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Applied Sciences
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Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources
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Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 8171

Special Issue Editor

Dr. In Jung Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agriculture and Life Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Interests: biocatalysis; enzyme kinetics; protein engineering; biochemical assay
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Today’s economy is driven by fossil-based materials and fuels, represented by petroleum, which poses serious environmental and social concerns. Biocatalysts based on microorganisms or enzymes are very powerful tools to synthesize a variety of industrially useful compounds from wastes (e.g., agricultural and industrial), which is considered a green approach. Thus, the biotechnological approach is suggested as a promising alternative for accomplishing a sustainable and circular economy.

We are pleased to invite you to this Special Issue on “Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources” to contribute to this important field of research. This Special Issue covers the valorization of cheap starting substrates toward valuable, industrially relevant materials such as fuels, pharmaceuticals, food/cosmetic ingredients, and chemicals, mediated by microorganisms and/or enzymes. Strategies to improve the biocatalyst efficiency (e.g., metabolic or protein engineering) are also encompassed within the scope of the issue.

In this Special Issue, both original research articles and comprehensive reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. In Jung Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biotechnology
  • biocatalyst
  • microorganism
  • enzyme
  • biofuel
  • biochemical
  • renewable source

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 14580 KiB  
Article
Effective Use of Flax Biomass in Biorefining Processes
by Jolanta Batog, Aleksandra Wawro, Weronika Gieparda, Krzysztof Bujnowicz, Joanna Foksowicz-Flaczyk, Szymon Rojewski, Magdalena Chudy and Marcin Praczyk
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7359; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137359 - 21 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 793
Abstract
Flax is one of the few plants that are entirely a source of raw materials for further production. Promising directions for the use of flax biomass may be the production of bioenergy in the form of 2G biofuels and the production of “green” [...] Read more.
Flax is one of the few plants that are entirely a source of raw materials for further production. Promising directions for the use of flax biomass may be the production of bioenergy in the form of 2G biofuels and the production of “green” composites. The aim of the study is to compare the biomass of fiber flax, linseed and dual-purpose varieties of cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) susceptibility to the biorefining processes. In the first stage of the research, based on the results of yield structure features and biometric measurements of plants, the most optimal flax line was selected for the fiber flax, linseed and dual purpose. Next, the forms of flax were pretreated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), the chemical composition was determined and SEM images were taken. The obtaining of bioethanol process SFF (simultaneous saccharification and fermentation) was carried out. In addition, biodegradable polymers were modified with flax biomass, shapes were prepared, and the rheological and mechanical properties, as well as microbiological activity of biocomposites, were determined. The highest concentration of ethanol (8.72 g·L−1) and the greatest susceptibility to mold fungi of the biocomposites were obtained for the fiber flax variety PET 16/20. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources)
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17 pages, 966 KiB  
Article
Combinatorial Effect of Multiple Abiotic Factors on Up-Regulation of Carotenoids and Lipids in Monoraphidium sp. for Pharmacological and Nutraceutical Applications
by Kushi Yadav, Shashi Kumar, Ganesh Chandrakant Nikalje and Monika Prakash Rai
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(10), 6107; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13106107 - 16 May 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1296
Abstract
Carotenoids have attracted significant interest due to their potential use in human health and nutrition, and their global demand increases by 3.7% annually. Currently, synthetic carotenoids dominate the market, but possess challenges such as low antioxidant ability, issues with health benefits, and safety [...] Read more.
Carotenoids have attracted significant interest due to their potential use in human health and nutrition, and their global demand increases by 3.7% annually. Currently, synthetic carotenoids dominate the market, but possess challenges such as low antioxidant ability, issues with health benefits, and safety concerns. Microalgae are potential producers of natural carotenoids with extraordinary antioxidant properties, although the yield is often low in their natural cycle. The present investigation aimed to analyze the effect of multiple abiotic factors on enhancing algal carotenoids synthesis and other metabolites without affecting growth. The potential microalgae Monoraphidium sp. were grown under altered nutrient and light conditions employing RSM-CCD. The optimized conditions, such as Nitrogen (5 g·L−1), Phosphorus +Potassium (250 mg·L−1), Sulphur (70 mg·L−1), and light (137.5 µmol·m−2·S−1), resulted in increased biomass (1357.36 mg·L−1), lipid accumulation (40.28% of dry biomass), and carotenoids (16.26 µg·mL−1) as compared to the control conditions. The total carotenoids fraction consisted of astaxanthin (14.8%), violaxanthin (3.61%), lutein, (45.12%), 9-cis-β carotene (7.62%), and β-carotene-5,6-epoxide (24.21%). Among them, violaxanthin (1.32-fold), astaxanthin (1.19-fold), 9-cis- β carotene (1.07-fold), and β-carotene-5,6-epoxide (1.08-fold) content increased while lutein (1.32-fold) content decreased significantly. The improvement in algal carotenoids under novel culture conditions provides a significant advantage to pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources)
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13 pages, 3634 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Tribological Properties of Bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium Erucate as a Potential Environmentally Friendly Lubricant and Lubricant Additive
by Raimondas Kreivaitis, Milda Gumbytė, Artūras Kupčinskas, Jolanta Treinytė and Eglė Sendžikienė
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 3401; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13063401 - 7 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1137
Abstract
Recently, environmentally friendly lubricants and their additives have been of great interest. Using such lubricants can provide a few benefits, namely: nontoxicity and biodegradability when exposed to groundwater or soil. Moreover, renewable raw materials could be used to produce these lubricants. This study [...] Read more.
Recently, environmentally friendly lubricants and their additives have been of great interest. Using such lubricants can provide a few benefits, namely: nontoxicity and biodegradability when exposed to groundwater or soil. Moreover, renewable raw materials could be used to produce these lubricants. This study aims to synthesize bis (2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium erucate protic ionic liquid containing a renewable counterpart-erucic acid. The synthesis of bis (2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium erucate, its physical properties, solubility in the base lubricating fluid, and tribological properties were evaluated. The study shows that even though the investigated protic ionic liquid is liquid at room temperature, it has a very high kinematic viscosity, which drops when the temperature increases. Bis (2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium erucate can be dissolved in water up to 3 wt%. It also has excellent lubricity when used as a neat lubricant and could be successfully applied as a lubricity-enhancing additive in water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources)
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15 pages, 1152 KiB  
Article
Efficiency of Chemical Toilet Sewage (CTS) Co-Fermentation with Typical Energy Crops
by Marcin Dębowski, Joanna Kazimierowicz and Marcin Zieliński
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13020818 - 6 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1061
Abstract
Chemical toilets are becoming more and more common. Large volumes of chemical toilet sewage (CTS) are generated in popular tourist destinations, where waste conveyance and treatment systems are not an option, which necessitates new methods for neutralizing such waste. Anaerobic digestion is, potentially, [...] Read more.
Chemical toilets are becoming more and more common. Large volumes of chemical toilet sewage (CTS) are generated in popular tourist destinations, where waste conveyance and treatment systems are not an option, which necessitates new methods for neutralizing such waste. Anaerobic digestion is, potentially, one such solution. The aim of the present study was to test the treatability of chemical toilet sewage (CTS) co-fermented with maize silage biomass using anaerobic digestion (AD). It was found that CTS does not impair AD, as long as the fluid used to dilute the feedstock does not contain more than 30% CTS. Biogas yield reached 400 cm3/gVS, and the biogas produced contained 57 ± 2.6% CH4 methane. Higher doses of CTS inhibited anaerobic digestion. This inhibition was directly linked to CTS toxicity, which reduced methanogen populations. This, in turn, slowed down VFA-to-biogas conversion, triggered VFA accumulation, and ultimately increased FOS/TAC and decreased pH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources)
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12 pages, 467 KiB  
Article
Inhibition of Galactooligosaccharide (GOS) Degradation in High-Heat-Treated Goat’s Milk as a Raw Material for Functional Dairy Products
by Dorota Cais-Sokolińska, Łukasz K. Kaczyński and Paulina Bielska
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(22), 11639; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122211639 - 16 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1144
Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the inhibition of galactooligosaccharide (GOS) degradation in heat-treated milk with permeate obtained by microfiltration and concentrated by ultrafiltration. An attempt was made to obtain raw material with a designed composition and stability in terms of [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to analyze the inhibition of galactooligosaccharide (GOS) degradation in heat-treated milk with permeate obtained by microfiltration and concentrated by ultrafiltration. An attempt was made to obtain raw material with a designed composition and stability in terms of GOS content for the production of fermented milk beverages. This study is important due to the versatile possibility of using milk and permeate with GOS in further processing and food production. During the heat treatment of goat’s milk, GOS degradation was approx. 16%. However, no changes in GOS content were observed in goat’s milk with permeate after 30 and 60 min of heating between 72 and 92 °C. Therefore, goat’s milk with permeate in terms of GOS content was stable for up to 60 min, regardless of the temperature. The addition of permeate effectively inhibits GOS degradation in milk. It has been shown that the produced raw material with a stable GOS content during heating can be further used for the production of kefir. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources)
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Review

