Yanjun Jiang, Xuening Pei, Bakhtawar Zaib, Liang Li
{"title":"Application and progress of synthetic biology technology in amino acid production.","authors":"Yanjun Jiang, Xuening Pei, Bakhtawar Zaib, Liang Li","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03389-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03389-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Amino acids, as key bio-based chemicals, possess unique physiological functions and chemical properties, making them widely applicable in food additives, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. However, conventional production methods suffer from inherent limitations, including low conversion efficiency, poor substrate utilization, and significant environmental burdens. The rapid advancement of synthetic biology has provided a revolutionary pathway for amino acid production through the systematic design and engineering of biological systems. This article reviews recent progress in synthetic biology for amino acid biosynthesis, covering the design and reconstruction of metabolic pathways, the development of genetic circuits and dynamic regulation technologies, and the establishment of high-throughput screening platforms. It further elaborates on production strategies for natural amino acids, branched-chain amino acids, and several non-canonical amino acids. On this basis, the key technical applications of synthetic biology in amino acid manufacturing are systematically expounded, and major bottlenecks-such as host cell adaptive evolution and metabolic flux balance-are discussed in the context of current synthetic biology strategies. By integrating and critically reviewing existing studies, this article aims to explore novel research and development strategies to advance the production of biosynthetic amino acids.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2561-2582"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148849676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Beatriz Almeida, Patrícia Concórdio-Reis, Cristiana A V Torres, Xavier Moppert, Maria A M Reis, Filomena Freitas
{"title":"Exploitation of Vibrio alginolyticus Mo245 as a dual producer of a glycosaminoglycan and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from glycerol.","authors":"Beatriz Almeida, Patrícia Concórdio-Reis, Cristiana A V Torres, Xavier Moppert, Maria A M Reis, Filomena Freitas","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03409-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03409-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the present work, the marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus Mo245 demonstrated the ability to secrete an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) concomitant with the intracellular accumulation of a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Upon cultivation in glycerol as the sole carbon source, V. alginolyticus Mo245 co-produced a glycosaminoglycan (GAG), named EPS-Mo245, and the homopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB), attaining maximum concentrations of 1.29±0.01 g/L and 1.78±0.00 g/L, respectively, within a 24 h cultivation. EPS-Mo245 was a hyaluronic acid (HA)-like GAG, composed of glucuronic acid (40.5±2.2 mol%), galactosamine (29.8±0.2 mol%), and glucosamine (21.1±0.6 mol%). It presented an average molecular weight (Mw) of 1945±67 kDa, with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 1.29±0.02, and a thermal degradation temperature of 235 °C. The produced P3HB had a Mw of 110±0.00 KDa and a PDI of 1.70±0.08, characterized by melting and thermal degradation temperatures of 175 °C and 293 °C, respectively, within the range of values reported for P3HB. These findings demonstrate V. alginolyticus Mo245 as a promising producer of both biopolymers, suitable for the valorization of glycerol, showcasing a sustainable route to yield two valuable biobased materials, an HA-like polysaccharide and P3HB, with potential for use in several applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2747-2760"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148787923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Application of dielectric spectroscopy combined with simple linear and multivariate modelling for in-line monitoring of biomass concentration in E. coli cultures.","authors":"César Rodriguez-Fano, Noémie Caillol, Pascal Degraeve, Yann Demarigny","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03405-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03405-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biomass concentration is a crucial parameter while monitoring Escherichia coli bioprocesses. Real-time monitoring of this attribute is preferable to discrete measurement, as it immediately detects deviations, reduces sampling efforts and thereby minimizes the risk of contamination. Therefore, the potential of dielectric spectroscopy for continuous monitoring of E. coli cultures was investigated. Two datasets were acquired across culture batches in a benchtop bioreactor: ∆ permittivity and the dielectric spectrum. For each batch, variations in ∆ permittivity followed the OD<sub>600nm</sub> trend, highlighting the E. coli growth phases. The dielectric spectra also evolved throughout the batches, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed at least two main contributors to spectral variability. Both datasets were then used to estimate the OD<sub>600nm</sub> using either simple linear or multivariate Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling, with the aim of comparing these two strategies. For four calibration batches, both simple linear and PLS models generally predicted the OD<sub>600nm</sub> accurately, with only minor differences. For a validation batch, both strategies showed good predictions during exponential growth but were slightly less accurate in the other bacterial culture phases. Prediction noise was also evaluated, and PLS provided slightly less noisy predictions than the simple linear model. Overall, this indicates that simple linear and PLS predictions are not considerably different, and both modelling strategies can be used indistinguishably to calibrate the dielectric signals for estimating the OD<sub>600nm</sub> in E. coli cultures.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2687-2701"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148787863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hannah Sehrt, Juan Andres Martinez, Mathéo Delvenne, Matteo Antognoli, Romain Kinet, Frank Delvigne
