The Potential Use of Food Waste in Biocementation Process for Eco-Efficient Construction Materials

Biocement is emerging as a novel and sustainable alternative to current conventional construction materials because the microorganisms used are renewable, environmentally friendly, and safe. However, its implementation is hampered by the prohibitive cost associated with the raw materials required for possible industrial applications. Thus, in this chapter, we examine recent claims that introducing food waste usage into the biocementation process would lead to reduced costs and increased efficiency. The huge quantity of worldwide food waste generation is both an important resource and an environmental burden if not properly managed. Therefore, the motivation to use food waste is both environmental and economical as it makes the biocementation process more cost-effective, sustainable and easier to implement. This chapter reviews recent literature on the use of food waste in biocement technology, and examines other food waste yet to be investigated as raw material for culture media, cementing agent, biopolymer, and enzyme to generate biocement economically and sustainably.