Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) and Their Potential in Waste-Based Biorefineries

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce a Special Issue of Biotech dedicated to the production, optimization and valorization of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) derived from organic waste, residues, by-products and sidestreams. This Special Issue aims to highlight the pivotal role of bio-based VFAs in advancing waste-based biorefineries and offering sustainable alternatives to fossil-based chemicals.

VFAs are versatile chemical building blocks with wide-ranging applications in industries such as food, feed, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and herbicides. While the majority of VFAs in the market are derived from petrochemical refining (constituting approximately 90% of global demand), fermentation-based VFAs present a renewable and environmentally friendly alternative. As intermediates in anaerobic digestion, VFAs have immense potential for transformation into value-added biochemicals and biomaterials, unlocking new opportunities in waste valorization.

This Special Issue seeks to highlight research and innovations in the following key areas:

• Strategies for methanogenesis inhibition, maximizing VFA yields, tailoring acid profiles and exploring diverse waste substrates.
• Developing pathways for converting mixed VFAs into high-value biochemicals such as biofuels and sustainable biomaterials such as bioplastics.
• Addressing challenges in downstream separation, purification and scalability to meet industry demands.

We invite submissions of original research articles, reviews and short communications on the specified aspects of this emerging field.

Dr. Amir Mahboubi Soufiani
Dr. Konstantinos Chandolias
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 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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. BioTech is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1800 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.