Natural Microbial Communities in the Production of Sustainable Biofuels and Chemicals

Energy consumption supports human well-being. Over previous decades, much effort has been put into developing novel technology based on renewable sources such as biomass to produce biofuels such as biogas and ethanol. Whereas biogas production systems are based on the use of microbial communities, ethanol production systems are based on the use of monocultures. The use of microbial communities as biocatalysts for biofuel production allows the incorporation of biowastes as feedstock without the need for sterile conditions. Also, the energy requirements for processing the feedstock are reduced since microbial communities can perform multiple simultaneous tasks; consequently, the capital and operating expenses decrease, and there is a diminished reliance on, or even elimination of aggressive chemicals.

The use of microbial communities has been extended to the production of hydrogen, ethanol, biodiesel, short- and medium-chain fatty acids (SCFAs, MCFAs) from diverse biomasses, including the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, lignocelluloses, oil cakes, olive pomace, and seaweed, among others. Only now, our understanding of how, why, and where these microbial communities work has been limited due to their intricate functioning. However, advancements in molecular techniques are becoming more reliable and practical for application in the realm of biofuel production from biowastes, offering a more comprehensive systems-level perspective.

Our vision is that by harnessing indigenous, diverse microbial communities, we can contribute to developing affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern biofuel production systems accessible to all.

This Research Topic is designed to collect original research and review articles focusing on microbial communities performing complex and simultaneous tasks to produce biofuels from non-conventional substrates. Studies examining the relationship between particular components of microbial communities and some metabolic functions or processes are welcome; papers solely describing microbial communities’ patterns by nucleic acids sequencing or diversity measures will not be accepted. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
• biogas (methane)
• hydrogen
• hythane
• biodiesel
• alcohols (ethanol, butanol, isobutanol)
• short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs).

Keywords: biofuels, biogas, hydrogen, microbe, microbial production, biodiesel, hythane, SCFAs, MCFAs, ethanol, butanol, isobutanol, methane, lignocellulose, sustainability, energy

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.