Technoeconomic analysis for biofuels and bioproducts

Biomass as an alternative feedstock to oleochemicals

The huge demands for petrochemicals have led to a rapid increase in the production of these fossil-based derivatives. Biomass represents a promising feedstock for addressing the challenges related to petrochemicals in terms of the necessity to apply renewable sources and the need to decrease carbon emissions. Among the natural biomass products, most studies have attempted to upgrade natural oils owing to their promising advantages of worldwide availability, low-cost processing, and built-in functionality. This paper discusses the upgradation of natural oils to the most beneficial oleochemicals, including fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and fatty acid methyl esters. This review also covers the utility, physico-chemical properties, and the production processes for such materials. The interconnected reaction routes to produce oleochemicals and the affecting parameters (catalyst design, temperature, and pressure) are also elucidated. Furthermore, this article discusses the future perspective of oleochemicals based on their development in recent years.

Photobioreactors for building integration: A overview of designs and architectural potential

The global community faces critical energy and environmental challenges, necessitating innovative solutions to ensure a sustainable future.In response to these challenges, this paper explores the potential of integrating microalgal biotechnology with renewable energy systems within buildings. This innovative approach could transform architecture into a "bio-factory" capable of producing food, energy, and other valuable products.The success of this concept hinges on developing highly efficient photobioreactors specifically designed for building integration. Optimizing these systems requires careful consideration of design parameters, growth rate models, and factors influencing performance within diverse urban environments.Furthermore, integrating these systems must prioritize productivity and aesthetics to promote urban self-sufficiency and a sustainable built environment. By utilizing microalgae and renewable energy sources, building-integrated photobioreactors offer a promising solution for reducing energy consumption and carbon footprints in modern buildings.

Innovations in pavement design and engineering: A 2023 sustainability review

Transportation infrastructure is essential to a nation's everyday life and economic activity. Accordingly, pavement design and engineering are imperative to ensure safe, comfortable, and efficient transportation of goods, services, and people across countries. Pavements should be designed to be adaptable to changing traffic inputs and environmental conditions and always strive to fulfill the requirements of the end-users, including safety, durability, comfort, efficiency, sustainability, and cost. This review highlights innovations in paving technologies with a focus on sustainability from a socio-technical perspective; the scope is meant to be comprehensive but not exhaustive. The discussion categorizes paving design and technology innovations into two high-level sections: 1) high-volume urban pavement innovations and 2) low-volume rural pavement innovations.

Enabling Lignin Valorization Through Integrated Advances in Plant Biology and Biorefining

Despite lignin having long been viewed as an impediment to the processing of biomass for the production of paper, biofuels, and high-value chemicals, the valorization of lignin to fuels, chemicals, and materials is now clearly recognized as a critical element for the lignocellulosic bioeconomy. However, the intended application for lignin will likely require a preferred lignin composition and form. To that end, effective lignin valorization will require the integration of plant biology, providing optimal feedstocks, with chemical process engineering, providing efficient lignin transformations. Recent advances in our understanding of lignin biosynthesis have shown that lignin structure is extremely diverse and potentially tunable, while simultaneous developments in lignin refining have resulted in the development of several processes that are more agnostic to lignin composition. Here, we review the interface between in planta lignin design and lignin processing and discuss the advances necessary for lignin valorization to become a feature of advanced biorefining.

Catalytic Transformation of Carbohydrates into Renewable Organic Chemicals by Revering the Principles of Green Chemistry

Adherence to the principles of green chemistry in a biorefinery setting ensures energy efficiency, reduces the consumption of materials, simplifies reactor design, and rationalizes the process parameters for synthesizing affordable organic chemicals of desired functional efficacy and ingrained sustainability. The green chemistry metrics facilitate assessing the relative merits and demerits of alternative synthetic pathways for the targeted product(s). This work elaborates on how green chemistry has emerged as a transformative framework and inspired innovations toward the catalytic conversion of biomass-derived carbohydrates into fuels, chemicals, and synthetic polymers. Specific discussions have been incorporated on the judicious selection of feedstock, reaction parameters, reagents (stoichiometric or catalytic), and other synthetic auxiliaries to obtain the targeted product(s) in desired selectivity and yield. The prospects of a carbohydrate-centric biorefinery have been emphasized and research avenues have been proposed to eliminate the remaining roadblocks. The analyses presented in this review will steer to developing superior synthetic strategies and processes for envisaging a sustainable bioeconomy centered on biomass-derived carbohydrates.

