Advancing Environmental Sustainability through a Bio-Based Circular Economy A Systematic Literature Review of Biochemical Process Engineering

Advancing Environmental Sustainability through a Bio-Based Circular Economy A Systematic Literature Review of Biochemical Process Engineering | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Systematic Review Advancing Environmental Sustainability through a Bio-Based Circular Economy A Systematic Literature Review of Biochemical Process Engineering Nurhayati Sembiring, Jhan Pranata Brahmana, Akbar Gading Alfadli Harahap This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9047541/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This systematic literature review (SLR) synthesizes 82 Scopus-indexed, peer-reviewed articles on the bio-based circular economy (BCE) in biochemical process engineering published between 2015 and 2025, following the PRISMA protocol. These articles were reviewed using descriptive analysis and thematic synthesis that mapped publication trends, domain themes, methodological patterns, and ongoing research gaps. Results show a marked growth in publications after 2020, indicating rising global attention to bio-based solutions for environmental sustainability. The evidence base is geographically skewed toward Europe, with smaller contributions from Asia and other regions, despite the global relevance of bio-based resources. This literature focuses on the bioeconomy, circular economy, and bio-based technologies, including biorefineries, bio-based fertilizers. Thematically, the literature focuses on the bioeconomy, circular economy, and bio-based technologies, microalgae applications, and bio-based plastics. Methodologically, the corpus is dominated by quantitative techno-economic assessments, life cycle assessments, and process optimization, while the integration of qualitative, theory-based, and governance-oriented studies is still relatively limited. Conceptually, the field remains fragmented, with insufficient integration across technological, policy, and socio-ecological dimensions. To address these gaps, this literature proposes three complementary frameworks: (i) an Integrated Assessment Framework for holistic sustainability evaluation, (ii) a Multilevel Governance Framework to support BCE transitions, and (iii) a Circularity Metrics Framework that emphasizes tiered use, quality preservation, and nutrient cycling. Overall, although BCE research in biochemical process engineering is rapidly developing, future studies should strengthen the theoretical foundations, adopt interdisciplinary approaches, and develop context-sensitive frameworks to enable a more inclusive and sustainable bio-based circular transition. Environmental Engineering Bio‑based circular economy Biochemical process engineering Environmental sustainability Bioeconomy Systematic review PRISMA Life cycle assessment (LCA) Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9047541","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Systematic Review","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":601716266,"identity":"9029523e-9ba7-4c89-ac2e-71d63b3db468","order_by":0,"name":"Nurhayati Sembiring","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8651-5926","institution":"Universitas Sumatera Utara","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nurhayati","middleName":"","lastName":"Sembiring","suffix":""},{"id":601716267,"identity":"5afd0136-0c7d-4791-b9e4-bf7b956a4558","order_by":1,"name":"Jhan Pranata Brahmana","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8310-8841","institution":"Universitas Sumatera Utara","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jhan","middleName":"Pranata","lastName":"Brahmana","suffix":""},{"id":601716268,"identity":"c7cae22e-d6cb-4582-bbca-5e1072fc30e2","order_by":2,"name":"Akbar Gading Alfadli Harahap","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9214-8798","institution":"Universitas Sumatera Utara","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Akbar","middleName":"Gading Alfadli","lastName":"Harahap","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-06 07:47:56","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9047541/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9047541/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104207830,"identity":"96caecbf-a85b-4353-85c3-aadbeb6d1e64","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-09 07:11:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":889164,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"mar6nurhayatisembiring.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9047541/v1_covered_75e2edad-b0ec-4120-a6a3-622413afda24.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eAdvancing Environmental Sustainability through a Bio-Based Circular Economy A Systematic Literature Review of Biochemical Process Engineering\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Universitas Sumatera Utara","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Bio‑based circular economy; Biochemical process engineering, Environmental sustainability, Bioeconomy, Systematic review, PRISMA, Life cycle assessment (LCA)","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9047541/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9047541/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis systematic literature review (SLR) synthesizes 82 Scopus-indexed, peer-reviewed articles on the bio-based circular economy (BCE) in biochemical process engineering published between 2015 and 2025, following the PRISMA protocol. 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