A Review of the Current State and Future Prospects in Resource Recovery of Chinese Cereal Vinegar Residue

Vinegar residue (VR) is a typical organic solid waste in Chinese cereal vinegar production. It is characterized by high yield, high moisture and low pH and is rich in lignocellulose and other organic matter. To avoid the environmental pollution caused by VR, it should be properly treated. The industry’s existing treatment processes, landfills and incineration, cause secondary pollution and waste of resources. Therefore, there is an urgent demand for environmentally friendly and cost-effective resource recovery technologies for VR. To date, a considerable amount of research has been performed in the area of resource recovery technologies for VR. This review summarizes the reported resource recovery technologies, mainly anaerobic digestion, feed production, fertilizer production, high-value product production and soil/water remediation. The principles, advantages and challenges of these technologies are highlighted. Finally, as a future perspective, a cascade and full utilization model for VR is proposed by considering the inherent drawbacks and economic-environmental feasibility of these technologies.