Beet red food colourant can be produced more sustainably with engineered Yarrowia lipolytica

Synthetic food colourants are widely used in the food industry, but consumer concerns about safety and sustainability are driving a need for natural food-colour alternatives. Betanin, which is extracted from red beetroots, is a commonly used natural red food colour. However, the betanin content of beetroot is very low (~0.2% wet weight), which means that the extraction of betanin is incredibly wasteful in terms of land use, processing costs and vegetable waste. Here we developed a sustainability-driven biotechnological process for producing red beet betalains, namely, betanin and its isomer isobetanin, by engineering the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Metabolic engineering and fermentation optimization enabled production of 1,271 ± 141 mg l-1 betanin and 55 ± 7 mg l-1 isobetanin in 51 h using glucose as carbon source in controlled fed-batch fermentations. According to a life cycle assessment, at industrial scale (550 t yr-1), our fermentation process would require significantly less land, energy and resources compared with the traditional extraction of betanin from beetroot crops. Finally, we apply techno-economic assessment to show that betanin production by fermentation could be economically feasible in the existing market conditions.

Maximizing microbial bioproduction from sustainable carbon sources using iterative systems engineering

Maximizing the production of heterologous biomolecules is a complex problem that can be addressed with a systems-level understanding of cellular metabolism and regulation. Specifically, growth-coupling approaches can increase product titers and yields and also enhance production rates. However, implementing these methods for non-canonical carbon streams is challenging due to gaps in metabolic models. Over four design-build-test-learn cycles, we rewire Pseudomonas putida KT2440 for growth-coupled production of indigoidine from para-coumarate. We explore 4,114 potential growth-coupling solutions and refine one design through laboratory evolution and ensemble data-driven methods. The final growth-coupled strain produces 7.3 g/L indigoidine at 77% maximum theoretical yield in para-coumarate minimal medium. The iterative use of growth-coupling designs and functional genomics with experimental validation was highly effective and agnostic to specific hosts, carbon streams, and final products and thus generalizable across many systems.

Machine learning for surrogate process models of bioproduction pathways

Technoeconomic analysis and life-cycle assessment are critical to guiding and prioritizing bench-scale experiments and to evaluating economic and environmental performance of biofuel or biochemical production processes at scale. Traditionally, commercial process simulation tools have been used to develop detailed models for these purposes. However, developing and running such models can be costly and computationally intensive, which limits the degree to which they can be shared and reproduced in the broader research community. This study evaluates the potential of an automated machine learning approach to develop surrogate models based on conventional process simulation models. The analysis focuses on several high-value biofuels and bioproducts for which pathways of production from biomass feedstocks have been well-established. The results demonstrate that surrogate models can be an accurate and effective tool for approximating the cost, mass and energy balance outputs of more complex process simulations at a fraction of the computational expense.

