Results from a webinar organised by EBNet’s working group on AI & ML in the Bioeconomy have formed the basis for a recent Perspectives paper in Resources, Conservation and Recycling.
The paper identifies the power of biotechnologies such as fermentation, anaerobic digestion and bioelectrochemical systems  – all topics of sister EBNet Working Groups – for converting organic wastes into platform chemicals, high-value products and bioenergy. It outlines the classic challenges to development and uptake of these processes, including feedstock heterogeneity, supply chain issues and regulatory barriers. It also notes that application of machine learning (ML) to these biotechnologies lags behind that in other fields, and therefore seeks to identify the barriers to modelling.
Dr Oliver Fisher, Lead Author on the paper, said: “This work came directly out of one of our WG webinars, as a joint publication with the presenters”. Dr Fisher is Assistant Professor in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham, specialising in leveraging digital technologies to advance a sustainable and inclusive circular economy; and is co-Lead of the AI & ML WG with Prof Rachel Gomes.
For a report on this WG’s activities to March 2026, see HERE.
Breaking barriers to modelling biotechnologies with machine learning. Fisher, O.J., Short, M., Zhang, D., Guo, M. and Gomes, R.L., 2025. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 215, p.108071.
