ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the engineering of microbial properties and their transfer to bioreactors for an optimization of their use during conversion of waste substrates, including industrial, domestic, and agricultural solids, liquids, and gases to biofuels and bioenergy. It discusses how microbial processes occurring in different biotopes can be used as alternative solutions to meet the societal energy demand and, at the same time, improve the health of the environmental systems. Anaerobic digesters have been applied for several decades for the reduction of organic pollution, accompanied by the production of methane (CH4), from manure; fruit, vegetable, and garden waste; sewage sludge; and other kinds of organic solid waste. In bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), organics are oxidized by microorganisms that drive oxidation and reduction reactions at solid-state electrodes. Different approaches, such as biochemical engineering (BE), genetic engineering (GE), and transcription factor engineering (TFE), are being applied to remove the technical hurdles related to biofuel production.
