Sustainable Bioengineering & Circular Systems

About this journal

1.0 Aims and Scope

Sustainable Bioengineering & Circular Systems (SBCS) publishes research at the intersection of biological engineering, environmental sustainability, resource efficiency and circular production systems. The journal focuses on the scientific and engineering development of biological processes, materials and technologies capable of reducing resource consumption, recovering value from waste streams and supporting regenerative or circular modes of production.

SBCS welcomes research ranging from laboratory-scale biological innovation to pilot, demonstration and industrial-scale systems. A central objective is to connect advances in biotechnology and bioengineering with credible assessment of environmental and economic performance.

The journal covers industrial biotechnology, environmental biotechnology, bioprocess engineering, microbial and enzymatic systems, biorefineries, bioenergy, waste valorisation, resource recovery, bioremediation, sustainable biomaterials, agricultural biotechnology, circular bioeconomy, process intensification, industrial ecology and biologically based production systems.

Research should demonstrate more than biological or technical novelty in isolation. Where sustainability is a central claim, authors should identify the basis for that claim and consider relevant trade-offs involving energy, materials, water, emissions, toxicity, land use, resource depletion or other environmental burdens.

The journal is particularly interested in work that bridges the gap between laboratory performance and systems-level sustainability.

1.1 Core Research Areas

Core topics include microbial biotechnology; fermentation; enzymatic processing; metabolic and bioprocess engineering; industrial bioprocesses; biological waste treatment; anaerobic digestion; bioenergy and biofuels; biorefineries; biomass conversion; nutrient recovery; carbon recovery and utilisation; wastewater resource recovery; bioremediation; valorisation of agricultural, municipal and industrial residues; sustainable biomaterials; biodegradable materials; bio-based chemicals; agricultural biotechnology; and integrated circular production systems.

Life-cycle assessment, material-flow analysis, techno-economic analysis and process systems approaches are also within scope when they directly inform sustainable bioengineering decisions.

1.2 Interdisciplinary and Emerging Areas

SBCS encourages research connecting biotechnology with chemical engineering, environmental engineering, materials science, agriculture, energy systems, industrial ecology, circular-economy studies and process economics.

Emerging areas include engineered microbial communities, synthetic biology for sustainable production, precision fermentation, carbon-efficient biomanufacturing, circular nutrient systems, biological carbon capture and utilisation, resource recovery from complex waste streams and integration of biological processes with renewable-energy systems.

2.0 Contributions We Welcome

The journal considers Original Research, Review Articles, Systematic Reviews where appropriate, Methods Articles, Technical Reports, Perspectives, Case Studies, techno-economic and life-cycle studies, and Editorials.

Experimental studies should present appropriate controls, replication and analytical procedures. Engineering studies should explain process configuration and operating conditions. Sustainability assessments should define functional units, system boundaries, allocation assumptions and uncertainty.

2.1 Evidence and Methodological Expectations

Authors should identify biological materials sufficiently, including organisms, strains, cultures, enzymes or feedstocks where relevant. Experimental conditions such as temperature, pH, residence time, loading rates, reactor configuration and other process parameters should be reported when they influence interpretation.

Quantitative claims concerning yields, productivity, conversion efficiency, recovery efficiency or environmental benefit should be supported by transparent calculations.

3.0 Disciplinary Standards

Claims of circularity or sustainability must not rely solely on the fact that a biological or waste-derived feedstock is used. Authors should consider system boundaries and potential burden shifting.

Mass and energy balances should be reported where essential to understanding process performance. Life-cycle studies should explain methodological assumptions, data quality and uncertainty. Techno-economic studies should clearly identify cost assumptions, scale and sensitivity.

3.1 Research Transparency

Authors should provide access to underlying measurements, calculation methods, model assumptions and relevant datasets where feasible.

Biological and environmental safety considerations should be addressed where the process involves genetically modified organisms, pathogens, hazardous feedstocks, environmental release or potentially harmful by-products.

4.0 Topics Outside Scope

SBCS does not normally consider studies that make unsupported sustainability claims; purely descriptive waste-characterisation work without a meaningful engineering or biological contribution; laboratory demonstrations presented as industrially viable without scale-up evidence; environmental assessments with undefined system boundaries; or manuscripts that omit essential experimental controls or process information.