An Iranian researcher has devised a method to convert agricultural wastes into biofuel and won the 29th Khwarizmi International Award. Project manager Mohammad Jafar Taherzadeh, who ranked second in basic research, told Mehr News Agency that one of the problems in the agricultural sector is waste production. He added that wastes are considered the most abundant renewable resources to produce valuable products, including organic fertilizers, biofuels, solvents and amino acids. Taherzadeh, however, noted that the production of valuable materials from wastes is costly and time-consuming due to its complex structure. "The process requires complex, multi-step methods that include pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation and purification," he said. Taherzadeh, who is also a professor of Sweden's University of Boras, added that the facilitation of these methods is very important since it could produce biofuels from agricultural waste. "The research mainly deals with the design of an efficient and inexpensive process for the production of valuable products such as bioethanol, biogas, amino acids, green solvents and polyesters at the laboratory, pilot and industrial levels," he said.
