Biodegradation and Fermentation in Biorefinery

Dear Colleagues,

The biorefinery concept is noticeably evolving to include the efficient conversion of diverse biomass feedstock into value-added products. The desire to replace fossil-based feedstock with renewable feedstock is leading to various technological innovations advancing biorefinery to become a suitable renewable equivalent to petroleum refinery. Biorefineries offer hope in organic waste valorization, the reduction of GHG emissions and the development of a circular bioeconomy.     

Microbial fermentation is one of the key components of a biorefinery platform, and harnesses the potential of microorganisms to convert diverse organic waste and biomass into biofuels and a spectrum of bio-based products. Fermentative bioconversion could produce a wide range of high-value and low-volume biochemicals, such as platform chemicals, pharmaceutical products, bioplastic building blocks, etc., as well as low-value and high-volume products such as biofuels. Nevertheless, there are several challenges associated with the fermentation process, especially in terms of economic process feasibility, scalability, and commercialization. Key challenges such as the quality of biomass, inhibitors, and the low conversion rate of complex biomass are actively being addressed to improve the fermentation process. The field is rapidly evolving, with various technological innovations and breakthrough research related to genetic engineering and strain improvement, as well as the optimization of process parameters to make the process more economical and sustainable.     

This Special Issue aims to reflect the significance and achievements of fermentation technology in biorefinery. The goal of this Issue is to publish original research, review, and short communication articles in the fields of bioprocesses, genetic engineering, microbial biodegradation, and their application in waste valorization, as well as the conversion of biomass into value-added products in energy, health, and bio-industrial sectors. 

Dr. Krishnamoorthy Hegde
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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.