Viticulture produces large amounts of grape canes during annual pruning, most of which remain underexploited or are disposed of burned, raising environmental concerns. These residues, however, constitute a valuable feedstock for sustainable valorization strategies. This review provides a comprehensive and critical appraisal of grape canes within a circular bioeconomy framework by linking high-value phenolic compound extraction with energy and environmental applications in a cascade approach. The first section synthesizes current knowledge on phenolic acids, flavonoids and stilbenes, highlighting the key factors influencing their variability (cultivar, environmental conditions, extraction parameters) and identifying the most promising application domains in enology, food preservation, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and biocontrol. The second section critically examines the valorization of post-extraction lignocellulosic residues through thermochemical conversion, biofuel production, and activated carbon and biochar generation, discussing energetic performance, environmental benefits, and scalability challenges. By integrating biochemical and thermochemical pathways, this review identifies current research gaps, technological bottlenecks, and opportunities for industrial implementation. Grape canes emerge as a multifunctional agricultural by-product with strong potential to contribute to resource efficiency, waste minimization, and sustainable bioeconomy development. • Grape canes are high-potential feedstock for cascade biorefineries. • Phenolic variability challenges standardization and targeting. • Thermochemical conversion enables competitive energy recovery. • Biochar and activated carbon show strong remediation potential. • Industrial scalability requires techno-economic validation.
Aissat et al. (Sun,) studied this question.