Special Issue: 7th International Conference of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology (ICCEIB 2024)

The Special Issue: 7th International Conference of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology (ICCEIB 2024) consists of contributions from the invited participants of the conference. ICCEIB is a biennial conference hosted by the Faculty of Chemical & Process Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Malaysia, started in 2012. The seventh edition of the conference was held from August 27th to 29th, 2024, and co-hosted by Nguyen Tat Thanh University (Vietnam) and Tianjin University (China). The ICCEB 2024 was conducted in a hybrid mode, with the physical conference held at the Everly Hotel, Putrajaya, Malaysia. The virtual conference was conducted using Microsoft Teams. The topics for ICCEIB 2024 were designed to disseminate the latest research findings and advances in the chemical engineering and industrial biotechnology areas to society. This Special Issue is organized in collaboration with the Guest Editors Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Siti Kholijah Binti Abdul Mudalip (Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Malaysia), Dr. Dai-Viet N. Vo (Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Vietnam) and Prof. Ts. Dr. Sumaiya Zainal Abidin (Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Malaysia). With the theme of ‘Collaborative Approaches to SDGs: Catalyzing Sustainability in Food, Energy and Water Security’, this special issue consists of four review articles and 13 research articles. The four review articles in this Special Issue utilized the TRIZ Patent Literature Review (TRIZ-PLR) approach. The first review article by Rahim et al.1 utilized the TRIZ-PLR to systematically analyze 1513 active patents, revealing key technological contradictions and innovation pathways in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as well as advancements in nanomaterials, reactor design, and flow dynamics that can improve performance. The patent-based roadmap provides bridges between academic research and industrial scalability, thereby facilitating the integration into circular economy frameworks. The second review by Iqbal et al.2 also applied the TRIZ-PLR framework to analyse global patent landscapes, identifying conflicts such as strength versus flexibility and precision versus speed, and efficiency versus scalability for shape-memory polymers (SMPs) and smart material patents. Solutions that include nanofiller-based composites, dynamic 3D printing control, and energy optimization systems were also reviewed. The third review article, which applied the TRIZ-PLR approach, was used by Rahim et al.3 to design and analyze stimuli-responsive polymer (SRP) innovations and resolve contradictions in microneedle arrays. The findings highlight dual- and multistimuli-responsive systems as key to precision and efficacy, positioning TRIZ-PLR as a structured pathway for biomedical polymer advancement. The last review article in this special issue, by Rahim et al.4 also applied TRIZ-PLR in reviewing the smart hydrogel patents in the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biosensing. The review provides an analysis of the hydrogel patent and trends in multi-responsive and 4D-printed systems. A comparative evaluation of fabrication methods highlights trade-offs, while case studies demonstrate the application of AI-driven design, bio-inspired materials, and sustainable production strategies. TRIZ-PLR effectively addresses technological contradictions, optimizes material selection, and enhances therapeutic efficacy and thus, providing a structured pathway to accelerate hydrogel innovation and its application in biomedical fields. The 13 research articles in this Special Issue contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the domains of food, energy, and water, and are categorized into four distinct research areas. The research areas encompass gas separation and energy recovery, water and wastewater treatment, advanced materials and bio-based nanotechnologies, as well as process engineering and modelling. Daud and Najib5 and Bahrun et al.6 addressed challenges in gas separation and energy recovery. Daud and Najib5 investigated the potential of amine-functionalized copper-based MOFs (Cu-MOF) for enhancing CO₂ capture efficiency. The modified Cu-MOF obtained via tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) impregnation exhibited a significantly higher adsorption capacity (323 mg/g) compared to Cu-MOF-DMF (135 mg/g). The characterization confirmed successful amine incorporation, with optimal performance observed at 5 bar and a dosage of 300 mg. Strong amine–CO2 interactions and TEPA flexibility underpin the improvement, highlighting Cu-MOF-TEPA as a promising adsorbent for scalable carbon capture applications. Bahrun et al.6 applied artificial neural networks (ANNs) with NSGA-II optimization to enhance dual-reflux pressure swing adsorption (DR-PSA), an advanced variant of conventional PSA systems for biogas upgrading. DR-PSA is capable of simultaneously producing two high-purity products with high recovery. Surrogate ANN models accurately predicted methane purity, productivity, and cycle work, enabling efficient multi-objective optimization. Pareto analysis revealed trade-offs between purity and productivity, with optimized conditions achieving ≥17% higher CH₄ purity and ≥30% lower energy use. Meanwhile, there are three research articles that fall under