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Owing to the increasing worldwide population explosion, managing waste generated from the food sector has become a cross-cutting issue globally, leading to environmental, economic, and social issues. Circular economy-inspired waste valorization approaches have been increasing steadily, generating new business opportunities developing valuable bioproducts using food waste, especially fruit wastes, that may have several applications in energy–food–pharma sectors. Dragon fruit waste is one such waste resource, which is rich in several value-added chemicals and oils, and can be a renewable resource to produce several value-added compounds of potential applications in different industries. Pretreatment and extraction processes in biorefineries are important strategies for recovering value-added biomolecules. There are different methods of valorization, including green extractions and biological conversion approaches. However, microbe-based conversion is one of the advanced technologies for valorizing dragon fruit waste into bioethanol, bioactive products, pharmaceuticals, and other valued products by reusing or recycling them. This state-of-the-art review briefly overviews the dragon fruit waste management strategies and advanced eco-friendly and cost-effective valorization technologies. Furthermore, various applications of different valuable bioactive components obtained from dragon fruit waste have been critically discussed concerning various industrial sectors. Several industrial sectors, such as food, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels, have been critically reviewed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea is an important industrial crop. It is the second most popular among all the drinks. The drying operation in the tea industry fulfills the aim of enzyme inactivation and reducing the moisture content to the desired level. The energy consumption in drying operation in the tea industry is mostly in the form of thermal energy. Drying consumes a greater amount of energy than other processes in tea industries. Thermal energy needs are met mainly through fossil fuels. Renewable energy sources such as bioenergy and solar energy are also being adopted but at the minute level. Further, addressing problems such as stewing and case hardening (arises due to improper drying conditions) during drying is necessary to avoid quality loss. In this study, mass transfer modeling of drying of crush tear curl (CTC) tea particles is conducted considering natural convection around the tea particle. A finite difference method with an explicit scheme is used to solve the equations for mass transfer modeling of drying. The effect of drying air temperatures on moisture content, moisture ratio, and drying rates are computed. Drying air temperatures such as 80, 90, and 100°C have not shown effective drying. However, drying at air temperatures of 110, 120, and 130°C are recommended for drying times of 1500 s, 1200 s–1500 s, and 1200 s, respectively. Additionally, the effect of the size of the particles is studied and the lower size of tea particles is recommended for better drying characteristics. The current drying model can be used for single tray/conveyor dryers and indirect natural convection single tray solar dryer. Practical applications: The present research work demonstrates the important information for the hot air drying of CTC tea particle in single tray dryer. The drying modeling results can be used to set the proper temperature level of drying air being sent inside the dryer to avoid the under and over‐drying of tea particle and achieve the desired level of moisture content in the tea particle. Thus, the present study helps in deciding drying conditions such as drying temperature, drying duration for CTC tea particle in single tray dryer, slow speed conveyor dryer, and also in indirect natural convection single tray solar dryer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial composting is one of the most cost-effective techniques for degradation, remediation, nutrition, etc. Currently, there is faster growth and development in nanotechnology in different sectors. This development leads nanoparticles (NPs) to enter into the composts in different ways. First, unintentional entry of NPs into the composts via: waste discharge, buried solid waste, surface runoff, direct disposal into wastes (consumer goods, food, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products). Second, intentional mediation of the NPs in the composting process is a novel approach developed to enhance the degradation rate of wastes and as a nutrient for plants. The presence of NPs in the composts can cause nanotoxicity. Conversely, their presence might also be beneficial, such as soil reclamations, degradation, etc. Alternatively, metal NPs are also helpful for all living organisms, including microorganisms, in various biological processes, such as DNA replication, precursor biosynthesis, respiration, oxidative stress responses, and transcription. NPs show exemplary performance in multiple fields, whereas their role in composting process is worth studying. Consequently, this article aids the understanding of the role of NPs in the composting process and how far their presence can be beneficial. This article reviews the significance of NPs in: the composting process, microbial bioprocess performance during nano composting, basic life cycle assessment (LCA) of NP-mediated composting, and mode of action of the NPs in the soil matrix. This article also sheds insight on the notion of nanozymes and highlights their biocatalytic characterization, which will be helpful in future composting research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoproducts are gaining more importance in scientific society and the industrial sphere thus emerging as a new contaminant of the terrestrial systems including soil biology and biochemistry. Organic carbons are crucial in the growth and development of microorganisms and plants. Soil rich in organic carbon is considered as fertile. Enzymes like β-glucosidase, xylanases, and proteases are responsible for the last stage of complex organic matter degradation and the release of free carbon in the soil. Many of these enzymes may be considered as an important aspect for the policies pertaining to soil protection in the future keeping nanoparticle mediated toxicity of soil as a vital parameter. Due to accumulation of nanomaterials in soil, these activities may affect the function of enzymes and nutrient availability, but the detailed investigations are under developing phase. In this mini review, the authors have tried to establish a relationship between the negative impacts of nanoparticles on soil enzymes as a future concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]