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Biological Conversion of Biomass Residues and Waste Streams for the...
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Biological Conversion of Biomass Residues and Waste Streams for the Sustainable Production of Biofuels and Bio-Based Products: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Fermentation Process Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 13274

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Konstantina Kourmentza

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Interests: biopolymers; biosurfactants/emulsifiers; waste and biomass valorization; microbial biotechnology; biorefineries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the priorities of our modern society today is to set out a credible pathway toward the development of the circular economy and bioeconomy sectors. For such a venture to reach its full potential, sustainable and circular management of renewable resources is required, supported by innovative technologies for the prevention and removal of pollutants. Lowering the use of non-renewable raw materials results in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental footprint, promotes carbon neutrality and resource efficiency, and helps to develop innovative and sustainable value chains in the biobased sector. The transformation of biological resources via biotechnological routes is crucial for developing greener industrial processes and products with perceived benefits to the health of the consumer and our ecosystems.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present current research advances and challenges in bioprocess engineering, regarding the valorization of biomass residues and waste streams, and its potential toward the production of a wide range of biofuels and biobased products, such as food, feed, biopolymers, biosurfactants, organic acids, and various fine chemicals. Such studies may include but are not limited to metabolic engineering, bioprocess engineering strategies, optimization studies, multiproduct biorefinery platforms, production capacity of underexploited microorganisms, as well as the production and characterization of novel biobased products.

Dr. Konstantina Kourmentza
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • metabolic engineering
  • gas fermentation
  • industrial biotechnology
  • bioprocess engineering
  • renewable raw materials
  • microbial fermentation
  • photosynthetic microorganisms
  • natural products