Carbon credit reduction: A techno-economic analysis of "drop-in" fuel production

The current study elucidates the fundamentals of technical, financial, and environmental viability of the processes used for sustainable "drop-in" fuel generation. At present, the price of producing "drop-in" fuels is around two times as costly (5-6 USD/gallon) as the cost of fossil fuels (3 USD/gallon), especially when using second-generation feedstocks. Hence, this necessitates a comprehensive techno-economic understanding of the current technologies with respect to "drop-in"-fuel. This entitles technical-economic viability, and environmental sustainability to make the processes involved commercially viable. In this context, the present review addresses unique contrasts among the various processes involved in "drop-in" fuel production. Furthermore, principles and process flow of techno-economic analysis as well as environmental implications in terms of reduced carbon footprint and carbon credit are elucidated to discuss fundamentals of techno-economic analysis in terms of capital and operational expenditure, revenue, simulation, cash flow analysis, mass and energy balances with respect to evidence-based practices. Case specific techno-economic studies with current developments in this field of research with emphasis on software tools viz., Aspen Plus, Aspen HYSIS, Aspen Plus Economic Analyser (APEC) Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator (AIPE) are also highlighted. The study also emphasis on the carbon foot print of biofuels and its carbon credits (Carbon Offset Credits (COCs) and Carbon Reduction Credits (CRCs)) by leveraging a deep technical and robust business-oriented insights about the techno-economic analysis (TEA) exclusively for the biofuel production.

Advances and opportunities in integrating economic and environmental performance of renewable products

There is a growing global need to transition from a fossil-based to a bio-based economy to produce fuels, chemicals, food, and materials. In the specific context of industrial biotechnology, a successful transition toward a sustainable development requires not only steering investment toward a bioeconomy, but also responsibly introducing bio-based products with lower footprints and competitive market prices. A comprehensive sustainability assessment framework applied along various research stages to guide bio-based product development is urgently needed but currently missing. To support holistic approaches to strengthen the global bioeconomy, the present study discusses methodologies and provides perspectives on the successful integration of economic and environmental performance aspects to guide product innovation in biotechnology. Efforts on quantifying the economic and environmental performance of bio-based products are analyzed to highlight recent trends, challenges, and opportunities. We critically analyze methods to integrate Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as example tools that can be used to broaden the scope of assessing biotechnology systems performance. We highlight the lack of social assessment aspects in existing frameworks. Data need for jointly applying TEA and LCA of succinic acid as example commodity chemical are assessed at various Technology readiness levels (TRLs) to illustrate the relevance of the level of integration and show the benefits of the use of combined assessments. The analysis confirms that the implementation of integrated TEA and LCA at lower TRLs will provide more freedom to improve bio-based product's sustainability performance. Consequently, optimizing the system across TRLs will guide sustainability-driven innovation in new biotechnologies transforming renewable feedstock into valuable bio-based products.

An inclusive trend study of techno-economic analysis of biofuel supply chains

Biofuels have gained much attention as a potentially sustainable alternative to fossil fuels to tackle climate change and energy scarcity. Hence, the increasing global interest in contributing to the biofuel supply chain (BSC), from biomass feedstock to biofuel production, has led to a huge amount of scientific production in recent years. In this vein, techno-economic analysis (TEA) of biofuel production to estimate total costs and revenues is highly important for transitioning towards a bioeconomy. This research aims to provide a comprehensive image of the body of knowledge in TEA evolution within the BSC domain. To this end, a systematic science mapping analysis, supported by a bibliometric analysis, is carried out on 1104 articles from 1986 to 2021. As a result, performance indicators of the scientific production within the target literature are presented to explain how this literature has evolved. Besides, thematic trends and conceptual structures of TEA of biofuel production are discovered. The results show that (i) biofuel production and consumption need promotion through tax measures and price subsidies, (ii) the development of cost-competitive algal biofuels has faced many challenges over recent years, and (iii) TEA of algal biofuels to identify commercial improvements and increase the economic feasibility is still lacking, which calls for more in-depth investigations. Consequently, current challenges and future perspectives of TEA in the BSC domain are rendered. The provided insights enable researchers and decision-makers involved in BSCs to (i) capture the most influential contributors to the field and (ii) identify major research hotspots and potential directions for further development.

