Topics

All Abstracts, Reviews, short articles, Full articles, Posters are welcomed related with any of the following research fields:

Foundational & Independent Topics

These areas focus on the core, distinct principles unique to each specific scientific and engineering discipline.

1. Green Chemical Engineering

The design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.

• The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry: Waste prevention, atom economy, less hazardous chemical syntheses, and designing safer chemicals.

• Alternative Solvents and Reaction Media: Supercritical fluids (e.g., supercritical $CO_2$), ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, and water-based reactions.

• Process Intensification: Microreactors, reactive distillation, modular chemical plants, and ultrasound-assisted synthesis to maximize energy efficiency.

• Catalysis and Kinetics: Heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, biomimetic catalysts, and reducing activation energy barriers.

2. Biosciences (Focus: Environmental & Microbial)

The study of living organisms and biological systems to understand and harness natural mechanisms for environmental health.

• Microbial Physiology and Ecology: Metabolic pathways of extremophiles, microbial community dynamics, and synthetic biology.

• Plant Biology and Phytoremediation: Plant-pollutant interactions, mechanisms of heavy metal hyperaccumulation, and carbon fixation pathways.

• Enzymology: Enzyme kinetics, directed evolution of biocatalysts, and the structural biology of degrading enzymes.

• Genetic and Metabolic Engineering: CRISPR applications in non-model organisms, metabolic flux analysis, and pathway reconstruction.

3. Environmental Sustainability Science

The overarching framework that studies Earth's systems and establishes metrics to protect ecosystems and human health.

• Biogeochemical Cycles: The carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water cycles, alongside the impacts of human disruption.

• Climate Dynamics and Atmospheric Science: Greenhouse gas forcing mechanisms, climate modeling, and ocean acidification.

• Conservation Biology and Biodiversity: Ecosystem services, habitat fragmentation, restoration ecology, and planetary boundaries.

• Industrial Ecology: Linear vs. circular material loops, sociotechnical transition theories, and sustainable resource management.

Interrelated & Integrated Topics

These fields represent the spaces where green chemistry, biology, and sustainability science merge to create scalable solutions for the planet.

1. Biorefineries and Bio-based Chemical Synthesis

The ultimate intersection of chemical engineering and bioscience to replace fossil fuels with renewable alternatives.

• Biomass Conversion Pathways: Thermochemical (pyrolysis, gasification) vs. biochemical (enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation) processing of lignocellulosic feedstocks.

• Platform Chemicals from Renewable Resources: Biological production of building block molecules like succinic acid, lactic acid, 1,3-propanediol, and levulinic acid.

• Next-Generation Biofuels: Cellulosic ethanol, algal biofuels, biohydrogen production, and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

• Lignin Valorization: Breaking down complex aromatic plant polymers into high-value green chemicals and materials.

2. Environmental Biotechnology and Bioremediation

Using biological systems, often optimized via green engineering, to clean up polluted environments.

• Bioremediation of Persistent Organic Pollutants: Microbial degradation of plastics, PFAS, hydrocarbons, and endocrine disruptors.

• Wastewater Bioprocessing: Advanced anaerobic digestion, microbial fuel cells for simultaneous waste treatment and power generation, and nutrient recovery (struvite precipitation).

• Air Pollution Biocontrol: Biofilters, bioscrubbers, and microalgae photobioreactors for industrial flue gas treatment and nitrogen oxide removal.

3. Sustainable Materials Science and Bioplastics

Designing materials that are green in their synthesis, biological in their origin, and sustainable in their end-of-life.

• Bio-based Polymers: Synthesis and properties of Polylactic Acid (PLA), Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and bio-polyethylene.

• Biodegradation Mechanics: Enzymatic degradation pathways of polymers in marine, soil, and industrial composting environments.

• Green Nanomaterials: Biosynthesis of nanoparticles using plant extracts or microbes for targeted environmental applications.

• Cellulose and Chitin Nanocomposites: Extraction of nanocellulose for high-performance, biodegradable packaging and structural materials.

4. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA)

The systems-engineering approach used to quantify whether a green chemical or biological process is actually sustainable and economically viable.

• LCA Methodology: Goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment (carbon footprint, water scarcity, eutrophication), and interpretation.

• Cradle-to-Grave and Cradle-to-Cradle Modeling: Evaluating materials from raw extraction through disposal, or designing them for infinite circularity.

• Techno-Economic Modeling: Scaling up biological/chemical lab processes to industrial size to evaluate capital expenditure (CapEx), operational expenditure (OpEx), and minimum selling price (MSP)