Bio-industries are presently exposed to multifaceted and significant technological and innovation challenges. Resource depletion and negative environmental impacts strongly affect the economic growth promoting the development of novel technological solutions towards a smooth transition to the post-petroleum era. The entire value chain, from primary production of biomass to processing industry and final use industrial sectors, must be engaged in this global effort to avoid resource depletion and environmental impact while lowering production costs. Bringing together the know-how from all these sectors towards the development of innovative solutions has not yet been completely accomplished, although there are promising examples that must be used as flags for further endeavors. For instance, an integrated biorefinery in which low input and underutilized oil crops, grown in arid and marginal lands and not in competition with food nor feed, are valorized for the extraction of vegetable oils. These oils can be further converted into monomers as building blocks for high added value biolubricants, cosmetics, bioplastics or additives through the integration of chemical and biotech processes.
The proposed Research Topic entitled ‘Bio-Based Compound Production and Their Innovative Industrial Applications’ intends to address a number of diverse topics related to the bioeconomy field. Currently, a broad overview of the bioeconomy field, covering a wide spectrum of processes and applications and providing a list of impacts and benefits as wide as possible, is lacking. There are a number of microbial resources and enzymes that can be used to develop new sustainable bioprocesses and products, as well as many sources of available biomass to develop new bioprocesses and sustainable biorefineries. Besides, emerging processes for the biotransformation of biomass into valuable compounds or technologies for their recovery from biomass, waste or side streams are arising. Ultimately, these bio-based valuable products, such as biomaterials and biopolymers, find innovative applications in different industrial sectors enhancing their economic and environmental impact further. Gathering information on the bioprocesses to obtain such bio-based compounds and their emergent applications in a Research Topic can be inspiring and extremely useful for all researchers working on the bioeconomy field. Original Research articles, Short Communications and Review papers are welcome on the following topics:
• Eco-efficient transformation/bioconversion of different sources of biomass into valuable compounds, such as biopolymers, glycolipids, composites, fertilizers, biopesticides, chemical building blocks, adhesives, coatings, among others
• Bioactives (including food supplements, proteins, antimicrobials, polysaccharides, among others) obtained from different sources of biomass processed in biorefineries
• Bio-based products and their innovative applications in different industrial sectors, such as packaging, cosmetics, automotive and construction sectors, medical devices, textile industry
• Alternative value chains in bioprocesses and their economic viability, considering regional and sectorial parameters
• Establishment and analysis of sustainability indicators and environmental impact of new bioprocesses
George Sakellaris is the Managing Director for Biocon Ltd. All other Topic Editors declare no potential conflicts of interest.
Bio-industries are presently exposed to multifaceted and significant technological and innovation challenges. Resource depletion and negative environmental impacts strongly affect the economic growth promoting the development of novel technological solutions towards a smooth transition to the post-petroleum era. The entire value chain, from primary production of biomass to processing industry and final use industrial sectors, must be engaged in this global effort to avoid resource depletion and environmental impact while lowering production costs. Bringing together the know-how from all these sectors towards the development of innovative solutions has not yet been completely accomplished, although there are promising examples that must be used as flags for further endeavors. For instance, an integrated biorefinery in which low input and underutilized oil crops, grown in arid and marginal lands and not in competition with food nor feed, are valorized for the extraction of vegetable oils. These oils can be further converted into monomers as building blocks for high added value biolubricants, cosmetics, bioplastics or additives through the integration of chemical and biotech processes.
The proposed Research Topic entitled ‘Bio-Based Compound Production and Their Innovative Industrial Applications’ intends to address a number of diverse topics related to the bioeconomy field. Currently, a broad overview of the bioeconomy field, covering a wide spectrum of processes and applications and providing a list of impacts and benefits as wide as possible, is lacking. There are a number of microbial resources and enzymes that can be used to develop new sustainable bioprocesses and products, as well as many sources of available biomass to develop new bioprocesses and sustainable biorefineries. Besides, emerging processes for the biotransformation of biomass into valuable compounds or technologies for their recovery from biomass, waste or side streams are arising. Ultimately, these bio-based valuable products, such as biomaterials and biopolymers, find innovative applications in different industrial sectors enhancing their economic and environmental impact further. Gathering information on the bioprocesses to obtain such bio-based compounds and their emergent applications in a Research Topic can be inspiring and extremely useful for all researchers working on the bioeconomy field. Original Research articles, Short Communications and Review papers are welcome on the following topics:
• Eco-efficient transformation/bioconversion of different sources of biomass into valuable compounds, such as biopolymers, glycolipids, composites, fertilizers, biopesticides, chemical building blocks, adhesives, coatings, among others
• Bioactives (including food supplements, proteins, antimicrobials, polysaccharides, among others) obtained from different sources of biomass processed in biorefineries
• Bio-based products and their innovative applications in different industrial sectors, such as packaging, cosmetics, automotive and construction sectors, medical devices, textile industry
• Alternative value chains in bioprocesses and their economic viability, considering regional and sectorial parameters
• Establishment and analysis of sustainability indicators and environmental impact of new bioprocesses
George Sakellaris is the Managing Director for Biocon Ltd. All other Topic Editors declare no potential conflicts of interest.
