In a new paper published in Scientific Data, authors Zahir Barahmand, Lars-Andre Tokheim, Liang Wang, Morten Seljeskog, and Marianne Eikeland introduced a comprehensive dataset designed to support strategic upstream decision-making in the circular bioeconomy. The research team processed 121,365 scientific records spanning a long timeline from 1887 through 2026 to systematically map out the diverse types of raw materials fed into different waste conversion technologies. By assembling this enormous body of literature under a unified classification logic, the authors established a uniform baseline that allows developers to compare how distinct conversion routes handle everything from municipal garbage to agricultural residues. The resulting framework avoids the narrative inconsistencies typical of traditional isolated reviews, creating a reliable foundation for regional resource mapping and technology scouting.

The findings highlight a dramatic and continuous acceleration in research volume starting in the early 2000s, matching the rise of modern climate policies and strict regional frameworks like the European Green Deal. Among the eight primary valorization technologies evaluated, pyrolysis and fermentation completely dominate the scientific landscape numerically, contributing 50,024 and 36,120 records respectively to the database. GasificationGasification is a high-temperature, thermochemical process that converts carbon-based materials into a gaseous fuel called syngas and solid by-products. It takes place in an oxygen-deficient environment at temperatures typically above 750°C. Unlike combustion, which fully burns material to produce heat and carbon dioxide (CO2​), gasification More represents another major pillar of research activity with 13,540 studies, while anaerobic digestion and transesterification contribute very similar volumes with 9,655 and 9,525 individual records. In contrast, specialized options like hydrothermal liquefaction with 1,266 records, torrefaction with 995 records, and aerobic digestion with 240 records appear much less frequently. Rather than directly reflecting current commercial market sizes, these quantitative distributions illustrate exactly where global scientific inquiry and funding have been focused over the past century.

Beyond simple publication counts, the true value of the dataset lies in its detailed breakdown of 143,353 post-splitting feedstock items, which yielded 124,855 validated entries after rigorous quality checks. The results prove that the materials used in these processes vary dramatically in their basic renewability and material status depending on the specific technology family applied. For instance, fermentation, torrefaction, and hydrothermal liquefaction stand out as highly sustainable pathways that are predominantly renewable, with green organic materials making up between 85 percent and 91 percent of their total portfolios. These biological and thermal conversion routes are heavily geared toward processing traditional biogenic residues, agricultural wastes, and clean biomassBiomass is a complex biological organic or non-organic solid product derived from living or recently living organism and available naturally. Various types of wastes such as animal manure, waste paper, sludge and many industrial wastes are also treated as biomass because like natural biomass these More, reinforcing their alignment with traditional bio-based economy definitions.

In sharp contrast, the data reveals that thermal processes like pyrolysis carry a completely different resource profile that challenges conventional assumptions about biomass conversion. Pyrolysis possesses the largest non-renewable share at 52 percent of its validated feedstocks, reflecting an overwhelming scientific focus on recycling synthetic waste streams such as consumer plastics and discarded tires. Transesterification also displays a distinct mixed profile, utilizing a portfolio that is 73 percent renewable but maintains a substantial 25 percent non-renewable component due to specific industrial inputs. Meanwhile, anaerobic digestion involves a portfolio where 61 percent of items are clearly renewable, though it carries a high 38 percent share of mixed or unknown materials, which reflects the complex and poorly specified nature of municipal waste mixtures.

These starkly differentiated feedstock patterns confirm that simple technical feasibility or renewable origin alone does not automatically guarantee circularity or optimal value retention. The dataset provides the precise upstream evidence necessary to evaluate whether a specific technology truly helps close sustainable material loops or if it primarily operates as a processing route for fossil-based synthetics. Industrial developers and policy analysts can use these findings as a strategic screening tool to compare the breath, diversity, and circular relevance of different resource portfolios before committing to expensive, data-intensive lifecycle assessments or process simulations. Ultimately, this work offers a clear global map of the evidence base, indicating where conversion technologies are mature, identifying under-explored feedstock combinations, and outlining the next steps for sustainable resource allocation.

Source: Barahmand, Z., Tokheim, L.-A., Wang, L., Seljeskog, M., & Eikeland, M. (2026). A large-scale, LLM-assisted and validated dataset of biomass and waste conversion technologies and feedstocks. Scientific Data, 13, 1-18.