A review on strategies to reduce ionic liquid pretreatment costs for biofuel production

Worldwide demand for renewable energy has promoted the considerable exploration of biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass. Ionic liquid pretreatment is of great interest to render biomass amenable for biofuel production, however, its unaffordable cost stimulates significant attention to the feasibility of commercialization. This review aims to compile the latest advances with respect to reducing production costs for ionic liquids-based biorefineries. Protic ionic liquids offer relatively low synthesis costs, but excessive antisolvent washing of the pretreated biomass is often inevitable. Recovering ionic liquids requires several separation and purification steps, and the reuse of ionic liquids could significantly lose functionality due to the degradation. It is promising to screen ionic liquids-tolerant enzymes and strains for one-pot saccharification and fermentation without solid-liquid separation, however, there is still a need for subsequent recovery of ionic liquids. Additionally, technoeconomic analysis and life cycle assessment are highly recommended to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts.

Appraising the availability of biomass residues in India and their bioenergy potential

Biomass produced from agriculture at present provides most energy services in developing nations. In India, enormous quantities of biomass are produced for conversion into valuable energy. Bioenergy production from agricultural leftovers, animal manure, and municipal waste has the potential to meet of the rising need sustainable energy. It is a practical and sustainable option since the energy produced from the above mentioned sources can minimise the use of fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and alleviate the effects of climate change. In addition, it can boost marginal and small farmers in terms of income and job opportunities. Evaluating agricultural leftovers, animal manure, and municipal waste as bioenergy resources can provide a method of tapping renewable energy opportunities. It is possible to minimise constraints for using agricultural leftovers, animal manure, and municipal waste, support investment decisions, and maximise the utilisation of biomass resources available. This study is intended to establish the amount of energy demand in India that can be met by using crop residues, animal manure, logging residues, and municipal waste. The annual energy potential of these biomass waste was quantified and assessed in the study. It has been determined that the technical bioenergy potential of these biomass resources is 1.29 × 10³ PJ in 2.31 × 10⁴ Mm³ of biogas and 7.79 × 10² PJ in 3.49 × 10⁴ Ml of cellulosic ethanol. However, the country must overcome techno-economic barriers to handle the projects likely to be initiated soon.

Translating advances in microbial bioproduction to sustainable biotechnology

Advances in synthetic biology have radically changed our ability to rewire microorganisms and significantly improved the scalable production of a vast array of drop-in biopolymers and biofuels. The success of a drop-in bioproduct is contingent on market competition with petrochemical analogues and weighted upon relative economic and environmental metrics. While the quantification of comparative trade-offs is critical for accurate process-level decision making, the translation of industrial ecology to synthetic biology is often ambiguous and assessment accuracy has proven challenging. In this review, we explore strategies for evaluating industrial biotechnology through life cycle and techno-economic assessment, then contextualize how recent developments in synthetic biology have improved process viability by expanding feedstock availability and the productivity of microbes. By juxtaposing biological and industrial constraints, we highlight major obstacles between the disparate disciplines that hinder accurate process evaluation. The convergence of these disciplines is crucial in shifting towards carbon neutrality and a circular bioeconomy.

A consolidated review of commercial-scale high-value products from lignocellulosic biomass

For decades, lignocellulosic biomass has been introduced to the public as the most important raw material for the environmentally and economically sustainable production of high-valued bioproducts by microorganisms. However, due to the strong recalcitrant structure, the lignocellulosic materials have major limitations to obtain fermentable sugars for transformation into value-added products, e.g., bioethanol, biobutanol, biohydrogen, etc. In this review, we analyzed the recent trends in bioenergy production from pretreated lignocellulose, with special attention to the new strategies for overcoming pretreatment barriers. In addition, persistent challenges in developing for low-cost advanced processing technologies are also pointed out, illustrating new approaches to addressing the global energy crisis and climate change caused by the use of fossil fuels. The insights given in this study will enable a better understanding of current processes and facilitate further development on lignocellulosic bioenergy production.

