Novel Microbial Approaches to Enhance Biogas Production​

In the field of renewable energy, biogas production via anaerobic digestion represents a critical area for sustainable development. Current research focuses primarily on microbial consortia, whose optimization could significantly enhance energy yield and process stability. Many studies have explored various microbial combinations and environmental conditions, yet questions about how to maximize biogas production through microbial management persist. Advancements indicate that specific microbial interventions can lead to better methane yields and operational stability, but a comprehensive understanding of the interactions at play and the mechanisms behind these improvements is still lacking.

This Research Topic aims to deepen the understanding of microbial dynamics in anaerobic digestion and explore novel approaches for enhancing biogas production. Key objectives include identifying specific microbial strains that boost methane production, understanding their metabolic pathways, and developing methods to sustain these communities within the digesters.

We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Opinions, Methods and Perspective articles addressing, but not limited to, the below themes. Contributions must include clear hypotheses and experimental validation (e.g., isolation/enrichment, co-culture or reactor trials, perturbation/recovery studies, isotope tracing, activity assays, metatranscriptomics/proteomics linked to function), with quantitative performance metrics and appropriate controls:

• Identification and role of key microbial species in biogas production with functional evidence of activity and experimentally demonstrated impact on methane yield or process kinetics;

• Interactions between microbial consortia and impact on biogas yield via hypothesis-driven tests of interaction mechanisms (e.g., syntrophy, cross-feeding, inhibition) using co-cultures or reactor experiments with quantitative outcomes;

• Innovative techniques to stabilize microbial populations in anaerobic digesters with empirical validation of stabilization strategies (e.g., carrier materials, selective pressures, operational regimes) showing reproducible improvements in stability and robustness;

• Effects of environmental factors on microbial efficacy in biogas systems via controlled manipulation of factors (e.g., temperature, pH, ammonia, trace metals) with causal links to function and methane yield;

• Development of bioaugmentation strategies to enhance biogas production;

• Machine learning tools to stabilize microbial communities for improved biogas production e.g. models that generate testable predictions and are validated experimentally (such as setpoint optimization, inoculum selection, early warning signals).

Please note that Microbiotechnology does not consider descriptive studies that are solely based on amplicon (e.g., 16S rRNA) profiles, unless they are accompanied by a clear hypothesis and experimentation and provide insight into the microbiological system or process being studied.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: anaerobic digestion, biogas production, bioaugmentation strategies, Methane yield optimization, Sustainable biogas technology, Biogas yield improvement, Biogas system stability

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.