Biotechnology in Solid Waste Recycling

Dear Colleagues,

Solid waste management is a local problem with global implications. The amount of waste generated is proportional to the world's population. The amount of waste produced in low-income countries is expected to more than triple by 2050. However, as waste generation increases, so does the demand for an efficient solid waste management system. Cities and local governments face numerous challenges regarding solid waste management. As a result, an increasing number of people live in areas without waste collection and must rely on unregulated landfills. Inadequate solid waste management systems endanger human health, the environment, and the financial stability of several cities. Biotechnology can be used as a strategy to develop a wide range of sustainable and applicable tools and solutions for solid waste reuse. The goal of such a strategy will be to conduct practical and scientific research to address relevant solid waste issues. The second goal will be to design and carry out research projects that will provide data to promote a better understanding of the numerous biotechnological pathways leading to solid waste reuse and repurposing. The information gathered could form the basis for feasibility analysis and process optimization. Furthermore, understanding the factors that limit pollutant bioavailability in relation to transformation and biocolonization mechanisms by organisms is critical for improved treatment efficiency. Finally, treatment configurations can vary significantly depending on the case reel encountered; as a result, case studies and real-world validation of new configurations are critical to the successful implementation of newly developed methods.

Research under the thematic knowledge area of “biotechnology in solid waste recycling” as a broad thematic area. The thematic research sub-areas/scope will be:

• Bioconversion of solid waste into value-added bioproducts or bioprocesses;
• Biosorption and bioleaching of solid wastes;
• Development and Modeling of bioreactors for the biological treatment of solid wastes;
• Waste-to-energy with biotechnology;
• Capabilities of different microorganisms (biological systems) as biotechnological tools for the efficient treatment of solid wastes;
• Study, modeling, and control of the bioavailability of pollutants and biocolonization in solid wastes;
• Validation and optimization of existing biological processes for solid wastes treatment;
• (pre)-treatment of solid wastes with combined physicochemical and biological methods.

Dr. Jean Lubilanji Mulopo
Guest Editor

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