As the rise of industrial waste byproducts continue to threaten human and non-human health and environments, there is pressing need to identify compounds that can dispose of waste or even transform waste into value-added, usable products, such as biofuels, food products, bioplastics, chemicals, and biofertilizers. In recent years, microbes and microbial enzymes have shown great promise for their ability to degrade and transform environmental pollutants. This article collection is dedicated to Enzymatic and Microbial Techniques for Waste Valorization and Biodegradation, highlighting innovative approaches to sustainable utilization and management of bioresources from local and global perspectives.
We welcome original research and reviews. All manuscripts will go through a rigorous review process before being published as open access articles.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
Valorization of agroindustrial waste
Biological processing of biomass
New bioreactors for waste valorization and biodegradation
Novel biocatalysts for waste valorization and biodegradation
Water and Wastewater Treatment
Biodegradation and deterioration
Food biotechnology and product development
Natural products
Bio-business and entrepreneurship
Biodegradable materials
About our Guest Advisors:
Monica Lizeth Chavez Gonzalez
Mónica is a full professor at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila. She is a pharmacobiological chemist, with training in Food Science and Technology, and has worked in the development of bioprocesses for the valorization of agroindustrial by-products. She is currently the General Coordinator and founder of the Bioprocessing Mx-LATAM Network, whose objective is to promote R&D in the area of bioprocessing through interaction between universities, institutes, research centers and relevant industries in Mexico and Latin America. Dr. Chávez is a member of S.N.I. (Sistema Nacional de Investigaciones, Mexico) since 2016 (Level I). She has published more than 50 articles in JCR journals and 4 books with prestigious international publishers. She has been awarded the Latin American Women in Chemistry Awards in the "Emerging Leader" category by the American Chemical Society and the Latin American Federation of Chemical Associations (FLAQ).
Liliana Londoño Hernandez
Liliana is the National Leader of the Master's Program in Food Biotechnology at the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia UNAD. Her scientific work focuses on the use and valorization of agri-food resources through fermentation to obtain foods of better nutritional quality and metabolites of industrial interest. She is a full-time professor and researcher at UNAD in the BIOTICS Group.
Ricardo Gómez García
Ricardo holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the Catholic University of Portugal (2022). Currently, he is working on the development of innovative and sustainable biorefinery processes within the context of zero-waste and circular economy approaches for the extraction/identification of functional bioactive compounds with industrial interest from fruit by-products for their valorisation and reincorporation into the industrial value chain. He was involved in the submission of two patent provisional applications related to bioactive compounds (polyphenols and proteins), bioactivity, and extraction. He has participated in more than 20 international congress communications in areas related with Biotechnology, Food Science & Technology and Bioengineering.
Cristóbal N. Aguilar
Professor Cristóbal N. Aguilar is currently Vice-chancellor of Research and director of postgraduate programs at Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, México. He has been director of the School of Chemistry and leader of the Bioprocesses and Bioproducts Research Group at same institution. Prof. Aguilar has made outstanding contributions in the fields of Solid-state fermentation, microbial production of enzymes, pigments, bioactive compounds, oligosaccharides, and microbial biochemistry and physiology. He has published more than 500 research articles, is a Fellow of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, and has received numerous awards: the 2003 National Food Science and Technology Award; AgroBio2005 Award; 2008 SMBB Biotechnology and Bioengineering Award; Mexican Academy of Science Award; 2019 Science, Technology and Innovation Coahuila Award; 2018 Outstanding Scientist Award by the International Bioprocessing Association; and The International Bioprocessing Association Distinguished Scientist Award for 2021-2022 for his significant contributions in microbial and enzymatic technologies.
