Pineapple Agro-Industrial Biomass to Produce Biomedical Applications in a Circular Economy Context in Costa Rica

Abstract

Pineapple is a highly demanded fruit in international markets due to its unique appearance and flavor, high fiber content, vitamins, folic acid, and minerals. It makes pineapple production and processing a significant source of income for producing countries, such as Costa Rica. This review collects bibliographic information dating back to the beginnings of pineapple production in Costa Rica to the state of the market today. It details the impacts of its production chain and proposes a biorefinery as a solution to environmental problems. Besides the potentiality of new sustainable markets to contribute to the post-COVID-19 economy in Costa Rica is highlighted. The general characteristics of pineapple by-products -cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and other high-value products like bromelain y saponin- are described, as well as the primary processes for their ex-traction via biorefinery and main applications in the medical field. Finally, a brief description of the main works in the literature involving modeling and simulation studies of pineapple by-products properties is included.

Mechanical Properties of Pineapple Nanocellulose/Epoxy Resin Composites

“…The samples were washed repeatedly with deionized water until they reached a neutral pH. Finally, nanocellulose suspension was dialyzed for 24 h to remove salt residues [6][7][8].…”

“…In this research, a material that comes from the agro-industrialization of pineapple cultivation is used. This fruit is widely distributed in Latin America and generates many problems for the environment [3][4][5][6][7].…”

“…There are methods for obtaining a material called nanocellulose, derived at the nanoscopic level from cellulose, which is part of the structure or plant cell wall of the pineapple and other plants. Cellulose is known to be the main component of the cell walls of plants; it is the most abundant biomaterial on the planet and provides remarkable properties of tensile strength [7][8][9][10].…”

La problemática de los micro y nanoplásticos en las costas americanas del Océano Pacífico

“…La aplicación de técnicas como pirólisis permite la obtención de combustibles como fuente de energía. Los procesos de biorrefinería posibilitan la obtención de materiales plásticos a partir de biomasa, lo cual otorga a los procesos de carbono neutralidad (Vega-Baudrit, 2021;Amores et al, 2022).…”

Biodegradable Composite Materials based on Cassava Starch and Reinforced with Topinambur (Helianthus tuberosus) Aerial Part Fiber

“…An alternative to overcome these disadvantages is the addition of inorganic or organic fillers. Compared to inorganic fillers, lignocellulosic materials are being extensively studied due to their renewable and biodegradable nature, low cost and density, as well as their inherent flexibility and safety, which make them easy to process [7,8]. This versatility and local availability has contributed to a growing preference in recent years for natural fibers over synthetic fibers such as glass fiber [9].…”