INVESTIGATION OF BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION PROCESSES FROM FOOD WASTE (CASE STUDY OF QARSHI CITY)

Food waste is one of the major environmental challenges worldwide, posing significant threats to ecosystems and sustainability. This creates an urgent need for effective recycling and utilization of such waste. Currently, approximately 1.3 billion tons of food produced globally is lost or wasted each year. In Uzbekistan, around 3 million tons of such waste are generated annually. The processing and utilization of food waste have become critical issues in modern environmental management. One of the most effective approaches is the production of bioethanol from these types of waste. Bioethanol derived from biomass contributes approximately 10–14% of the global energy supply and plays a crucial role in addressing global challenges such as climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels. In this study, the composition of food waste generated by the population of Qarshi city was analyzed, and preliminary experiments on bioethanol production were conducted. The results showed that 50 ml of bioethanol with an alcohol content of 9.13% can be obtained from 1 kg of food waste. These findings indicate that up to 4 billion liters of bioethanol could potentially be produced annually from food waste generated in Uzbekistan.