Microbial Biofuels: Engineering Microorganisms for Sustainable Fuel Production

Microbial biofuels research explores how microorganisms can be engineered and cultivated to convert renewable resources into liquid and gaseous fuels with lower net greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. This spans everything from metabolic engineering and synthetic biology to bioprocess engineering. Recent directions include the discovery, optimization, and scale-up of biological pathways that produce energy-dense molecules such as ethanol, butanol, biodiesel-like lipids, and advanced “drop-in” hydrocarbons that can better match existing fuel infrastructure.This Research Topic explores recent advances in the development and application of microbial biofuels, spanning microbial engineering, pathway discovery and optimization, and scalable bioprocesses for converting renewable feedstocks into low-carbon liquid and gaseous fuels.Areas within the scope of this collection include:• Microbial chassis development and strain engineering for improved yield, productivity, and robustness• Microbial fuel cells• Recent advancements in microbial-based low carbon-emission hydrogen production and coupled carbon capture and utilization• Discovery and engineering of enzymes and metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of advanced fuels• Feedstock utilization and pretreatment strategies• Improving tolerance and stability under industrially relevant conditions • Bioprocess development and scale-up• Downstream processing and product upgrading, including separation, purification, and hybrid bio–catalytic routes to meet fuel specifications• Techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment. Topic editors: Alagarsamy Arun, Raja Rathinam Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79145/microbial-biofuels-engineering-microorganisms-for-sustainable-fuel-production