Bioprocess development of 2, 3-butanediol production using agro-industrial residues

The valorization of agricultural and industrial wastes for fuel and chemical production benefits environmental sustainability. 2, 3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO) is a value-added platform chemical covering many industrial applications. Since the global market is increasing drastically, production rates have to increase. In order to replace the current petroleum-based 2,3-BDO production, renewable feedstock's ability has been studied for the past few decades. This study aims to find an improved bioprocess for producing 2,3-BDO from agricultural and industrial residues, consequently resulting in a low CO₂ emission bioprocess. For this, screening of 13 different biomass samples for hydrolyzable sugars has been done. Alkali pretreatment has been performed with the processed biomass and enzyme hydrolysis performed using commercial cellulase. Among all biomass hydrolysate oat hull and spruce bark biomass could produce the maximum amount of total reducing sugars. Later oat hull and spruce bark biomass with maximum hydrolyzable sugars have been selected for submerged fermentation studies using Enterobacter cloacae SG1. After fermentation, 37.59 and 26.74 g/L of 2,3-BDO was obtained with oat hull and spruce bark biomass, respectively. The compositional analysis of each step of biomass processing has been performed and changes in each component have been evaluated. The compositional analysis has revealed that biomass composition has changed significantly after pretreatment and hydrolysis leading to a remarkable release of sugars which can be utilized by bacteria for 2,3-BDO production. The results have been found to be promising, showing the potential of waste biomass residues as a low-cost raw material for 2,3-BDO production and thus a new lead in an efficient waste management approach for less CO₂ emission.

Comparing in planta accumulation with microbial routes to set targets for a cost-competitive bioeconomy

The establishment of a carbon-negative bioeconomy that eliminates the need for crude oil will require a range of bioproducts. Accumulating value-added bioproducts directly in bioenergy crops can be an important strategy for enabling economically competitive biorefineries that produce a range of renewable fuels and replacements for petrochemicals. However, microbial chassis may have advantages over plants for some products. To date, there has been no systematic analysis aimed at comparing microbial production routes with in planta accumulation to establish breakeven targets for yields and accumulation rates. In this study, we provide generalizable insights into these breakeven points by exploring four bioproducts (4-hydroxybenzoic acid [4-HBA], 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid [PDC], muconic acid, and catechol) currently produced both in plants and by microbial hosts.

Plants and microbes share common metabolic pathways for producing a range of bioproducts that are potentially foundational to the future bioeconomy. However, in planta accumulation and microbial production of bioproducts have never been systematically compared on an economic basis to identify optimal routes of production. A detailed technoeconomic analysis of four exemplar compounds (4-hydroxybenzoic acid [4-HBA], catechol, muconic acid, and 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid [PDC]) is conducted with the highest reported yields and accumulation rates to identify economically advantaged platforms and breakeven targets for plants and microbes. The results indicate that in planta mass accumulation ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 dry weight % (dwt%) can achieve costs comparable to microbial routes operating at 40 to 55% of maximum theoretical yields. These yields and accumulation rates are sufficient to be cost competitive if the products are sold at market prices consistent with specialty chemicals ($20 to $50/kg). Prices consistent with commodity chemicals will require an order-of-magnitude-greater accumulation rate for plants and/or yields nearing theoretical maxima for microbial production platforms. This comparative analysis revealed that the demonstrated accumulation rates of 4-HBA (3.2 dwt%) and PDC (3.0 dwt%) in engineered plants vastly outperform microbial routes, even if microbial platforms were to reach theoretical maximum yields. Their recovery and sale as part of a lignocellulosic biorefinery could enable biofuel prices to be competitive with petroleum. Muconic acid and catechol, in contrast, are currently more attractive when produced microbially using a sugar feedstock. Ultimately, both platforms can play an important role in replacing fossil-derived products.

