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A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S ZERO WASTE 7 value of by-products from food production and processing systems," the book's editors wrote. According to the editors, the California almond industry was an obvious choice to spotlight in one of the book's 17 chapters because of its size and its commitment to reusing coproducts. "The almond industry has been proactive in managing its waste and by-products," Zhang said. "The Almond Board of California has provided funding to research projects in value-added processing of almond by-products and new product development, and to support and promote waste recycling." 'We don't want to waste anything' In 2017, the California almond industry produced an estimated 3.1 million metric tons of biomass. 2 A little more than half of that is considered woody (trees, pruning, sticks, shells). The rest is made up of hulls. Much of the woody material used to be burned, either in brush piles near orchards or at co-generation plants to create electricity. But many co-generation plants in California have closed or have reduced how much wood debris they accept. This means growers need an alternative. Enter the Almond Board's research program, which has sponsored multiple studies around potential higher-value uses for almond coproducts, including Whole Orchard recycling. The premise of Whole Orchard Recycling is simple: When older orchards have exhausted their lifespan, after 25 years or so, the entire tree is ground up or chipped, then plowed back into the ground. Depending upon tree density, an orchard's trees can generate anywhere from 30 to 50 tons of organic material per acre that improves soil health, retention of water and key minerals, and can even lead to higher yields. Huang believes that 20,000 to 30,000 acres of almonds — of an estimated 1.09 million acres 3 in production in California — easily could be recycled every year for the next decade with the increased focus on sustainability and zero waste. "Whole Orchard Recycling is resonating more and more with growers," Huang said. Hulls and shells also continue to generate interest for new uses. In their book chapter, Huang and Dr. Lapsley wrote about ABC's effort in "expanding hull utilization, increasing uses in dairy cow diets, expanding to other livestock, and producing protein-rich feed additives from insect larvae and yeast growth." Shells have been used as part of dairy cattle bedding for many years, but the slowdown in the dairy industry in California means there are more shells than dairy farmers require. Huang said additional research is needed to determine how to create commercial applications for torrefied shells as low-grade plastic enhancers. With orchards maturing and more acres coming into production every year, finding new and profitable uses for all parts of an almond tree is more than good business — it's a fundamental part of the industry's commitment to sustainable and responsible farming practices. "We don't want to waste anything," Huang said. "Our goal is to find a better way to use everything. We want to create value for growers." 2 Pan, Z.; Zhang, R.; Zicari, S. (2019), Integrated Processing Technologies for Food and Agricultural By-Products. Cambridge, Mass.: Academic Press. 3 2018 Almond Acreage Report, California Department of Food and Agriculture, (April 24, 2019) Adjunct Professor Zhongli Pan and Professor Ruihong Zhang of University of California, Davis, are two of the four editors of the new book. Continued from page 6