About this Research Topic
Circular and sustainable use of biomass resources is becoming increasingly vital because of their considerable annual volumes and high economic potential.
Moreover, the increasingly large generation of organic waste and residues requires a strategic valorization even through biotechnologies application, in order to recover high-value bio-
based products (i.e. platform chemicals, bioplastics, etc.) to close the loop within a circular economy approach without impacting land use, water consumption and biodiversity.
The aim of this Research Topic is to provide novel information and knowledge about the design of technologies involving new process mechanisms to convert non-food/non-lignocellulosic biomass and organic waste (meaning agri-food residues, non-food micro- and macro-algae, marine and aquaculture residues, livestock waste by-products, organic fraction of municipal solid waste, food waste, manure, and sewage sludge) into bio-based chemicals, materials, products, and energy.
Attention will be given to:
- The improvement of fermentation and co-fermentation processes (including pretreatments) to targeted marketable bio-products.
- The development of novel, high-performance bio-based polymers and co-polymers; new approaches of synthesizing biologically produced plastics, as polyesters, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polylactic acid (PLA), from renewable resources as plastic alternatives.
- The recycling/upcycling of post-consumer bio-based plastics (chemical recycling, enhanced biodegradability, re-polymerization).
- The production of carboxylic acids as building blocks for industrial applications (production of chemicals, synthesis of bio-polymers, etc.).
- The production of bioenergy and biofuels falls outside the main goals of this topic (their co-production, following the cascading biomass use principles, is not excluded though).
- The design of efficient and sustainable downstream extraction/purification processes to obtain pure final products with reduced carbon footprints (i.e. using alternative extraction
methods, renewable bio-based solvents, bio-catalysts, sustainable biogas/biofuel upgrading solutions, etc.).
Particular focus will be given on the optimization of a production system that involve new supply chains, based on the concept of biorefinery, where locally produced raw material is exploited by extracting decreasing added-value substance, in a waterfall logic, converting only the final residues into energy.
The submission of research focused to design, develop and scale-up processes to valorize such feedstocks towards high-value bio-based products, coping with all aspects concerning the techno-economic feasibility and cycle integration, in order to optimize water and carbon
footprint and to close energy balances, with immediate feedback on the environmental and economic sustainability of the whole approach, is highly encouraged.
Moreover, the increasingly large generation of organic waste and residues requires a strategic valorization even through biotechnologies application, in order to recover high-value bio-
based products (i.e. platform chemicals, bioplastics, etc.) to close the loop within a circular economy approach without impacting land use, water consumption and biodiversity.
The aim of this Research Topic is to provide novel information and knowledge about the design of technologies involving new process mechanisms to convert non-food/non-lignocellulosic biomass and organic waste (meaning agri-food residues, non-food micro- and macro-algae, marine and aquaculture residues, livestock waste by-products, organic fraction of municipal solid waste, food waste, manure, and sewage sludge) into bio-based chemicals, materials, products, and energy.
Attention will be given to:
- The improvement of fermentation and co-fermentation processes (including pretreatments) to targeted marketable bio-products.
- The development of novel, high-performance bio-based polymers and co-polymers; new approaches of synthesizing biologically produced plastics, as polyesters, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polylactic acid (PLA), from renewable resources as plastic alternatives.
- The recycling/upcycling of post-consumer bio-based plastics (chemical recycling, enhanced biodegradability, re-polymerization).
- The production of carboxylic acids as building blocks for industrial applications (production of chemicals, synthesis of bio-polymers, etc.).
- The production of bioenergy and biofuels falls outside the main goals of this topic (their co-production, following the cascading biomass use principles, is not excluded though).
- The design of efficient and sustainable downstream extraction/purification processes to obtain pure final products with reduced carbon footprints (i.e. using alternative extraction
methods, renewable bio-based solvents, bio-catalysts, sustainable biogas/biofuel upgrading solutions, etc.).
Particular focus will be given on the optimization of a production system that involve new supply chains, based on the concept of biorefinery, where locally produced raw material is exploited by extracting decreasing added-value substance, in a waterfall logic, converting only the final residues into energy.
The submission of research focused to design, develop and scale-up processes to valorize such feedstocks towards high-value bio-based products, coping with all aspects concerning the techno-economic feasibility and cycle integration, in order to optimize water and carbon
footprint and to close energy balances, with immediate feedback on the environmental and economic sustainability of the whole approach, is highly encouraged.
Keywords: • Non-lignocellulosic biomass; Organic waste; Fermentation; Bio-based plastics; Platform chemicals; Carboxylic acids; Downstream processing; Bio-solvents; Biorefinery.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