Engineered Production of Isobutanol from Sugarcane Trash Hydrolysates in Pichia pastoris

Concerns over climate change have led to increased interest in renewable fuels in recent years. Microbial production of advanced fuels from renewable and readily available carbon sources has emerged as an attractive alternative to the traditional production of transportation fuels. Here, we engineered the yeast Pichia pastoris, an industrial powerhouse in heterologous enzyme production, to produce the advanced biofuel isobutanol from sugarcane trash hydrolysates. Our strategy involved overexpressing a heterologous xylose isomerase and the endogenous xylulokinase to enable the yeast to consume both C5 and C6 sugars in biomass. To enable the yeast to produce isobutanol, we then overexpressed the endogenous amino acid biosynthetic pathway and the 2-keto acid degradation pathway. The engineered strains produced isobutanol at a titer of up to 48.2 ± 1.7 mg/L directly from a minimal medium containing sugarcane trash hydrolysates as the sole carbon source. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of advanced biofuel production using agricultural waste-derived hydrolysates in the yeast P. pastoris. We envision that our work will pave the way for a scalable route to this advanced biofuel and further establish P. pastoris as a versatile production platform for fuels and high-value chemicals.

An integrated deep eutectic solvent-ionic liquid-metal catalyst system for lignin and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural production from lignocellulosic biomass: Technoeconomic analysis

There is an increasing interest in deep eutectic solvent (DES) and ionic liquid (IL) for lignin and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) production from lignocellulosic biomass, but their economic costs raise great concerns. In this study, the effects of DES (ZnCl₂-lactic acid)/IL([EMIM]Cl)/metal catalysts (CuCl₂-CrCl₂) recycling time, acetone/water washing volume, HMF yield, and production capacity on total capital investment, annual operating cost, and net present value (NPV) of the refinery were elucidated. Results showed that annual operating cost was highly associated with DES/IL/metal catalysts recycling time as it determined raw materials cost. The HMF MSP of $16453/MT for the base case (ZnCl₂/lactic acid recycling 5 times, acetone/water washing 5 volumes, CuCl₂-CrCl₂-[EMIM]Cl recycling 10 times, HMF yield of 55%, and production capacity of 100 MT/h) was achieved with an IRR of 10%. Sensitivity analysis identified the unit costs of lactic acid and [EMIM]Cl as the dominant contributors to the HMF MSP.

Microbial pathways for advanced biofuel production

Decarbonisation of the transport sector is essential to mitigate anthropogenic climate change. Microbial metabolisms are already integral to the production of renewable, sustainable fuels and, building on that foundation, are being re-engineered to generate the advanced biofuels that will maintain mobility of people and goods during the energy transition. This review surveys the range of natural and engineered microbial systems for advanced biofuels production and summarises some of the techno-economic challenges associated with their implementation at industrial scales.

Organic solid waste: Biorefinery approach as a sustainable strategy in circular bioeconomy

Waste generation is associated with numerous environmental consequences, making it a point of discussion in the environmental arena. Efforts have been made around the world to develop a systematic management approach coupled with a sustainable treatment technology to maximize resource utilization of organic solid waste. Biorefineries and bio-based products play a critical role in lowering total emissions and supporting energy systems. However, economic viability of biorefineries, on the other hand, is a stumbling hurdle to their commercialization. This communication provides a thorough study of the concept of biorefinery in waste management, as well as technological advancements in this field. In addition, the notion of techno-economic assessment, as well as challenges and future prospects have been covered. To find the most technologically and economically viable solution, further techno-economic study to the new context is required. Overall, this communication would assist decision-makers in identifying environmentally appropriate biorefinery solutions ahead of time.

