About this Research Topic

Background

Microbial communities are industrially important for the production of various value-added materials such as biochemicals, enzymes, and biofuels. Many of them exhibit special metabolic capabilities, which are further enhanced and up-scaled through intelligent bioprocess optimization and metabolic engineering routes. Bioprospecting with the aim of discovering a plethora of biofuel-producing microbes is an important area of study, that can resolve fundamental issues of escalating fuel prices and depletion of fossil fuels. Co-cultivation of various microorganisms, especially for biohydrogen production using algal and bacterial isolates, holds future challenges for researchers. Other artificially designed co-cultures aim at breakdown of lignocellulosic substrates for releasing sugars that are further fermented by other groups of organisms, for biofuel production, in sustainable and economical biorefineries.

The goal of this Research Topic is to pool the scientific contributions made by researchers across the globe to ameliorate the current environmental issues in the bioenergy sector.
This area of biofuel research is very widespread and is evolving rapidly in various aspects. Various biofuels are being experimented upon, including aviation fuels, syngas, biohydrogen, etc and novel concepts are being plated out for in-depth study/engineering of metabolic pathways or for discovery of novel bioprocesses. The areas of involvement of Clostridia sp. for production of biofuel via the utilization of C1 compounds, have gained momentum. Research on algal systems/diatoms is another current research area for promoting the set-up of biorefineries via concomitant production of biofuels, and pigments /neutraceuticals. Environmental concerns on waste management may be ameliorated by using various categories of agricultural and industrial waste, for the cultivation of oleaginous microorganisms, that grow on a wide variety of sugars derived from waste hydrolysates. Biobutanol and other longer chain/branched alcohols are being studied to resolve the problems associated with bioethanol e.g. higher water solubility and lower energy content than petroleum /longer chain alcohols.

The scope of this Research Topic is multifaceted which demonstrates the vastness of this research area on biofuel production. Every aspect of biofuel production will be encompassed such as:

1. Isolation of unique or novel microbes for biofuel production
2. Microbial fermentation using pure or co-cultures
3. Scaling up of bioprocess, cost analysis, societal/environmental effects of production
4. Advanced microbial technologies showing active metabolism under high pressures using genetically/metabolically engineered microbes
5. Designing microbial fuel cells


Research articles and reviews on novel ideas, bioprocess optimization or scaling-up biofuel production using unique or pure isolates of bacteria, yeast, algae, diatoms, genetically modified organisms or artificially developed consortia will be welcomed.

The Research Topic will also welcome articles on characterization and modulation of metabolic pathways involved and genetic engineering of microbes. Contributions on advancements in technologies, involved in biofuel production designed for mitigating environmental concerns of waste management and global warning, will be welcome.
Articles on improved pre-processing of feedstock, including elucidation of certain enzymatic cocktails, anaerobic digestion, nanobiotechnological enhancement of biofuels production, development of biorefinery and its production analysis on economy or societal/environmental benefits will be also considered.

Keywords: Biofuel production, pre-treatment, biorefinery, value added products, metabolic pathways

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.

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