Call For Papers: Next-Generation Waste Valorization for Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Production

With rising volumes of organic wastes such as food waste and agro-industrial residues and increasing pressure to meet carbon-neutrality goals, there is an urgent need for innovative technologies that valorize waste carbon into high-value chemicals. Medium-Chain Fatty Acids (MCFAs) are key precursors for biofuels, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals, making them a strategic target for sustainable engineering.

This Special Issue in ACS ES&T Engineering seeks to bring together the growing body of research on microbial chain elongation and MCFAs production, offering a thematic space for cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange. By curating high-quality contributions under a unified umbrella, the issue aims to foster greater visibility, coherence, and momentum in advancing sustainable waste valorization.

We seek to feature a wide range of innovations in microbial chain elongation for MCFAs production, spanning from lab-scale and pilot-scale biosynthesis to microbiome engineering, integrated systems and environmental engineering solutions. The special issue aims to highlight emerging cross-disciplinary approaches, including bioelectrochemical systems, AI-driven process optimization, and materials-enhanced fermentation, that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in sustainable waste conversion.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Exploration of utilizable waste feedstocks (e.g., municipal, agricultural, or industrial wastes).
• Discovery, acclimation, engineering, and metabolic profiling of chain elongation functional microbiomes.
• Strategies and methods for enhancing MCFAs yield.
• Novel bioreactor designs for MCFAs production from complex waste streams.
• Hybrid processes coupling chain elongation with anaerobic digestion, electrochemical systems, or downstream separation.
• Techno-economic and life-cycle analyses to assess feasibility and sustainability.
• Emerging applications of MCFAs in biofuels, bioplastics, or chemical feedstocks.

Organizing Editors

Prof. George Wells, Topic Editor, ACS ES&T Engineering
Northwestern University, United States

Prof. Wan-Qian Guo, Guest Editor
Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Prof. Qing-LianWu, Guest Editor
Harbin Institute of Technology

Prof. Bing-JieNi, Guest Editor
University of New South Wales

Prof. Sang-Hyoun Kim, Guest Editor
Yonsei University

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this Special Issue through April 15, 2026. For more information on submission requirements, please visit the journal's Author Guidelines page.

Accepted manuscripts for consideration in this Special Issue will include original research articles, reviews, and perspectives. Papers accepted for publication for this Special Issue will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online. After all submissions have been published, they will then be compiled online on a dedicated landing page to form the Special Issue. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo the full rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals.

Open Access: There are diverse open access options for publications in American Chemical Society journals. Please visit our Open Science Resource Center for more information.

How to Submit

• Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
• Select the "Journals" tab.
• Choose ACS ES&T Engineering.
• Click "Submit."
• Select your manuscript type, and, under "Special Issue Selection," choose "Next-Generation Waste Valorization for Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Production."

If you have any general questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact the managing editor (managing.editor@estengg.acs.org).