Production of Bioethanol—A Review of Factors Affecting Ethanol Yield

Fossil fuels are a major contributor to climate change, and as the demand for energy production increases, alternative sources (e.g., renewables) are becoming more attractive. Biofuels such as bioethanol reduce reliance on fossil fuels and can be compatible with the existing fleet of internal combustion engines. Incorporation of biofuels can reduce internal combustion engine (ICE) fleet carbon dioxide emissions. Bioethanol is typically produced via microbial fermentation of fermentable sugars, such as glucose, to ethanol. Traditional feedstocks (e.g., first-generation feedstock) include cereal grains, sugar cane, and sugar beets. However, due to concerns regarding food sustainability, lignocellulosic (second-generation) and algal biomass (third-generation) feedstocks have been investigated. Ethanol yield from fermentation is dependent on a multitude of factors. This review compares bioethanol production from a range of feedstocks, and elaborates on available technologies, including fermentation practices. The importance of maintaining nutrient homeostasis of yeast is also examined. The purpose of this review is to provide industrial producers and policy makers insight into available technologies, yields of bioethanol achieved by current manufacturing practices, and goals for future innovation.

Supporting decision making to achieve circularity via a biodegradable waste-to-bioenergy and compost facility

Bioproducts, such as energy and fertilizers, are strongly interrelated with the biodegradable waste treatment processes, within a holistic management strategy. Although different forms of biological treatment technologies are available, anaerobic digestion represents a process of major importance in the overall management strategy of biodegradable waste. This paper presents a methodology to support decision making for efficient management of biodegradable waste. The decision support framework provides the background towards the selection and design of a biodegradable waste installation with emphasis on the recovery of energy and organic fertilizer. The discrete steps are analytically defined and illustrated to assist managers and policy makers to organize their decision making in the whole spectrum of procedures required to promote sustainable biodegradable waste management programs. The methodological approach developed can be generically applied by public authorities, producers and stakeholders following essential basic steps regarding safe and environmentally friendly production of high-quality final product. Moreover, a demonstration is performed for a real-case study for the Region of Serres, Greece. The proposed installation is expected to manage 3,285 t of biodegradable waste and generate approximately 160,000 m³/a of biogas, 400 MWh_el/a and 450 MWh_thermal/a. The final bioproduct exceeds 3 kt of digestate that will be valorized in arable land close to the installation. Crucial interactions and managerial insights are also highlighted. The decision support framework aims to assist the research community, the private sector and decision makers to produce affordable and sustainable compost/digestate recovered from waste, also supporting the transition to a low carbon future and sustainable -circular- development.

Nanotechnology Approaches for Chloroplast Biotechnology Advancements

Photosynthetic organisms are sources of sustainable foods, renewable biofuels, novel biopharmaceuticals, and next-generation biomaterials essential for modern society. Efforts to improve the yield, variety, and sustainability of products dependent on chloroplasts are limited by the need for biotechnological approaches for high-throughput chloroplast transformation, monitoring chloroplast function, and engineering photosynthesis across diverse plant species. The use of nanotechnology has emerged as a novel approach to overcome some of these limitations. Nanotechnology is enabling advances in the targeted delivery of chemicals and genetic elements to chloroplasts, nanosensors for chloroplast biomolecules, and nanotherapeutics for enhancing chloroplast performance. Nanotechnology-mediated delivery of DNA to the chloroplast has the potential to revolutionize chloroplast synthetic biology by allowing transgenes, or even synthesized DNA libraries, to be delivered to a variety of photosynthetic species. Crop yield improvements could be enabled by nanomaterials that enhance photosynthesis, increase tolerance to stresses, and act as nanosensors for biomolecules associated with chloroplast function. Engineering isolated chloroplasts through nanotechnology and synthetic biology approaches are leading to a new generation of plant-based biomaterials able to self-repair using abundant CO₂ and water sources and are powered by renewable sunlight energy. Current knowledge gaps of nanotechnology-enabled approaches for chloroplast biotechnology include precise mechanisms for entry into plant cells and organelles, limited understanding about nanoparticle-based chloroplast transformations, and the translation of lab-based nanotechnology tools to the agricultural field with crop plants. Future research in chloroplast biotechnology mediated by the merging of synthetic biology and nanotechnology approaches can yield tools for precise control and monitoring of chloroplast function in vivo and ex vivo across diverse plant species, allowing increased plant productivity and turning plants into widely available sustainable technologies.