**1. Introduction**

One of the challenges of the twenty-first century is to develop processes for the elaboration of products of industrial interest, with the following characteristics:

a.environmentally friendly processes,

b.quality products and services, and

c.products that satisfy the needs of the consumer.

The above is to meet the needs of the inhabitants of each country and avoid environmental pollution and contribute to the reduction of global warming.

Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council defines biomass as the biodegradable fraction of products and waste of biological origin.

Biomass is generated in activities such as agricultural activities of plant and animal origin, forestry, and related industries such as fishing and aquaculture, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste of biological origin.

According to the above, biomass covers a wide range of organic materials that are characterized by their heterogeneity, both in terms of their origin and nature.

In 2009 alone, it has been calculated that almost 3.3 Gt of waste was generated, which makes it an inexhaustible source of carbon due to the large amount of biomass produced each year, being a resource that can be used as raw material for the large-scale production of a variety of products of industrial interest, which will be presented in this chapter.

In fact, the use of these residues avoids the negative ecological impact on agricultural fields, rivers, and lakes, and supports new technologies that can feasibly solve the problem of pollution, since biomass, being a neutral resource, reduces CO2 emissions, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and finally provides economic benefits to society [1].

The abundance of biomass and the favorable techno-economic associated with the production of a wide range of products have recently changed the global perception of the use of biomass as a valuable resource and not as a waste. It should be emphasized that failure to utilize biomass can lead to serious environmental hazards, converting biomass into large volumes of waste and causing serious problems for society.

This chapter delves into the research carried out and the development of value-added products from the different types of biomasses. The chapter is divided into the origin and classification of biomass, to continue presenting the different biomass treatment methods and production processes that are currently used for the development of valueadded products, and finally, several products of industrial interest and their technology are presented.

## **2. Origin and classification of biomass**

Agricultural and forestry practices generate large amounts of residues [1]. The agricultural farming system generates residues in the harvesting of vegetables, fruits, grains, and other crops creating substantial amounts of residues called biomass. Especially agricultural cereal crops contribute significantly to biomass generation [1]. Centore et al. [2] published that globally 66% of residual plant biomass comes from cereal straw (stalk, leaves, and pods), and in second place are sugarcane stalks and leaves [2]. In the EU alone, about 23 Mton/year of dry biomass is available as residual cereal straw [3]. Tripathi et al. [1] mention that in 2009 alone almost 3.3 Gt of residues (fresh weight)/year were generated, considering the main world crops (wheat, corn, rice, soybean, barley, rapeseed, sugarcane, and sugar beet) in the selected countries/regions with high biomass potential (EU, Europe, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, China, and India). To this amount of biomass, it is necessary to include the biomass generated in the following activities: livestock, wood industry, agri-food, among others.

Due to the wide range of biomass that exists in the world, it can be classified according to its: (a) origin, (b) physical state and (c) chemical composition as shown in **Figures 1** and **2** [4, 5].

#### **2.1 Classification of biomass according to its origin**

Biomass classified according to its origin is divided into natural and residual.

a.Natural: Biomass that occurs spontaneously in nature, in ecosystems that have not suffered human intervention. Firewood or branches are an example of

*Valorization of Biomass as a Raw Material to Obtain Products of Industrial Interest DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104108*

#### **Figure 1.**

*Classification of biomass according to its origin, physical state, and chemical composition.*

#### **Figure 2.**

*Biomass classification by chemical composition.*

this type of biomass and constitute the main energy source in small towns and developing countries.

b.Residual: This is the biomass that comes from waste generated by human activities, such as agriculture, livestock, the timber industry, or the agri-food industry.

In addition, biomass is classified into dry and wet, or solid and liquid, and among them can be cited:


c.Energy crops: These are agricultural crops that are not intended for food, but to produce energy; they are called agro-energy crops. Agro-energy crops are selected according to the biomass production required, so they are usually species characterized by their robustness, high cellulose concentration, to reduce cultivation costs, and the price of biomass, among the examples we have: Ethiopian rapeseed and thistle.