{"title":"Stabilization of microbial cell population for long-term plasmid production in continuous biomanufacturing.","authors":"Hannah Sehrt, Juan Andres Martinez, Mathéo Delvenne, Matteo Antognoli, Romain Kinet, Frank Delvigne","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03433-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-026-03433-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacterial cells such as Escherichia coli are generally considered insensitive to shear stress in stirred bioreactors, primarily because their small size is assumed to place them below the length scales at which mechanical forces become damaging. This assumption underlies the widespread use of high agitation rates in microbial bioprocesses. However, cellular physiology can strongly modulate this apparent robustness. Metabolic burden associated with high-copy plasmid maintenance and replication is known to alter cell morphology, including increases in cell size and changes in envelope integrity, potentially modifying the mechanical vulnerability of cells. In this study, we investigated the impact of agitation intensity on plasmid-bearing E. coli cultivated in continuous mode. Using automated flow cytometry coupled to fluorescent reporters, we observed a rapid and reproducible population collapse in continuous bioreactors operated at standard stirring rates in 1 L bioreactors i.e., 1000 rpm. This collapse occurred despite growth conditions that are classically considered safe for bacterial systems, highlighting that physiological state rather than nominal cell size alone determines sensitivity to mechanical stress. Our results demonstrate that metabolic burden can indirectly expose bacterial populations to shear-related instabilities, challenging standard assumptions in continuous cultivation. Importantly, by accounting for this effect, we developed a robust operating protocol that enables stable continuous cultivation of plasmid DNA-producing cells for more than 100 h. These findings have direct implications for the design and operation of future continuous biomanufacturing processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhanqiu Liu, Shuhui Hua, Shuteng Lu, Yingxin Pang, Jiahui Tian, Jinghao Wang, Yi Ji, Lin Liu, Qiaochu Liang, Huixia Lan, Heng Zhang, Yang Zhang
{"title":"Coupled enhancement of sulfate-assisted anaerobic digestion for livestock wastewater treatment under antibiotic stress using sludge-derived biochar and zero-valent iron.","authors":"Zhanqiu Liu, Shuhui Hua, Shuteng Lu, Yingxin Pang, Jiahui Tian, Jinghao Wang, Yi Ji, Lin Liu, Qiaochu Liang, Huixia Lan, Heng Zhang, Yang Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03404-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03404-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antibiotic stress severely inhibits anaerobic digestion performance by disrupting microbial metabolism and volatile fatty acid (VFA) conversion. To address this bottleneck, a sulfate (SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>)-assisted anaerobic digestion system co-coupled with waste sludge-derived biochar and zero-valent iron (BC/Fe<sup>0</sup>) was developed to treat livestock wastewater under antibiotic stress. Results demonstrated that the coupled system exhibited exceptional process robustness. Even under a severe shock load of 100 mg/(L·d) antibiotic, the system maintained a chemical oxygen demand (COD<sub>Cr</sub>) removal efficiency of 76.5 ± 1.6% and an antibiotic removal efficiency of 53.6 ± 2.1%, alongside near-complete precipitation of Cu<sup>2+</sup> and Zn<sup>2+</sup>. The coupled system successfully preserved microbial metabolic flux, yielding 38% more VFAs than the Blank system and maintaining a stable peak gas production of 575 ± 30 mL/cycle. System stability was further evidenced by a 58.8% reduction in pH fluctuations and mitigated biomass loss (maintaining mixed liquor volatile suspended solids at 12.2 ± 0.7 g/L). Additionally, the system optimized extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) secretion to strengthen the biological protective barrier. Mechanistic analysis suggested that this resilience may be associated with multiple complementary mechanisms, primarily involving adsorptive attenuation, Fe<sup>0</sup>-facilitated electron transfer, and the coupling of SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup> reduction with propionate oxidation. These findings provide a reliable technological foundation for stabilizing anaerobic bioprocesses treating highly antibiotic-laden livestock wastewater.