Upscaling of tobacco processing waste management: A review and a proposed valorization approach towards the biorefinery concept

Tobacco cultivation and manufacturing generate significant waste amounts, as around 30 % of the tobacco crops end up as waste, posing several environmental challenges, related to air, soil, and water pollution. In this review, the tobacco processing stages are explored, focusing on the waste generated and its characteristics, as well as on the existing legislation framework towards tobacco waste management and the regulations regarding environmental impact minimization. Upscaled thermochemical and biochemical processes have been examined for tobacco waste upcycling into added-value products, depending on waste characteristics. This study also addresses the economic viability and the environmental implications of upscaled tobacco waste management. In this review, a potential waste management scheme is proposed, able to precipitate 90–99 % of the nicotine included in tobacco waste, which can be subsequently used for additional smoking products development. On the other hand, the residual solid waste stream was evaluated for either compost production or incineration and thus recovered resources respectively either as compost at the crop cultivation stage or as energy for the curing stage. Such a scheme could significantly contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals by offering reduced levels of tobacco-related environmental pollution, while simultaneously leading to a more sustainable product chain with maximized resource recovery.