Abstract

In recent years, more studies on waste valorization are emerging due to excessive accumulation in the land, foul-smelling, and lack of conventional disposal practices to sustain a proper ecosystem. The decline in the supply of fossil fuels and their high-cost led to finding alternative technologies that use renewable resources as raw materials to manufacture value-added goods. The waste contains organic residues like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, which are helpful in producing bio-based chemicals. However, several roadblocks ought to be crossed for adopting organic waste as nutrients for microbes to obtain high yields of desired products. Many studies have shown potential ways to solve these problems and have achieved high yields. Nevertheless, this technology has not been globally explored to manufacture commercial products, as many other issues are associated with biorefinery and product costs. This chapter addresses the organic residues present in the wastes, their use in manufacturing platform chemicals, methods for the pretreatment process, and ways to overcome the challenges.