We are pleased to announce the upcoming edition of the Green Deal Biotechnology conference, organized by the EFB Environmental Biotechnology Division. The event will take place on 26-28 May 2025 in Aveiro, Portugal.
This conference is dedicated to environmental biotechnology and its frontiers, covering broadly several specific topics:
Under the scope of this topic, submissions are particularly welcome considering the removal/degradation of legacy and emerging contaminants from water and wastewater based on biotechnological solutions, as well as concerning the particular field of water reclamation; wastewater treatment in extreme conditions using bioremediation approaches; removal/degradation of legacy and emerging contaminants from agricultural and industrial soils; biotechnological solutions to remediate/revitalize aquatic and soil ecosystems (including agroecosystems) and/or restore ecological quality. Contributions concerning the improvement of air quality are also welcome.
To meet the scope of this topic the committee particularly welcomes submissions regarding the exploitation and valorization of marine resources, namely concerning bioproducts recovery and valorization; nature-inspired technologies and materials; recycling and upcycling of marine waste streams. Non-marine natural resources are also under focus within the scope of this topic, with emphasis on bioproducts exploitation in freshwater and soil species; nature-inspired technologies and materials; biotechnological applications to tackle prominent environmental challenges, including climate change and pest-resistance; recycling and upcycling of biological waste streams. Biotechnological solutions to recover metals from electronics and energy storing devices or to recover and valorize compounds from other wastes and residues are also covered by this topic. Resource and energy recovery from waste streams is another field where submissions are welcome.
All dimensions of sustainability associated with environmental biotechnology approaches are covered within this topic. Submissions are welcome within this broad scope. Sub-topics expected are for example related to appropriate ecological risk assessment frameworks to assess the ecological safety of biotechnological solutions, accounting to their type and putatively affected ecosystems; life-cycle assessment of biotechnological solutions; cost-benefit approaches to developed environmental biotechnology solutions, including models at different scales to assess their economic and societal sustainability.
The recovery and proper management of nutrients are critical in the move towards sustainability. Biotechnology offers several innovative approaches to improve nutrient cycling and balance in ecosystems, particularly in agriculture. Coverage of the topic in this conference will include: beneficial microorganisms added to soil to enhance nutrient availability and/or enhance plant growth; crop breeding and engineering for improved nutrient uptake efficiency; anaerobic digestion as a key enabling technology for nutrient recycling; greenhouse gas sequestration and nutrient recovery by plants and microorganisms; and other biotechnological approaches that improve nutrient cycling and contribute to sustainable agriculture by reducing dependency on chemical fertilizers and enhancing soil health.
This is a cutting-edge topic in environmental biotechnology nowadays, with digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) tools being more and more requested to drive research and innovation in e.g. bio-based value chains, bioremediation, precision agriculture, precision fermentation, among many other sub-fields. Linked to these advances has been genomes editing, particularly but not exclusively of bacteria, as per the possibilities that it might offer in tackling for example yield or purity issues in bio-based valorization processes and in tackling environmental pollution challenges. The committee welcomes submissions broadly within this topic, yet always linked to environmental contexts in specific.
The meeting will bring together scientists and professionals from academia and various sectors of industry sharing the common interest in resource recovery and environmental biotechnology for development of new technologies supporting bioeconomy. The programme strongly takes into account the diversity and different stages of researchers' career development. For that reason, keynote lectures by leading scientists will be mixed with talks and shorter early career researcher presentations selected from submitted abstracts as well as with flash poster presentations.
Register online before 20 March 2025 to receive the early bird registration rate.