Waste is a cross-cutting concern as it imposes serious threats to the environment and local habitats. Therefore, the recognition and inclusion of effective waste management strategies in decision-making are fundamental to achieving sustainable development goals. Waste management enables communities to resource recovery from waste and promotes zero waste concepts. In the recent past, several potential point sources have been identified for resource recovery from waste. Municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTPs) are at the very core of such sources, as treated sewage in such plants is a highly reliable, low-cost, and gigantic feedstock. Being a promising renewable energy source, biomass available at MWTPs and its conversion into biofuels is, however, widely studied. Thermochemical methods are highly advantageous for harvesting biofuels owing to their versatile nature, high production yield from feedstock, cost-effectiveness, environmental benignity, lower footprints, and efficiency in producing fungible liquid fuels. Here, in this chapter, basic thermochemical processes are emphasized to illustrate the conversion of organic and biomass of MWTPs into biofuels like biochar, biogas, etc. The first part of the chapter presents an overview of the different chemicals and materials that can be obtained from MWTPs. Afterward, a description of various thermochemical methods like pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal techniques has been provided for a deeper understanding of the field. At last, recent advancements, challenges, and future aspects of the approach have been discussed. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
