Sustainable Synergy Volume II: Balancing Food, Energy, and Water for Improving Sustainability

Emerging Technologies and Circular Dynamics in the Food-Energy-Water-Ecosystem (FEWE) Nexus. Post-2030 sustainability goals, updated global development agendas, and climate-neutrality targets establish a critical framework for urgent action toward comprehensive environmental regeneration, optimized resource circularity, and resilient industrial growth. Within this context, food process sustainability is intrinsically tied to the Food-Energy-Water-Ecosystem (FEWE) Nexus, forming a vital junction where regenerative resource management and environmental impact converge.The FEWE Nexus highlights the deeply interconnected and entirely interdependent relationships among food, energy, biodiversity, and water systems. While clean water and energy are indispensable for safe, secure food production, the resulting wastewater and food biomass can be bio-refined to generate renewable energy, recover valuable resources, and restore soil health.Building upon the foundational themes addressed in Volume I, this second volume explores the transition from theoretical frameworks to operational resilience and digital integration within the food sector. To address modern global challenges, the industry must shift toward regenerative systems and Industry 5.0 technologies. Managing these multidimensional interactions is essential for addressing sustainability challenges across all supply chain stages, including regenerative cultivation, smart processing, sustainable and smart packaging, decarbonized transportation, and closed-loop recycling.Optimizing resource usage and eliminating waste through advanced processing and digital tools not only enhances operational efficiency but also drives the creation of eco-friendly, high-quality, and nutrient-dense food products. Ultimately, this helps achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action), fostering deep tech innovation and building resilient infrastructure.We welcome contributions that advance the current state of the art and offer novel insights into the field. Topics of interest for Volume II include, but are not limited to:• Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and Engineering. Utilizing advanced LCSA (combining environmental, economic, and social impacts) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to evaluate food products from cradle to grave. We encourage studies proposing predictive scenarios to minimize the environmental footprint of food processing and supply chain operations.• Smart FEWE Nexus optimization. Evaluating and implementing simulation, IoT, and AI-driven integrated management practices that balance raw materials, water, and energy demands in real-time, utilizing advanced software combined with environmental and economic assessments.• Deep decarbonization and Renewable energy integration. Transitioning to next-generation renewable energy sources (including green hydrogen, solar thermal, and microgrids), the electrification of industrial heat, and the integration of decentralized renewable sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependency.• Circular bioeconomy, waste minimization, and valorization. Implementing zero-waste and efficient management practices to completely valorise waste streams, industrial wastewater, and alternative packaging materials generated by the food and beverage industries into high-value secondary resources.• Advanced biorefinery design, cascade processing, and upcycling (Biorefinery 4.0). Maximizing the recovery of a wide range of bioactive compounds, proteins, resources, and biochemicals from industrial agri-food by-products. This involves applying green, non-conventional technologies individually or in a cascade approach.• Circular water management. Implementing advanced wastewater regeneration strategies to ensure industrial water autonomy and safety.• Socio-Economic impact of the Nexus. Analyzing how integrated FEWE management contributes to the broader social and economic sustainability of the food and beverage industries.By merging a holistic, technologically advanced perspective with a comprehensive analysis of alternative processing scenarios, this Research Topic offers a strategic roadmap for the food and beverage industry. Identifying applications for different recovered fractions, including advanced biofuel and biomaterial production, accelerates the transition to an industrial-scale circular bioeconomy and supports the shift toward renewable energy.This comprehensive approach offers a powerful framework for evaluating alternative processing scenarios, embedding corrective measures, and transferring novel processes into the industrial environment. Consequently, it transforms environmental challenges into competitive advantages through cross-sector synergy, ensuring a substantial conservation of intellectual, financial, and economic resources.All contributions must align with the specific scope and mission statement of the chosen journal and section. Frontiers reserves the right to guide out-of-scope manuscripts to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of the peer-review process. Topic editors: Giovanna Ferrari, José Antonio Teixeira, Cristina Rocha, Michele Michelin, Serena Carpentieri Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81564/sustainable-synergy-volume-ii-balancing-food-energy-and-water-for-improving-sustainability