Editorial: Harnessing microbes for eco-friendly nanoparticle production and sustainable applications

Industrialization and urbanization are major causes of environmental deterioration in recent times. There is need for apt and sustainable alternates to overcome environmental challenges. The emerging field of nanotechnology is transforming every aspect of human life. The field is being recognized as the industrial revolution of the 21st century. It can transform ways society manufactures goods and provide better solutions to major environmental issues such as waste management and pollution. Recent years have attracted a lot of interest in nanostructured materials due to their unique features compared to their polycrystalline counterparts (Khan et al., 2024). The ability to tailor morphology, microstructure, composition, and the physio-chemical characteristics of nanomaterials through well controlled approaches make this technological field more fascinating (Liu et al., 2016). Moreover, growing need for sustainable, non-toxic and ecologically safe methods of NPs synthesis to reduce negative impacts on environment while increasing the energy productivity is the major area of research currently (Kour et al., 2024). High energy physical and chemical procedures involving the use of toxic chemicals have been employed for the synthesis of the nanoparticles (NPs). These approaches result in high production costs and pose environmental risks. Green synthesis of NPs exploiting the metabolic potential of microbial entities such as actinomycetes, algae, bacteria and fungi is a promising approach to overcome ecological challenges. Microbial communities are gifted with innate potential of biosynthesizing NPs and could be regarded as valuable biofactories of NPs synthesis (Purohit et al., 2019). This research topic was promoted in Microbiotechnology to highlight the potential applications of emerging area of research "Microbial Nanotechnology" for future sustainability. The articles in this collection presented microbe mediated NPs synthesis and their roles as antimicrobial agents, in biofuel production, and other applications. The original research by Sharmila et al, focused on green synthesis routes of NPs of antimicrobial compounds from endophytes and antagonistic microbes as an innovative strategy to manage plant diseases caused by diverse phytopathogens including bacteria, fungi and viruses. The second research article by Do et al, explores the green synthesis of AgNPs using extracellular polymeric substances of Graesiella emersonii KNUA204. The findings of the study suggested the potential of the microalgal strain for dual biomass utilization, integrating biofuel production with nanomaterial synthesis. Plokhovska et al, synthesized AgNPs from plant growth promoting bacterium Pseudomonas sp. Z9.3 and highlighted the potential of biosynthesized NPs as antimicrobial agents. Another original work by Gu et al, highlighted a novel concept of quantum dot synthesis mediated by Lysinibacillus boronitolerans QD4. Quantum dots are special nanomaterials which differ from bulk materials. Quantum dots show unique optical and 3 electronic properties due to quantum confinement which imparts them discrete energy levels. Microbes mediated synthesis of quantum dots is economical and green production method with an extensive range of industrial applications. Rai et al, reviews pycnidial fungi in biosynthesizing NPs and highlights their important applications in different sectors such as agriculture, environment, industry, and medicine. The utilization of microbes for the creation of NPs for their promising applications such as enhancing plant defenses against biotic stress, combating abiotic stress, nano-bioremediation and many more is a new development in the realm of biotechnology and a boon for advanced research in nanotechnology (Salem, 2023). The integration of diverse microbial groups and enzymes with nanotechnology offers a greener method for bioremediation of industrial effluents and this approach could be taken forward to commercial scale. This approach can be extended even to biohydrogen and bioelectricity generation from industrial waste, which will in turn boost the industrial economy through green energy generation (Mandeep and Shukla, 2020). The integration of agri-nanotechnology generates a plethora of new possibilities to deal with global challenges of food production and sustainability (Mishra et al., 2017). NPs can be used in the synthesis of nanocapsulation and nanoformulations for next generation pesticides and fertilizers which provide site specific and controlled delivery of active ingredients for protecting plants against the drought, temperature fluctuations, as well as phytopathogens. NP-based smart delivery systems in the form of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers opened up new avenues for agro-sustainability (Kashyap et al., 2018). The cellular, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms mediating the biosynthesis of NPs should be studied to improve the synthesis rate and characteristics of NPs. For future directions, synthetic biology approaches and engineering of microbial pathways for production of more valuable NPs equipped with novel functions for agriculture, environment, industry, as well as the scientific research will be useful (Carmona et al., 2023). Taken together, this Research Topic highlights the scope of green nanotechnology for a sustainable future. Although nanotechnology provides innovative and promising solutions, it is important to learn long and even short-term impacts of NPs on humans and environment to fully explore this technology for its valuable impact on societal progress (Babatunde et al., 2020). Collaborative efforts of the governmental regulatory agencies and the scientific community is fundamental for product design, development and commercialization, and acceptance by society.