Population growth and increasing affluence worldwide have resulted in a significant increase in energy and material consumption as well as waste generation. Currently, the main source of energy and materials is petroleum, which has serious implications for energy security and the environment (e.g., climate change). The efficient conversion of abundant renewable bioresources into bioenergy and biobased products has significant potential to contribute to meeting the ever-increasing demand for energy and products. Anaerobic digestion (AD)-based biorefineries have great potential to serve as a technology for efficient conversion of a variety of low-value feedstocks, ranging from municipal and industrial organic wastes, to agricultural and forest residues, and energy crops, into high-value biofuels and biobased products with concurrent waste valorization. A more comprehensive study supported by research and development, however, is crucial for developing an AD-based biorefinery system analogous with today's petroleum refineries. This review focuses on an AD-based biorefinery approach. It offers a critical analysis of recent advances in AD-based biorefineries for producing bioenergy and biobased products.
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