Recent Advances in Waste-to-Value Technologies for Sustainable Resource Recovery

Abstract

The number and complexity of municipal, agricultural, industrial, plastic, electronic and organic wastes have increased, and there is a greater demand for resource-efficient alternatives to traditional disposal. This review examines recent advances in waste-to-value technologies and their role in sustainable resource recovery within a circular economy framework. It evaluates the recovery potential of major waste streams and compares thermochemical, biological, chemical, hybrid, and microbial electrochemical conversion pathways. Particular attention is given to the production of renewable energy, biofuels, biochemicals, recovered nutrients, biochar, functional carbon, and other value-added materials. The review also highlights the increasing use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, and digital twins for process monitoring, waste forecasting, automated sorting, predictive maintenance, and system optimization. Despite substantial technological progress, large-scale implementation remains constrained by feedstock heterogeneity, inadequate segregation, high capital requirements, limited infrastructure, regulatory uncertainty, and weak markets for recovered products. Sustainability therefore requires integrated assessment of environmental impacts, economic feasibility, technical performance, social acceptance, and institutional readiness. Global experiences further show that successful deployment depends on locally appropriate technologies, supportive policies, stakeholder participation, financing mechanisms, and market development. Waste-to-value systems generally have a high potential to decrease the reliance on landfill, strategic recovery, and decarbonisation in industry, and improve circular production, if complemented by technological innovation, appropriate governance and commercially viable implementation pathways.