioethanol production was discussed. A detailed case study of per-annual food waste accumulation at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), India, is included for bioethanol production under various climatic conditions. Eventually, the valorization of food waste for sustainable bioethanol production and the utilization of genetically engineered microbial cells for bioethanol production and their technical hurdles are articulated.