Wastewater and Industrial By-Products as Inputs for the Production of Microbial Exopolysaccharides and Surfactants
A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 May 2026 | Viewed by 30
Special Issue Editors
Interests: exopolysaccharides; biosurfactants; microbial enhanced oil recovery; produced water; crude glycerin valorization; xanthan gum; rhamnolipids
Interests: resource recovery; bioprocesses; agri-food biomass valorization; lignocellulosic biomass processing; wastewater; bio-based products; exopolysaccharides; xanthan gum; rhamnolipids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The generation of wastewaters and industrial by-products is expected to continue rising in the coming years, underscoring the urgent need for broader adoption of circular approaches for their valorization and recycling. Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) and biosurfactants are well-established industrial metabolites with growing demand and wide-ranging applications in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, environmental management, and the oil industry. However, their production typically relies on conventional feedstocks such as glucose and sucrose, along with mineral supplements—factors that significantly increase upstream production costs.
Biotechnological approaches offer the possibility of reusing wastewater streams, industrial solids, and agri-food by-products such as crude glycerin as components of culture media for EPS and biosurfactant production. This strategy not only reduces reliance on conventional substrates but also transforms a waste management challenge into an opportunity for sustainable biomanufacturing.
When poorly managed, these waste streams are frequently discarded, contributing to environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the depletion of valuable resources. Within the framework of the circular economy, however, they should be recognized as valuable raw inputs for sustainable bioprocesses. Recovering and transforming such by-products into EPS and biosurfactants represents a promising pathway toward biotechnological solutions and integrated biorefineries. Produced by bacteria and fungi, and more recently investigated in microalgae and cyanobacteria, these compounds offer remarkable potential across multiple sectors, ranging from enhanced oil recovery to food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. Beyond their functional versatility, their production from unconventional substrates enables substantial reductions in process costs, waste disposal, and environmental impact.
This Special Issue invites contributions that explore innovative strategies, scientific advances, and practical applications for the production and utilization of EPS and biosurfactants derived from waste streams. We particularly welcome studies that reinforce the vision of industrial ecology and green bioprocesses by addressing both practical and theoretical aspects of waste valorization.
We encourage submissions of original research articles and reviews in (but not limited to) the following areas:
- Utilization of industrial and agri-food wastewaters for the production of EPS and biosurfactants by bacteria, fungi, microalgae, and cyanobacteria.
- Valorization of industrial and agri-food by-products as culture medium constituents for EPS and biosurfactant production.
- Novel methods and approaches to enhance the production of EPS and biosurfactants in waste-based media.
- Physicochemical characterization and functional property improvements of EPS and biosurfactants obtained from unconventional substrates.
- Application studies of EPS and biosurfactants derived from waste valorization – including food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical uses, as well as environmental management.
- Biorefinery concepts for the cyclical and integrated valorization of wastewaters and by-products, from feedstocks to EPS and surfactant products.
- Production and exploitation of biosurfactants from wastewater and industrial residues for oil and gas industry applications.
- Exopolysaccharide and biosurfactants from unconventional substrates: current advances and applications in enhanced oil recovery.
- Biosurfactant production under extreme environmental conditions by alkali-, halo-, and thermophilic microorganisms using wastewater and industrial residues.
We look forward to receiving your contributions and advancing the knowledge frontier on exopolysaccharides and biosurfactants derived from alternative nutrient sources and integrated into biorefinery applications.
Prof. Dr. Paulo Fernando De Almeida
Dr. Igor Sampaio
Guest Editors
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
- wastewater
- agri-food by-products
- exopolysaccharides
- biosurfactants
- microalgae biotechnology
- cyanobacteria
- fermentation
- bacterial bioprocesses
- enhanced oil recovery
- cosmetics
- food applications
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.