The Pea Economy: From Waste to Profit

Every year, agriculture generates substantial volumes of waste. When deposited in landfills, this waste emits toxic compounds and greenhouse gases, contaminating soil and water resources. The prevailing linear economic model – “produce, consume, dispose” – results in the loss of up to 40% of the world's food supply and causes significant environmental damage.

“The solution lies in transitioning to a circular economy, where waste is not discarded but reused, recycled, and reintegrated into production cycles, thereby creating added value," explains Professor Shelepina. "Building on this premise, I have proposed a model for repurposing grain processing waste, using peas as a case study.”

Professor Shelepina's research focuses on pea processing by-products – hulls, germ, chaff, and bran. These by-products are rich in dietary fiber, proteins, lipids, and vitamins, opening ample opportunities for their use.

Germ and bran can be utilized to produce food and feed additives, as well as pharmaceutical ingredients. Pea hulls, composed primarily of cellulose, can serve as raw material for biodegradable packaging, biofuels, and bioplastics – offering sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products. Additionally, pea waste can be processed into adsorbents and specialized feed formulations.

The implementation of a “circular economy” system offers undeniable advantages. Environmental benefits include reducing CO₂ emissions, mitigation of climate change, decreased landfill dependency, conservation of natural resources, and enhanced soil fertility. Economic benefits include the creation of new market opportunities, extended value chains, and improved profitability through raw material efficiency and reduced waste disposal costs. Social benefits also include job creation, greater utilization of local resources, and improved public health outcomes.

According to the study, the most promising application areas include biotechnology, biofuel production, and nanotechnology. In the near future, “full-cycle farms” integrating crop cultivation, livestock management, biogas generation, and processing into unified waste-free systems are expected to gain prominence. While such systems do not operate in Russia yet, the national “Strategy for the Development of Industrial Waste Processing, Recycling, and Neutralization through 2030” projects that the utilization rate of secondary resources from waste across economic sectors will reach 32.0% by 2030. Several enterprises already specialize in pea waste processing: in 2018, Eurotechnologies launched a plant in Togliatti producing pea protein for the feed industry, along with pea flour and starch. In 2023, the Yubileiny agricultural holding opened the ProteinSib facility in the Tyumen Region, manufacturing pea protein isolate, fiber, and starch. The plant is expected to reach its design capacity in 2029.

“A SWOT analysis of agricultural waste conversion into value-added products revealed that processing efficiency largely depends on feedstock quality,” notes Professor Shelepina. “Nanotechnology is emerging as one of the most promising approaches for managing grain processing residues. Thermochemical and biochemical methods, as well as integrated strategies (for example, a combination of anaerobic digestion and microbial fermentation), enable the co-production of renewable energy in the form of biogas and valuable biochemicals.” The most sustainable technology for managing agricultural waste is biological conversion, which involves the co-production of two or three value-added products.

In the near future, integrated waste management systems that unify various subsystems of agricultural production will become increasingly relevant. One example is the Crop-Livestock-Biogas-Crop Recycling (CLBCR) system, proposed by researchers from China and the United States. This framework comprises three interconnected subsystems – crop production, livestock farming, and biogas generation – linked through closed-loop recycling of agricultural residues, thereby expanding opportunities for high-efficiency resource recovery.

“Promoting and implementing circular economy principles in agriculture represents an effective waste management strategy that can significantly reduce environmental impact while unlocking new development opportunities,” emphasizes Professor Shelepina.

Professor Shelepina's research, Complex Bioeconomics of Pea Processing Waste, was published in the peer-reviewed journal BIO Web of Conferences, based on proceedings from the International Scientific Conference on Biotechnology and Food Technology (BFT-2025, Yerevan). The study was conducted under the federal Priority 2030 program for state support of universities and the national project “Youth and Children”. TSU has participated in the Priority 2030 program since 2021.