A model biorefinery for avocado (Persea americana mill.) processing

Area of Science:

• Biorefinery technology
• Sustainable chemical processing
• Avocado valorization

Background:

• Avocado fruit (Hass variety) possesses underutilized potential for valuable compound extraction.
• Current processing methods often result in significant waste, presenting an opportunity for integrated biorefineries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and evaluate a biorefinery concept for the comprehensive processing of Hass avocados.
• To characterize the avocado fruit for its key valuable compounds.
• To assess the techno-economic and environmental feasibility of the proposed biorefinery.

Main Methods:

• Characterization of avocado Hass variety for phenolic compounds, oil, and holocellulose content.
• Development of techno-economic and environmental models for a biorefinery.
• Evaluation of four scenarios with varying mass/energy integration and cogeneration.

Main Results:

• Avocado pulp is rich in oleic acid (50.96%).
• Peel and seed contain substantial holocellulose (52.88% and 54.36%, respectively).
• The biorefinery presents an attractive economic and environmental opportunity, with integration level being crucial.

Conclusions:

• Complete utilization of the avocado fruit in a biorefinery is technically and economically feasible.
• The proposed biorefinery can yield microencapsulated phenolic compounds, ethanol, oil, and xylitol.
• Optimizing mass and energy integration significantly impacts the biorefinery's overall performance and sustainability.