Plants as resources for organic molecules: Facing the green and sustainable future today

Over the last century, the conventional and linear production system has significantly influenced the socio-environment globally. The transition to a more circular production system, aiming at maintaining the value of products and resources for as long as possible, is an opportunity to create innovative processes that are regenerative by intention. This means replacing the end-of-life concept with restoration, renewable energy use and by- or co-products as well as eliminating toxic chemicals by developing and using redesigned materials, procedures and business models. In this context, the main objective of this paper is to present a critical overview related to the most recent green and sustainable extraction or separation approaches to remove organic molecules from plant-derived resources, specifically agro-industrial and forestry waste using circular processing systems in operation in the last four years.