Management of Agriculture Waste: Bioconversion of Agro-Waste into Valued Products

Agriculture wastes or agro-wastes are byproducts obtained after the processing of crops and other agriculture products. The worldwide production of a huge quantity of agro-wastes presents different challenges in the environment. Agriculture wastes are potentially toxic to plants, humans, animals, as well as different components of the environment. The burning of agricultural waste causes serious environmental pollution, while dumping causes leaching and soil deterioration. Despite several drawbacks, the valorization of agriculture waste has been a promising approach for their sustainable management. Agriculture wastes are rich in lignocellulosic material that include cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin and also contain pectin, proteins, lipids, and polyphenols. About 50% agro-wastes are obtained from wheat, rice, and oilseed crops that contain 0.5% N, 0.2% P2O5, and 1.5% K2O. The rich nutrient and mineral content of agro-wastes presents them as a good raw material for the production of different valued products. Production of valued products such as enzyme, ethanol, compost, biogas, mushroom, and animal feed using agriculture wastes as a substrate has been discussed. The present chapter converses the utilization of agrowaste for the production of different value-added products and also describes the challenges and advancements during the fermentation of wastes into products.