The 8ISEBE Organizing and Scientific Committees are pleased to inform all participants that they will have the opportunity to submit their work to one of the two journals that have agreed to publish a special issue (SI) on the occasion of the 8ISEBE. Each participant will be able to choose the journal whose scope best aligns with the themes of their research.

Please, be aware that the same manuscript cannot be submitted simultaneously to both special issues, but that a manuscript rejected by one may be re-submitted to the other.

The special issues will include:

1) The journal Renewable Energy

Title of the SI: From Biomass to Energy and Beyond: Integrative Approaches for a Sustainable Future

Submission deadline: February 28, 2026

This SI aims to explore the integration of renewable energy and sustainable biorefinery approaches, with an emphasis on real-world applications at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 or higher. It seeks to highlight pilot-scale technologies that enhance biomass valorization following the principles of the waste hierarchy and promoting a circular economy.

In addition to energy production, the focus extends to the generation of bio-based chemicals, materials, and co-products, reinforcing both sustainability and economic viability.

Key topics include:

  • Biorefineries & renewable energy
  • Integrated bioenergy and bio-product processes
  • Thermochemical & biochemical conversions
  • Circular economy in bioenergy
  • Algal biotechnology for biofuels and bioenergy
  • CO₂ capture and conversion into bioenergy & wastewater treatment
  • LCA, sustainability assessments & energy policy frameworks
  • Green hydrogen

This SI addresses the increasing demand for research to optimize biomass utilization beyond energy production, ensuring a transition from the laboratory to industrial scale.

Guest Editors:

  • Federico Battista, Università di Verona, Italy
  • Lourdinha Florencio, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil
  • Isabel Sastre-Conde, Institute of Agri-Food and Fisheries Research and Training (IRFAP), Spain

Submission Timeline:

  • Submissions open: December 1, 2025
  • Submissions close: February 28, 2026

Submission Guidelines:

Manuscripts should be submitted through the Renewable Energy Editorial Manager platform starting 1 December 2025. Please refer to the Guide for Authors to prepare your manuscript and select the article type “VSI: Next-Gen Energy” when submitting.

More information on the Special Issue is available at:
From Biomass to Energy and Beyond: Integrative Approaches for a Sustainable Future

2) The journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research (ESPR)

In 2014, a partnership was established between Springer’s ESPR journal and the ISEBE symposium series. Since then, four special issues have been published, with the latest, dedicated to 7ISEBE having been released in September 2025 (see https://abiaer.com/history-2/).

Title of 8ISEBE ESPR special issue: “Harnessing Microbial Potential to Tackle Critical Environmental Challenges”

Submission deadline: May 25, 2026

This SI also aims to explore the integration of renewable energy and sustainable biorefinery approaches; however, without restriction on scale. Research based on fieldwork or lab-scale experiments involving the key topics below will be welcome.

Key topics include:

  • Atmospheric environment
  • Environmental microbiology
  • Phytoremediation and ecosystem restoration
  • Impacts and risk assessment of chemicals/pollutants on human, animal, and ecosystem
  • Biology and Sustainable Agriculture Conservation
  • Environmental analyses and monitoring
  • Sustainable energy
  • Sustainable industrial and technological processes
  • Waste treatment and management biobased technology
  • Sustainable urban and rural landscape
  • Industrial risks (chemical pollution, radioactive accidents, oil spills, etc.)

Guest Editors:

  • Lourdinha Florencio, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil
  • Mario T. Kato, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil
  • Osmar Menezes, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil
  • Shyrlane Veras, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil
  • Jocimar Coutinho Rodrigues, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil
  • Hervé Macarie, French Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD)
  • Isabel Sastre-Conde, Institute of Agri-Food and Fisheries Research and Training (IRFAP), Spain

Submission Timeline:

  • Submissions open: January 26, 2026
  • Submissions close: May 25, 2026

Submission Guidelines:

Manuscripts should be submitted through the ESPR Editorial Manager platform (http://www.editorialmanager.com/espr/). Please refer to the Guide for Authors (https://link.springer.com/journal/11356/submission-guidelines?IFA) to prepare your manuscript, and do not forget to select the special issue 8ISEBE when submitting; otherwise, your manuscript will be channeled to a normal issue of the journal.

The submission process will consist of 6 steps which are described in detail in the tutorial that you may access by clicking of the following link: https://nuage.osupytheas.fr/s/qXkgiCQWKYZ8HYo 

Notes:

In the case of ESPR SI, due to the production process, there is a minimum period of one year between the first submission of the manuscripts in the electronic system and the formal publication. Indeed, the publication will occur only once all the manuscripts submitted to the Special Issue have reached a final decision (rejection, acceptance), not before. However, the online version of accepted papers with their final DOI will be available approximately one month after acceptance and will therefore already be citable much in advance of the full special issue.

In both cases, submission of a manuscript to a Special Issue does not guarantee publication. All submissions will undergo each of the journal’s standard peer-review processes, which are managed entirely by the Journal’s editorial board, independent of Guest Editors, with a rejection rate of up to 70%.