The sixth ISEBE belongs to a series of symposia (ISEBEs) and meetings (IMEBEs) that arose in Mexico between Mexican researchers and groups of non-Mexican scientists, from Europe, the USA, Brazil, etc., which met every 2 years, with the purpose of presenting the advances of their research works on environmental issues, where, in some way, biotechnology and engineering play an important role. The works of the greatest scientific interest resulting from the different meetings and symposia were published in special issues of scientific journals focused on the management and protection of the environment. These special issues, as well as the books of full articles and the abstract books of the meetings and symposia, can be found at the publications link of ABIAER (http://abiaer.com), the association on Environmental Biotechnology and Engineering, and Renewable Energies created from the first three meetings, IMEBEs.

ABIAER arises essentially to promote scientific exchange between students, scientists, and professionals who interact with the use of tools such as biotechnology and engineering, as well as the search for renewable energies to achieve a more sustainable environment. Likewise, the ABIAER supports and promotes the symposia on bioengineering and environmental engineering (ISEBEs) in order to allow access to information on the topics highlighted in the works published throughout the IMEBEs/ISEBEs history. In these publications, you can get papers about research on environmental impacts on natural ecosystems. Impacts characterized by pollution, degradation, and definitely loss of natural resources. In addition, it is possible to examine the advances in technological and engineering processes about treatment of wastewater (Macarie et al. 2018), gaseous effluents, and contaminated soils, but also advances in the characterization of both the microbiota of natural ecosystems and microbial biomass of biotechnological processes using molecular biology and genomic techniques (Vargas et al. 2017).

The contents of the IMEBEs/ISEBEs found in ABIAER show a trajectory of the evolution of research topics according to the course of environmental events, social progress measured in technological improvements, in parallel to scientific resolution in response to problems involving the environment and society. Thus, these contents published in special issues have first started by a state of the art of the environmental problems, which considers the effects of pollution from industries, transport, agriculture, etc., on natural resources, water, atmosphere, and soil, since these resources are limited and therefore vulnerable to over-exploitation. From the impact study, the search for environmental management strategies and decontamination (Camacho-Pérez et al. 2012) and restoration (Pastor and Hernández 2012) tools that go from sustainable development through the recovery of waste (Martínez-García et al. 2012) to life cycle analysis and environmental recommendation can be found in the special issue of 3IMEBE (Sastre-Conde et al. 2012).

Pollution caused by direct or collateral effects of man on the environment has different origins and can be seen in different gradients of extension and collateral influence to other media. The effects of pollution on the environment cause degradation in natural ecosystems, which after time and awareness of governments and the population forces to take a responsible and sustainable knowledge of industrial processes and the global economy. In the same way, this knowledge must be shared between technology and science to jointly make decisions to minimize environmental impact and analyze existing tools for the recovery of natural systems through bio-restoration, phyto-restoration technologies (García-Gonzalo et al. 2017), biosorption, electrokinetic techniques and restoration engineering, etc.

The historical evolution of pollution dates back to a long period of uncontrolled operation of industry, agriculture, animal breeding, transport, etc., with effects such as air and water pollution. Added to this is the contamination of water and soil by health and human care products (Devault et al. 2017). Likewise, the progressive contamination due to the agricultural revolution that has allowed the increase of crop yields through the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc., but has resulted in the accumulation of heavy metals in soils, as well as synthetic chemical compounds. We are facing a contamination that affects the global level, without respecting borders, and that can reach considerable extensions, as occurs in the case of plastics in the sea, or the increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere, a contamination which not only results from the industrial activity but also from the agriculture itself (López-López et al. 2012). The uses of fossil energy sources, in addition to having a life limit, are themselves a source of pollution and global climate change. An unsustainable economic system, with a depletion of the fossil energy sources, an increase in the production of waste and therefore with a higher level of contamination of resources, promotes societies with non-circular economies with a degradation and deterioration of the environment. This is reflected at a scientific level in the special issue of 4ISEBE (Poggi-Varaldo et al. 2017), in the search for new energies from the use of organic waste (Escamilla-Alvarado et al. 2017).

