Food and Crop Waste: A Valuable Biomass Feedstock

This 2009 fact sheet by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) examines the potential of unharvested crops and food processing waste as biomass feedstocks for biofuels. It argues that these resources can provide renewable energy and chemicals without competing with food production, highlighting specific waste streams from the potato, orange, and tomato industries and the economic benefits of recycling these materials.

• A significant amount of agricultural production is left unharvested due to low yields that make harvesting economically unfeasible. The average food loss rate at the farm level is estimated between 15-35% depending on the crop, with total estimated losses ranging from $25-30 billion.
• Weather events and health scares significantly impact crop yields and marketability. In 2007, drought caused approximately $1.3 billion in damage to major field crops in the southeast, while freezing temperatures led to $112 million in losses in North Carolina. Additionally, a 2008 Salmonella warning resulted in $13.9 million in production value losses in Georgia and left approximately 32% of total U.S. tomato acreage unharvested.
• Food processing generates substantial waste that can be repurposed. In the potato industry, roughly 50 percent of the crop is wasted, including peel and white waste. The Florida orange industry produces 3.5 billion pounds of dry waste (mostly peel and pulp) annually, which is highly acidic and contains limonene. European processors generate 4.4 million tons of tomato waste annually, with the U.S. industry producing even more.
• Recycling food and crop waste can create new revenue streams and reduce costs. Examples include capturing raw starch from potato waste for resale (yielding 2-3 tons of starch per 100 tons of potato at a value of about $180), removing limonene from orange waste to produce ethanol at a cost of $.70-$.90 per gallon, and using anaerobic digestion to turn starch-rich wastewater into hydrogen gas worth approximately $5 million a year for a typical large plant.
• Post-consumer food waste represents a further opportunity for energy solutions. In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that over 31 million tons of food waste were generated, accounting for more than 12% of the total municipal solid waste stream.

APA

Hacker, J., Mattingly, J., & Caputo, J. (2009). Food and Crop Waste: A Valuable Biomass Feedstock. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/files/foodwaste_factsheet_finaldraft_040609_0.pdf

Chicago

Hacker, James, Justin Mattingly, and Jesse Caputo. Food and Crop Waste: A Valuable Biomass Feedstock. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2009. https://www.eesi.org/files/foodwaste_factsheet_finaldraft_040609_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hacker |first1=James |last2=Mattingly |first2=Justin |last3=Caputo |first3=Jesse |title=Food and Crop Waste: A Valuable Biomass Feedstock |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=April 2009 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/foodwaste_factsheet_finaldraft_040609_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hacker2009food, author = {Hacker, James and Mattingly, Justin and Caputo, Jesse}, title = {{Food and Crop Waste: A Valuable Biomass Feedstock}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2009}, month = apr, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/foodwaste_factsheet_finaldraft_040609_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }