Citrus wastes to energy and materials!

Citrus wastes are among the wastes that are difficult to handle. They content peel oil which consist of a chemical substance named Limonene as the main materials. This peel oil is toxic to microorganisms (probably the natural weapon to protect the fruits against bacterial attacks). So, it is difficult to digest or compost the citrus waste by bacteria. On the other hand, it containts a lot of water, so it is not economically valuable to burn and produce electricity or heat. The research work of several PhD and MSc students in our group resulted to many different products, energy or materials. Let's hope to see these products soon in commercial scales!

The research publications can be found here!