From Sustainability to Thrivability: Bioinspired Routes to Bioproducts and Bioenergy for a Better Future

Description

Sustaining good conditions is valuable, but in times of instability, having strong reserves becomes even more critical for resilience. Thrivability considers the surplus capacities that enable people, communities and ecosystems to actively flourish rather than merely persist. Achieving such flourishing requires production systems aligned with this principle. Yet thermochemical processes, characterised by inherent disorder, comparatively higher use of water and energy, and release of unnatural pollutants, signals that a thrivable future is bound to mild-condition biological routes.
Bioinspired approaches operate at mild temperature, pressure and pH, and could exploit waste streams instead of fresh water and capture carbon directly from combustion and the atmosphere. Bioinspired Engineering research can advance the circular bioeconomy by using a wide range of biomass, including the most advanced fifth-generation (5G) feedstocks, combined with smarter engineering. Whole cells and enzymes hydrate smoky CO2 into calcite, enabling BECCUS-aligned carbon-negative cementitious materials for construction, while enzymatic cascades pairing carbonic anhydrase with formate dehydrogenase could reduce CO2 to C1 chemical building blocks under mild aqueous conditions. Microalgal biofixation captures flue-gas CO2 while yielding biofuels, lipids, pigments and feed. Process-intensified anaerobic digestion, co-digestion, conductive materials, micro-aeration and Intelligent Process Control within Industry 5.0 systems could enhance biomethane yields from recalcitrant residues with lesser thermochemical pretreatment. There are more examples of progress, from decentralised, modular digesters to gigantic agrobiorefineries built around 5G feedstocks. These systems offer major opportunities to capture carbon by night, potentially overcoming the tremendous limitation of diurnal plants, to produce cleaner and more efficient bioenergy in thrivable ways that advance energy transition, water conservation and food security.

Period	16 Jul 2026
Event title	Sustainability Webinar Series : Unlocking the Sustainable Future: New Routes for Bio-Energy, Decarbonization and Environmental Innovation
Event type	Seminar
Location	Novi Sad, SerbiaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International