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2673-2686"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148676941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Valorization of fish oil byproduct methyl esters for omega‑3 polyunsaturated fatty acids production via immobilized CALB lipase‑catalyzed hydrolysis.","authors":"Ji-Dong Shen, Meng Zhang, Meng-Yang Li, Yu-Qi Dong, Zhi-Qiang Liu, Yu-Guo Zheng","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03407-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03407-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) offer therapeutic benefits, including triglyceride reduction and management of cardiovascular and neurological disorders. This study investigates the use of fish oil processing by‑products, which consist mainly of fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters, as novel substrates for n‑3 PUFAs production. To overcome the low efficiency of conventional chemical methods and the vulnerability of free lipase to alcohol toxicity and poor reusability, we developed a stable immobilized lipase system. The target enzyme (CALB) was immobilized onto macroporous resin LXTE‑1000 via adsorption‑crosslinking, and optimal hydrolysis conditions were determined. The resulting immobilized enzyme (LXTE‑1000@CALB) showed markedly enhanced thermal and operational stability, retaining approximately 64.21% of its initial hydrolysis degree over ten consecutive batches. This work provides an efficient, green, and sustainable approach for valorizing fish oil by‑products and producing n‑3 PUFAs.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2721-2732"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148788032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Biosynthesis of cyanophycin by high-cell-density cultivation of recombinant Escherichia coli for corrosion-resistant biomaterial applications.","authors":"Saroj Raj Kafle, Anirudh Mukunth, Arum Han, Arul Jayaraman, Aristos Aristidou","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03412-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03412-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cyanophycin granule polypeptide (CGP), also known as multi-L-arginyl-poly(aspartic acid), is a biodegradable biopolymer composed primarily of aspartic acid and arginine. Due to its versatile functional properties, CGP has attracted increasing interest for potential applications in food, medicine, cosmetics, agriculture, and corrosion inhibition. The objective of this study was to biosynthesize a biologically derived corrosion-inhibiting biomaterial using recombinant Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) expressing cyanophycin synthetase (CphA), followed by cost-effective induction strategy. Specifically, this work aimed to establish a high-cell-density cultivation process capable of achieving improved CGP production while reducing dependence on costly inducers such as IPTG. Initial shake-flask experiments demonstrated that lactose induction resulted in higher CGP production and biomass formation compared to IPTG induction. In addition, supplementation with phosphate, ribose, trace elements, yeast extract, and tryptone further improved CGP accumulation. Based on these findings, a high-cell-density fed-batch fermentation strategy using lactose as both inducer and carbon source was developed, maximum gravimetrically recovered crude soluble and insoluble CGP-containing fractions of 35.4 and 17.8 g/L. Product characterization was further supported by FTIR, XRD, MALDI-MS. Furthermore, the recovered CGP-related material was evaluated in preliminary corrosion inhibition experiments under acidic conditions and showed significant reduction in corrosion rates compared with untreated control samples, indicating its potential for future corrosion-protection applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2777-2791"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13582230/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148787891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juliana E Naudé, Daneal C S Rorke, Johann F Görgens, Eugéne van Rensburg
{"title":"High-solids ethanol production from waste paper through consolidated bioprocessing using advanced Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.","authors":"Juliana E Naudé, Daneal C S Rorke, Johann F Görgens, Eugéne van Rensburg","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03416-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03416-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High-solids simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SScF) of paper wastes were compared in lab-scale fed-batch (vertical) and batch (horizontal) bioreactor cultures. Fermentation of untreated label backing (LB), multilayer paper-based packaging (ML) and potato paper sacks (PS) paper wastes were optimised for solid loading to minimise the exogenous enzyme dosage with advanced consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) yeast strains, to achieve maximum technical performances in terms of ethanol concentration, yield and enzyme efficiency. Using cellulase-producing CBP yeast (Cellusec<sup>®</sup> 2.0, 3.3 or 4.0) improved the enzyme efficiency by 1.5-fold at a final solid loading of 20% (w/w dry) compared to a higher solid loading of 30% (w/w) in fed-batch SScF. At 20% (w/w) solid loading and 2 FPU/g ds, enzyme efficiencies of 0.109, 0.078 and 0.067 g ethanol/FPU were recorded with corresponding ethanol titres of 59.3, 45.2 and 38.2 g/L and ethanol yields of 58.5, 43.9 and 57.1% of the theoretical maximum for LB, PS and ML, respectively. Whereas batch SScF at 30% (w/w) solid loading and 2 FPU/g ds achieved higher ethanol titres of 65.6, 50.7 and 54.3 g/L, the corresponding ethanol yields and enzyme efficiencies were markedly lower at 36.7, 28.0 and 52.1% of the theoretical maximum and 0.069, 0.050 and 0.062 g ethanol/FPU for LB, PS and ML, respectively. Fed-batch SScF in a vertical bioreactor at 20% (w/w) final solid loading was, therefore, the preferred configuration due to more favourable enzyme efficiencies, ethanol yields and enzyme cost.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2793-2810"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13582411/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148839123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lianmei Chen, Jiangbo Lin, Na Li, Yuying Zhang, Meihong Niu, Xueru Sheng, Bing Wang, Jian Zhang, Qingwei Ping, Yan Shi
