Recovery of Agricultural Waste Biomass: A Sustainability Strategy for Moving Towards a Circular Bioeconomy

Abstract

Agriculture has played a strategic role in the process of economic growth and development in numerous countries, especially over the last five decades. However, the rapid growth of agricultural productivity has created a greater strain on natural resources, which has harmed the environment. One of the main problems with this intensive agriculture model is the huge amount of waste it produces. Most of this waste is waste biomass. This type of residue becomes a resource with great potential for the extraction of by-products with high added value under the approach of the circular economic production models (CEPMs) like the circular economy and the bioeconomy. The bioeconomy, as a renewable part of the circular economy, promotes the use and sustainable recovery of agricultural waste biomass (AWB) as an essential supply. This bio-based economic model has become one of the main tools for drawing up new development policies based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is why this chapter analyzes the process of transition from conventional intensive agriculture to a sustainable version. The circular economy and the bioeconomy are presented as the key CEPMs for the transformation of the current food production system. Additionally, a special emphasis is placed in the management of the AWB and the alternatives for its valorization, which are promoted by the bioeconomy as circular and sustainable practices that contribute to the three pillars of the SDGs.