Sustainability Metrics on Waste Biorefineries

Abstract

Undeniably, we embark on a century in which all the functional systems that help us support this planet will prove unsustainable. Hence, developing a clearly planned approach, in which the main focus is to optimize systems already under consolidation to rearticulate and correlate environmental, social, and economic parameters, is vital. Faced with this premise, the concept of replacing fossil feedstock marked the waste biorefineries begin. This is because, in practice, fossil reserves have incorporated carbon for millions of years and therefore have met and still meet—until today—the vast majority of fast-growing energy and material demands in all social systems, resulting in the depletion of capital, as well as putting our biodiversity at risk. Besides, residue increases in the environment and the lack of efficient strategies for disposal and reuse also impelled these researches. Thus, tool applications to quantify the environmental burden is very relevant and imperative. In view of the above, this chapter addresses the value of waste-based biorefinery as a potential alternative to solve the problems of excessive waste in the various industrial sectors. In addition, the life cycle assessment and carbon footprint methodologies were presented and discussed in order to facilitate the strategy for quantifying the environmental impacts generated by these systems. Still, the last section of this chapter highlights criteria beyond sustainability, exploring the importance of the formulation of national policies in the face of the generation of a circular economy in the context of waste biorefineries, in addition to the generation of potential carbon credits. In the end, this chapter brings together future perspectives on the decisionmaking processes associated with the waste biorefineries.