Protists for a Sustainable Bioeconomy: Innovations in Energy, Environment, and Biotechnology

Protists play a fundamental role in global ecosystems, contributing to primary production, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation. In recent decades, growing interest has focused on harnessing protists—especially microalgae—for applications such as biofuel production, carbon capture, wastewater treatment, and bioproduct synthesis. Advances in omics technologies, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and cultivation systems have significantly expanded our understanding of protist physiology and biotechnological potential. Despite this progress, translating laboratory-scale successes into economically viable and environmentally sustainable processes remains challenging. Addressing these limitations requires interdisciplinary approaches that link molecular-level insights with process optimization, life cycle analysis, and circular bioeconomy frameworks.The global transition toward a sustainable and low-carbon bioeconomy requires innovative biological systems capable of producing renewable energy, mitigating environmental pollution, and generating high-value bioproducts. Protists, particularly microalgae and other unicellular eukaryotes, offer exceptional potential due to their metabolic diversity, high productivity, and ability to utilize carbon dioxide, waste nutrients, and non-arable resources. However, significant biological, technological, and economic challenges still limit their large-scale and commercial deployment.The goal of this Research Topic is to bring together cutting-edge research and critical perspectives that advance the use of protists as key drivers of a sustainable bioeconomy. By integrating fundamental protist biology with applied biotechnology, engineering solutions, and sustainability assessments, this collection aims to identify pathways to enhance efficiency, resilience, and scalability of protist-based systems for energy, environmental, and industrial applications.This Research Topic welcomes contributions that explore innovative uses of protists for sustainable energy production, environmental remediation, and biotechnological applications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:- Protist-based bioenergy systems (biofuels, biohydrogen, biogas)- Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology of protists- Omics-driven strain improvement and systems biology- Protists in carbon capture, wastewater treatment, and nutrient recycling- Circular bioeconomy and waste-to-resource strategies- Advances in cultivation technologies, scale-up, and downstream processing- Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of protist-based technologiesThe Research Topic welcomes Original Research Articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Methods, and Perspectives that provide biological insights, technological innovations, or sustainability evaluations. Topic editors: Alvina Farooqui, Vishal Mishra, Gyanendra Tripathi, Nida Fatima Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83453/protists-for-a-sustainable-bioeconomy-innovations-in-energy-environment-and-biotechnology