Current Status and Future Prospects of Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Food Industry Waste by Aqueous Phase Reforming

Aqueous phase reforming has been posed as a promising technology for renewable hydrogen production in the framework of the transition to a sustainable energy economy. Since the use of chemical compounds as process feedstock has proven to be one of the major constraints to its potential scalability, several cost-free residual biomasses have been investigated as alternative substrates. This also allows for the recovery of residues, offsetting the significant costs of waste management through conventional treatment. In recent years, different wastes from the food processing industry such as brewery, fish canning, dairy industries, fruit juice extraction, and corn production wastewaters, have taken the attention of scientific community due to their composition, favorable to this process, and its high-water content. However, few and heterogeneous results can be found within the literature, suggesting that the research into this application is now at a stage of development which will require further investigation. Therefore, this work is focused on compiling and discussing the reported studies, aiming to present a critical reflection on the potential of aqueous phase reforming as a means for the valorization of this kind of residue.