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2035 KiB  
Article
Metabolic Engineering of Bacillus subtilis for the Production of Poly-γ-Glutamic Acid from Glycerol Feedstock
by Lorenzo Pasotti, Ilaria Massaiu, Paolo Magni and Cinzia Calvio
Fermentation 2024, 10(6), 319; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10060319 - 17 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1394
Abstract
Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is an attractive biopolymer for medical, agri-food, and environmental applications. Although microbial synthesis by Bacilli fed on waste streams has been widely adopted, the obtainment of efficient sustainable production processes is still under investigation by bioprocess and metabolic engineering approaches. [...] Read more.
Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is an attractive biopolymer for medical, agri-food, and environmental applications. Although microbial synthesis by Bacilli fed on waste streams has been widely adopted, the obtainment of efficient sustainable production processes is still under investigation by bioprocess and metabolic engineering approaches. The abundant glycerol-rich waste generated in the biodiesel industry can be used as a carbon source for γ-PGA production. Here, we studied fermentation performance in different engineered Bacillus subtilis strains in glycerol-based media, considering a swrA+ degU32Hy mutant as the initial producer strain and glucose-based media for comparison. Modifications included engineering the biosynthetic pgs operon regulation (replacing its native promoter with Physpank), precursor accumulation (sucCD or odhAB deletion), and enhanced glutamate racemization (racE overexpression), predicted as crucial reactions by genome-scale model simulations. All interventions increased productivity in glucose-based media, with Physpank-pgs ∆sucCD showing the highest γ-PGA titer (52 g/L). Weaker effects were observed in glycerol-based media: ∆sucCD and Physpank-pgs led to slight improvements under low- and high-glutamate conditions, respectively, reaching ~22 g/L γ-PGA (26% increase). No performance decrease was detected by replacing pure glycerol with crude glycerol waste from a biodiesel plant, and by a 30-fold scale-up. These results may be relevant for improving industrial γ-PGA production efficiency and process sustainability using waste feedstock. The performance differences observed between glucose and glycerol media also motivate additional computational and experimental studies to design metabolically optimized strains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Conversion of Biomass Residues and Waste Streams for the Sustainable Production of Biofuels and Bio-Based Products: 2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 1376 KiB  
Article
ADM1-Based Modeling of Biohydrogen Production through Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Agro-Industrial Wastes in a Continuous-Flow Stirred-Tank Reactor System
by Christina N. Economou, Georgios Manthos, Dimitris Zagklis and Michael Kornaros
Fermentation 2024, 10(3), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10030138 - 29 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1715
Abstract
Biological treatment is a promising alternative for waste management considering the environmentally sustainable concept that the European Union demands. In this direction, anaerobic digestion comprises a viable waste treatment process, producing high energy-carrier gases such as biomethane and biohydrogen under certain operating conditions. [...] Read more.
Biological treatment is a promising alternative for waste management considering the environmentally sustainable concept that the European Union demands. In this direction, anaerobic digestion comprises a viable waste treatment process, producing high energy-carrier gases such as biomethane and biohydrogen under certain operating conditions. The mathematical modeling of this bioprocess can be used as a valuable tool for process scale-up with cost-effective implications. The scope of this work was the evaluation of the well-established Anaerobic Digestion Model 1 (ADM1) for use in two-stage anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial waste. Certain equations for the description of the metabolic pathways for lactate and bioethanol accumulation were implemented in the existing mechanistic model in order to enhance the model’s accuracy. The model presents a high estimation ability regarding the final product (H2 and biogas) reaching the same maximum value for the theoretical as the experimental data of these products (0.0012 and 0.0036 m3/d, respectively). The adapted ADM1 emerges as a useful instrument for designing anaerobic co-digestion processes with the goal of achieving high yields in fermentative hydrogen production, considering mixed biomass growth mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Conversion of Biomass Residues and Waste Streams for the Sustainable Production of Biofuels and Bio-Based Products: 2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 1639 KiB  
Article
Efficient Biorefinery Based on Designed Lignocellulosic Substrate for Lactic Acid Production
by Ying Wang and Ming Gao
Fermentation 2023, 9(8), 744; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9080744 - 9 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1452
Abstract
The current study investigated the feasibility of developing and adopting a few state-of-the-art fermentation techniques to maximize the efficiency of the lignocellulosic waste bioconversion. There have been various efforts towards utilizing the fermentable sugars released from the specific parts of lignocellulose, i.e., cellulose [...] Read more.
The current study investigated the feasibility of developing and adopting a few state-of-the-art fermentation techniques to maximize the efficiency of the lignocellulosic waste bioconversion. There have been various efforts towards utilizing the fermentable sugars released from the specific parts of lignocellulose, i.e., cellulose and hemicellulose. However, complete utilization of carbon sources derived from lignocellulosic biomass remains challenging owing to the generated glucose in the presence of β-glucosidase, which is known as glucose-induced carbon catabolite repression (CCR). To overcome this obstacle, a novel simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of lactic acid was designed by using Celluclast 1.5L as a hydrolytic enzyme to optimize the generation and utilization of pentose and hexose. Under the optimal enzyme loading and pH condition, 53.1 g/L optically pure L-lactic acid with a maximum volumetric productivity of 3.65 g/L/h was achieved during the SSF from the brewer’s spent grain without any nutrient supplementation. This study demonstrated the potential of lactic acid production from the designed lignocellulosic substrate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Conversion of Biomass Residues and Waste Streams for the Sustainable Production of Biofuels and Bio-Based Products: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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24 pages, 1228 KiB  
Review
Got Whey? Sustainability Endpoints for the Dairy Industry through Resource Biorecovery
by Maria Paula Giulianetti de Almeida, Gustavo Mockaitis and David G. Weissbrodt
Fermentation 2023, 9(10), 897; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9100897 - 8 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4326
Abstract
Whey has applications in food, beverages, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and the medical sector. However, it remains a massive dairy residue worldwide (160.7 million m3 year−1), with high organic and nutrient loads. About 42% is used for low-value products such [...] Read more.
Whey has applications in food, beverages, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and the medical sector. However, it remains a massive dairy residue worldwide (160.7 million m3 year−1), with high organic and nutrient loads. About 42% is used for low-value products such as animal feed and fertilizers or is even directly discharged into water streams, leading to ecosystem damage via eutrophication. We reviewed the uses and applications of cheese whey, along with associated environmental impacts and innovative ways to mitigate them using affordable and scalable technologies. Recycling and repurposing whey remain challenges for remote locations and poor communities with limited access to expensive technology. We propose a closed-loop biorefinery strategy to simultaneously mitigate environmental impacts and valorize whey resources. Anaerobic digestion utilizes whey to produce biogas and/or carboxylates. Alternative processes combining anaerobic digestion and low-cost open photobioprocesses can valorize whey and capture organic, nitrogenous, and phosphorous nutrients into microalgal biomass that can be used as food and crop supply or processed into biofuels, pigments, and antioxidants, among other value-added products. The complete valorization of cheese whey also depends on facilitating access to relevant information on whey production, identifying stakeholders, reducing technology gaps among countries, enforcing legislation and compliance, and creating subsidies and fostering partnerships with industries and between countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Conversion of Biomass Residues and Waste Streams for the Sustainable Production of Biofuels and Bio-Based Products: 2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 805 KiB  
Review
Production of Biofuels from Glycerol from the Biodiesel Production Process—A Brief Review
by Eugênia Leandro Almeida, José Eduardo Olivo and Cid Marcos Gonçalves Andrade
Fermentation 2023, 9(10), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9100869 - 27 Sep 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3739
Abstract
Biodiesel is seen as a successor to diesel of petrochemical origin, as it can be used in cycle and stationary engines and be obtained from renewable raw materials. Currently, the biodiesel production process on an industrial scale is mostly carried out through the [...] Read more.
Biodiesel is seen as a successor to diesel of petrochemical origin, as it can be used in cycle and stationary engines and be obtained from renewable raw materials. Currently, the biodiesel production process on an industrial scale is mostly carried out through the transesterification reaction, also forming glycerol as a product. Pure glycerol is used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, cleaning, food, and other industries. Even presenting numerous applications, studies indicate that there is a saturation of glycerol in the market, which is directly related to the production of biodiesel. This increase causes a commercial devaluation of pure glycerol, making separation and purification processes unfeasible from an economic point of view. Despite the economic unfeasibility of the aforementioned processes, they continue to be carried out due to environmental issues. Faced with the problem presented, this work provides a bibliographical review of works that aimed to use glycerol as a raw material for the production of biofuels, with these processes being carried out mostly via fermentation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Conversion of Biomass Residues and Waste Streams for the Sustainable Production of Biofuels and Bio-Based Products: 2nd Edition)
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