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12 pages, 552 KiB  
Review
Synthesis of Biodiesel by Interesterification of Triglycerides with Methyl Formate
by Egle Sendzikiene and Violeta Makareviciene
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9912; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199912 - 1 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2153
Abstract
In the conventional synthesis of biodiesel, not only fatty acid esters (biodiesel) are formed, but also the by-product is the glycerol phase, which amounts to about 10 wt.%. Recently, the studies on the interesterification of oil using carboxylate esters have been launched. In [...] Read more.
In the conventional synthesis of biodiesel, not only fatty acid esters (biodiesel) are formed, but also the by-product is the glycerol phase, which amounts to about 10 wt.%. Recently, the studies on the interesterification of oil using carboxylate esters have been launched. In this case, no glycerol is formed, and esters of glycerol and short-chain organic acids soluble in biodiesel are produced. The biodiesel yield is increased, and the biodiesel production process is more economically viable. The process of interesterification with methyl formate yields a mixture of biodiesel and triformylglycerol, which is not inferior in quality to biodiesel, but also has better low-temperature properties. The paper analyzes the application of chemical and enzymatic catalysis methods for the interesterification of triglycerides with methyl formate. The influence of catalyst amount, reagent molar ratio, temperature, and process time on the product yield is presented. The quality indicators of the obtained fuel and their compliance with the requirements of the biodiesel fuel standard are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Production of Fuels and Value-Added Materials from Renewable Sources)
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