In recent years, there has been significant concern about the accumulation of recalcitrant and toxic organic compounds in soils and groundwater resulting from, either point contamination decades ago, or cumulative contamination over time. These pollutants can be responsible of serious human and animal health problems, since they can pass from water and soil to the food chain. Likewise, according to the concern of human health, regulations arise to limit collateral contamination by intensive production farms for animals (pigs, chickens, etc.), studying processes for improving the treatment of their wastewater (Córdoba et al. 2018). These regulations restrict the prevalence of biological contaminants for the reuse of these wastes in agricultural soils, for example, pathogenic microorganisms in organic waste such as food waste, manure, slurry, and for this, treatment techniques are sought (e.g., for manure, Venglovsky et al. 2018). The same occurs with the elevation of nitrates in waters that are sources of disease. Thus, we are in the special issue of 5ISEBE (Candal et al. 2018), with a follow-up of the decontamination of recalcitrant organic compounds and the increasing emergence of the use of pesticides that are more sustainable, ecological, and cleaner and so more respectful of the environment (Candal et al. 2018).

The special issue in hand groups a selection of the works presented during 6ISEBE (see abstract book, Rios-Vazquez et al. 2019). Several of them are focused on the evaluation of pollutants of different origins in man and animals, but there is also an interest in the use of organic waste as an energy source. Likewise, as in previous IMEBEs/ISEBEs, attention is focused on the power of microorganisms in order to help mitigate environmental pollution. In this special issue, we are at the moment of recognition of the presence of emerging pollutants in the environment. These pollutants are especially sought in wastewater. In addition, the possibility of using wastewater to extract and obtain “high added value chemical compounds” is sought. This issue also includes works with a more ecological vision of dual health, human, and environmental, as a one health. Therefore, in this issue, we are balancing cleaner and more sustainable production together with the reuse of compounds and energy, from organic waste and wastewater. The reuse of compounds and energy goes towards a circular economy. This type of economy would link with the objective of the ISEBEs, to bring together advances in engineering and biotechnology for environmental health, which, analyzed in the environment, would be to work from it to favor and improve it.

Finally, it must be pointed out that along their history, the IMEBEs and ISEBEs, focused on environmental areas, sometimes more regional than global, such as the latter ISEBE, which focused on realities centered in areas of North America, Central America, and South America, which marks a particular reality in terms of pollutants related to different legislation and economies.

The works enclosed in the present special issue encompass the following topics.

  1. I.

    Organic waste and energy

  2. II.

    Wastewater and pollutants

    1. i.

      Inorganic contaminants

    2. ii.

      Emerging contaminants such as medicines

    3. iii.

      Production of esterified fatty acids as fuels

  3. III.

    Evaluation of pollutants from different origins (agriculture, drugs, etc.) in

    1. i.

      Men

    2. ii.

      Animals

  4. IV.

    Microorganisms and mitigation of environmental deterioration

  1. i.

    Degradation of organic pollutants (pesticides) by bacteria

    1. ii.

      CO2 bio mitigation

  1. V.

    Plants and human health. Natural biopharmaceuticals.

ABIAER will continue working to publicize the advances in research in the field of biotechnology and environmental engineering, as well as the advances in research that seek more environmentally sustainable energy production methods, allowing an economic environment that is healthier to the planet. This knowledge will be disseminated through consultancies, courses, colloquia, seminars, symposiums, etc., to which students, scientists and professionals are invited to participate, because together and by joining efforts, it is possible to create an environment compatible with the life of all living beings. Among this dissemination of knowledge, ABIAER invites you to participate to the next editions of the ISEBEs that will continue to make an effort so that, on an international basis, more and more people want to be part of this family of researchers who will meet in periods ranging from 2–3 years to present, discuss, and value their research, and enhance particularly the research of young students.