Valorization of Agricultural Residues into Bioactive Compounds: A Supercritical Extraction-Based Economic Perspective for Türkiye

Date

2025-9-26

Author

Akyıldız Arı, Ayşe İrem

Metadata

Show full item record

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Item Usage Stats

555
views

0
downloads

Cite This

This thesis investigates the potential of converting agricultural field and agro- industrial residues in Türkiye into high-value bioactive compounds through supercritical fluid extraction and evaluates the macroeconomic implications of this transformation. Rather than viewing residues as environmental burdens or energy sources, the study positions them as strategic bioeconomy inputs for the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical sectors. The research focuses on plant-based residues with industrial recovery potential and identified 285 product–residue pairs across 132 crops. Monte Carlo simulations estimated an annual average of 105 Mt theoretical, 50 Mt collectable, and 30 Mt dry residues. A systematic literature review provided data to construct SFE and Bioactive Scores, which were assessed using the AHP– TOPSIS methodology. Tomato (peels, pulp, seeds), grape (pomace, seeds), and olive (pomace, pruning residues) were identified as priority residues. Scenario-based calculations considered processing capacities of 1,000 tons (pilot), 10,000 tons (medium), and 30,000 tons (commercial) per year. Bulk extract production was estimated at 0.1–4.5 kt annually, yielding potential revenues of USD 120 million–1.5 billion. Specific compounds such as lycopene (USD 100–250 million), oleuropein (~USD 120 million), and hydroxytyrosol (USD 80–130 million) also showed strong market potential even at low volumes. Input–Output analysis demonstrated that, under the medium-scale scenario, bulk extract production could generate USD 400–800 million in output, USD 150–300 million in value added, and 500,000–750,000 jobs. Overall, the findings highlight that valorizing agricultural residues through SFE can provide not only firm-level profitability but also national- level benefits, enhancing economic efficiency, sectoral diversification, and alignment with circular bioeconomy policies.

Subject Keywords

Agricultural Residue, Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Bioactive Compounds, Multi-Criteria Decision Making, Input-Output Analysis

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/116135

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis