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A method of microwave treatment of waste to produce biofuel is presented
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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Scientists from the UK, led by Professor James Clark (University of York), have presented a new method of microwave processing of bio-waste in order to extract valuable biologically active substances and biofuels.
The method can be used in both large-scale production and domestic settings. Researchers hope that it will help reduce the amount of waste from the chemical industry.
The main sources of organic waste on a global scale are: the food industry, agriculture and billions of consumers.
For example, growing tropical fruits such as cassava and cassava in Africa produces 228 million tons of unused starch, while growing coffee beans in Ethiopia produces 3 million tons of husks per year.
Brazil's orange juice industry uses only half of the fruit, with the rest going to waste. The amount of orange peels is 8 million tons per year.
The Orange Peel Exploitation Company has begun using a method developed by York scientists to extract biofuels and valuable bioactive substances from orange peels.
The method involves crushing orange peels and placing them in a high-power microwave field, which releases a large amount of valuable chemicals.
For example, limonin, which is released during such processing, is widely used in the perfume industry. Many chemical products can be used in the production of fuel.
The researchers hope that in the near future this technology will be successfully used for industrial processing of many organic products. The cost of such a plant will be about 1 million pounds, and the productivity will be 6 tons of waste per hour.