the domain of water and wastewater treatment. The research article by Phalakornkule et al.7 revealed the importance of a combined ozone-adsorption system for the tertiary treatment of hospital wastewater, which contains various pathogens and complex chemical components. The approach effectively removed more than 80% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and eliminated total coliforms, Legionella, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli with an ozone dosage of 240–300 g/h. The treated wastewater demonstrates a sustainable approach, as it has the potential to be used as cooling water. The other two articles by Lee et al.8 and Nguyen et al.9 convert biomass waste into high-value carbon materials. Lee et al.8 utilized biochar from agricultural waste, specifically empty fruit bunches, to enhance methane production and mitigate sulphide toxicity during the anaerobic digestion of skim latex wastewater. Nguyen et al.9 valorized sugarcane bagasse to produce cellulose aerogels using urea and thiourea as crosslinking agents. The cellulose aerogels were further processed into porous carbon aerogels, used as a high-surface-area electrodes for membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI). The developed material exhibited superior capacitance and selective adsorption. Thus, it demonstrates a high potential for targeted desalination and CO₂-related applications, making it one of the suitable water treatment technologies. The advanced materials and bio-based nanotechnologies are discussed in five articles. These topics are also driven by sustainability, where all valorise natural or waste resources into functional material. The work by Raypah et al.10 investigated carbon dots (CDs) synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method using lemon and ginger juice as natural carbon sources. The resulting CDs exhibited strong photoluminescence, a small particle size (<10 nm), and good water dispersibility. Characterization confirmed functional groups enhancing biocompatibility. This green synthesis approach offers a sustainable route for bioimaging, sensing, and environmental applications. Whereas work by Hamid et al.11 developed encapsulated eugenol Pickering emulsions using chitosan nanoparticles and ultrasonic waves. The emulsion generated exhibited nano-sized droplets, which showed prolonged stability, significant DPPH scavenging activity, and inhibitory effects against S. aureus and E. coli. Thus, it demonstrates advantages for use in food preservation, medicines, and encapsulation of bioactive compounds. Hybrid aerogels were also fabricated from alginate and soy protein isolate via the sol–gel processing method, which involves liquid immersion and supercritical CO₂. The aerogels showed high porosity, hydrophobicity, and strong oil uptake. It also demonstrated an absorption efficiency of over 70% under optimal formulation.12 The valorisation of crustacean shell waste into high-value hydroxyapatite (HAp) was reported by Ningrum et al.13, 14 The innovative method of using crab shells to form HAp-based hydrogels and incorporating them with chitosan and hyaluronic acid, under optimized conditions of 35/50/15 wt.%, enhanced the mechanical, biological, and antibacterial properties.13 The synthesis of HAp from blue crab shell with the precise control of ultrasonic amplitude and H3PO4 was able to produce HAP with desired crystallinity, morphology, size, and purity. The optimal conditions, with 100% amplitude and 1.1 mol/L H3PO4, enable the production of HAp with a small size, 70% crystallinity, and a uniform morphology, making it suitable for bone regeneration and implant applications.14 The work on process engineering and modelling was discussed in three articles. Bai et al.15 evaluated the performance of the fluid mixing in a curved static mixer in terms of velocity profile, pressure drop, and mixing index using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The curved static mixer with symmetrical folded blades (CSFD) demonstrated better mixing performance compared to those with asymmetric blades. Faridatul Ain et al.16 developed a mathematical model for drying of single aqueous droplets containing lactose or maltodextrin using an enthalpy-based approach. Results showed that the developed model was able to provide a prediction of the solute concentration behaviour during the spray drying process and closely matched the experimental data. The final paper of this special issue by Baharudin et al.17 highlighted the potential of immobilized recombinant E. coli in a membrane bioreactor for β-cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (β-CGTase) secretion. The process demonstrated improved performance, with sustained β-CGTase production over seven cycles compared to shake flask system. The Special Issue Guest Editors sincerely thank Editorial Board of Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology (JCTB), especially Prof. Dionissios Mantzavinos (Editor-in-Chief) and Natalie State (Peer Review Performance Lead), for providing excellent support for completing the review and compilation of articles in this Special Issue. We extend our sincere gratitude to all the authors for their high-quality submissions, the reviewers for their thoughtful evaluations, and the editorial team at Wiley for their support throughout the process. It is our hope that this special issue will inspire further research collaborations and serve as a valuable reference for those committed to building a more sustainable future.