Energy recovery from pistachio-derived wastes: A critical systematic review of conversion pathways, energy performance, environmental impacts, and techno-economic feasibility
4 affiliations
- 1Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- 2Public Health Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran; Corresponding authors at: Public Health Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
- 3Public Health Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
- 4Workplace Health Research Center, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran
Abstract
Pistachio processing and disposal generate large quantities of shells, hulls, residues, rejected products, and high-strength wastewater that remain underutilized despite their renewable energy potential. This systematic review assessed energy-recovery technologies for pistachio-derived wastes by evaluating technical performance, environmental impacts, techno-economic feasibility, and research maturity. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Embase were searched for studies published from 2010 to 5 July 2026. From 404 identified records, 54 eligible studies were included after screening and study-family clustering. Thermochemical pathways, especially pyrolysis and gasification, represented the dominant evidence base. Pyrolysis produced 48–53% liquid products, with char heating values reaching approximately 33.5 MJ kg⁻¹ , while gasification generated 1.37–2.62 m³ kg⁻¹ producer gas and achieved diesel substitution up to 46.7%. Anaerobic digestion showed strong potential for wet residues and wastewater, producing methane yields of 40–415.4 mL CH₄ g⁻¹ VS. Other pathways, including combustion, densification, hydrothermal processing, liquefaction, bioethanol, biohydrogen, and biochar-based fuel cells, also demonstrated feasibility. However, heterogeneity in feedstocks, reporting methods, reactor scales, and performance indicators limited comparisons and prevented meta-analysis. This review provides a framework for selecting sustainable energy-recovery pathways and supporting large-scale valorization of pistachio wastes.
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BibTeX
@article{khayalo2026energy,
title = {{Energy recovery from pistachio-derived wastes: A critical systematic review of conversion pathways, energy performance, environmental impacts, and techno-economic feasibility}},
author = {Hossein Farash Khayalo and Abbas Abbasnia and Asma Rashki Kemmak and Maryam Khashij and Mohammad Mehralian and Sajjad Rahimi and Edris Bazrafshan},
journal = {Desalination and Water Treatment},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.dwt.2026.102042},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dwt.2026.102042},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Energy recovery from pistachio-derived wastes: A critical systematic review of conversion pathways, energy performance, environmental impacts, and techno-economic feasibility
AU - Hossein Farash Khayalo
AU - Abbas Abbasnia
AU - Asma Rashki Kemmak
AU - Maryam Khashij
AU - Mohammad Mehralian
AU - Sajjad Rahimi
AU - Edris Bazrafshan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Desalination and Water Treatment
DO - 10.1016/j.dwt.2026.102042
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dwt.2026.102042
AB - Pistachio processing and disposal generate large quantities of shells, hulls, residues, rejected products, and high-strength wastewater that remain underutilized despite their renewable energy potential. This systematic review assessed energy-recovery technologies for pistachio-derived wastes by evaluating technical performance, environmental impacts, techno-economic feasibility, and research maturity. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Embase were searched for studies published from 2010 to 5 July 2026. From 404 identified records, 54 eligible studies were included after screening and study-family clustering. Thermochemical pathways, especially pyrolysis and gasification, represented the dominant evidence base. Pyrolysis produced 48–53% liquid products, with char heating values reaching approximately 33.5 MJ kg⁻¹ , while gasification generated 1.37–2.62 m³ kg⁻¹ producer gas and achieved diesel substitution up to 46.7%. Anaerobic digestion showed strong potential for wet residues and wastewater, producing methane yields of 40–415.4 mL CH₄ g⁻¹ VS. Other pathways, including combustion, densification, hydrothermal processing, liquefaction, bioethanol, biohydrogen, and biochar-based fuel cells, also demonstrated feasibility. However, heterogeneity in feedstocks, reporting methods, reactor scales, and performance indicators limited comparisons and prevented meta-analysis. This review provides a framework for selecting sustainable energy-recovery pathways and supporting large-scale valorization of pistachio wastes.
SN - 1944-3986
SN - 1944-3994
ER -