Microbial Conversion of Organic Waste to Fuels and Chemicals
This community investigates how microorganisms can break down organic waste streams—such as food waste, sewage sludge, and agricultural residues—to produce energy carriers like hydrogen and methane, or industrial chemicals like fatty acids.
The work centers on anaerobic digestion, dark fermentation, and microbial electrolysis. Recurring feedstocks include sugarcane bagasse, rice straw, and lignocellulosic biomass, while key outputs are biohydrogen, biogas, and volatile fatty acids. Methods frequently involve enzymatic hydrolysis, pretreatment strategies, and the optimization of microbial communities. Specific applications include wastewater treatment, bioethanol production, and the cultivation of microalgae such as Chlorella vulgaris for biomass valorization. The research also explores the role of electron transfer in microbial fuel cells and the production of lactic and citric acids.
The largest share of the community's output is found in hydrogen research, accounting for 0.9% of all hydrogen research, and 4,613 papers here. It is also the largest share for manganese research, at 0.9% of that element's total.
The community comprises 19,909 papers, publishing most frequently in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Bioresource Technology, and Fuel.
Recent work focuses on optimizing biohydrogen production using artificial intelligence and nanotechnology, as well as integrating microalgae cultivation with wastewater treatment and biofertilizer production.