{"title":"Co-amendment of rumen microorganism and bamboo biochar to optimize VFAs synthesis in cornstalk anaerobic fermentation: performance evaluation and mechanism understanding.","authors":"Lianmei Chen, Jiangbo Lin, Na Li, Yuying Zhang, Meihong Niu, Xueru Sheng, Bing Wang, Jian Zhang, Qingwei Ping, Yan Shi","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03395-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03395-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study pioneers the investigation of the fundamental mechanisms by which bamboo biochar (BBC) enhances volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production from cornstalk through anaerobic fermentation by rumen microorganism (RM). The results demonstrate that BBC prepared at 450 °C significantly boosts VFAs production in anaerobic fermentation of cornstalk by 43.8%, compared to the control (CT). In addition, the 450BBC group enhanced lignocellulose degradation efficiency by 99.5% (cellulose), 49.0% (hemicellulose), and 78.0% (lignin) relative to the CT, and 2D-HSQC NMR revealing near-complete disruption of lignin β-O-4 ether and β-β resinol linkages. Solubilization improvements include 21.9% Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), 20.9% soluble protein, and 10.8% reducing sugar. The research results indicate that the pyrolysis temperature has a significant impact on the redox activity of BBC, which caused by the balance of phenolic hydroxyl and quinone/carbonyl groups. High redox activity can enhance the electron transfer among microorganisms in the anaerobic fermentation system, enrich acid-producing microorganisms, upregulate the expression of key enzyme genes such as acetate kinase and butyrate kinase, and ultimately promote the production of VFAs. The findings propose an innovative and efficient strategy for lignocellulose-to-VFAs conversion.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2601-2616"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148676893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Kinetic profiles and efficiency disparities in biomethane production mediated by indigenous versus exogenous microbial consortia.","authors":"Xueru Chen, Yuan Bao, Xingui Wang, Yiliang Hu, Zexi Zhu","doi":"10.1007/s00449-026-03400-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00449-026-03400-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biomethane is a clean, renewable, and eco-friendly unconventional natural gas resource that has attracted widespread global attention. However, the differences in biomethane generation and the constraining factors under the drive of indigenous versus exogenous microorganisms remain unclear. To address this, anaerobic fermentation experiments simulating coal‑derived biomethane generation were conducted using two distinct microbial sources: indigenous microorganisms enriched from fresh coal samples from the study area and exogenous microorganisms optimized under laboratory conditions. Five representative coal samples from the Wuguantun and Baode mining areas were used as carbon substrates. The efficiency of biomethane production was evaluated based on gas chromatography and analysis using four kinetic models. By integrating methods including coal petrographic and proximate analyses, 16 S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, principal component analysis and metabolic pathway analysis were applied to systematically elucidate the main controlling factors and synergistic mechanisms governing biomethane generation. The results indicate that although both indigenous and exogenous microorganisms follow a similar three‑stage process during coal‑degrading methanogenesis, their gas production efficiencies differ significantly. Bioaugmentation with exogenous microbial consortia systematically optimized the biomethane generation process, increasing the maximum methane potential (A<sub>0</sub>) by approximately 80% on average, shortening the lag phase (λ) by about 55% on average, and significantly enhancing the maximum methane production rate (µ<sub>m</sub>). Coal chemical structure was identified as the primary factor controlling gas‑production variability, with high H/C, and a high aliphatic structures (A<sub>al</sub>/A<sub>ar</sub>, CH<sub>2</sub>/CH<sub>3</sub>), and moderate O/C serving as the most critical predictors, demonstrating excellent bioavailability. Coal physicochemical structure, microbial functional potential, and methanogenic pathway distribution govern biomethane output. The physicochemical structure of coal sets the upper limit of potential; the predicted functional gene abundance of the initial microbial community serves as an indicator of substrate degradation potential; and the distribution of downstream methanogenic pathways ultimately governs biomethane conversion efficiency. This study not only deepens the understanding of the complex biogeochemical process of coal bioconversion but also provides key scientific evidence for refining theoretical models of biomethane generation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9024,"journal":{"name":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","volume":" ","pages":"2617-2635"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148676931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}