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Bioresource Engineering field combines engineering, biology, chemistry and environmental sciences to develop sustainable solutions for managing and utilizing biological resources. It has been around for decades but continues to evolve and adapt as new challenges and opportunities arise. Bioresource Engineering has emerged in new areas in recent years along with sustainable development goals globally. Before further deliberating the evolution of the bioresource engineering field, it is worth elucidating the definition of “bioresource” first. “Bioresource” or biological resource is referring to any natural materials or biological in nature primarily that come from Earth, including plants, animals, microorganisms, fungi, and biogenic. The second generation of bioresources or also called biomass waste, indicating to any biological substituents generated from human or animal activities such as agriculture waste, and forestry leftovers, including animal manure and composts.   

Bioresource engineering is becoming more important due to the fact that there is a need for this expertise in converting bioresource into many types of valuable products. Most of the fibrous bioresources can be processed into various products of biomaterials, biochemicals such as bioplastic, biosolvent, biosurfactant, or biocomposites. Another topic of interest among scientists and technologies nowadays is the bioenergy production from biomass comprising bioethanol, biogas, biofuel, and biohydrogen, which the majority of energy sources were currently produced from fossil-based resources (coal, petroleum, and natural gas). As fossil-based resources reserve is decreasing, bioresource development and utilization have become a popular topic in the research domain.  The most interesting characteristic of bioresources as one of alternative resources is that, they are renewable. What is meant by “renewable” here is that, the bioresources can be recreated or reproduced (commonly via replanting plants or rebreeding the microorganism), where the planted and bred organism is then used as feedstock for special bio-based products, or re-purposing into useful or functional materials. Utilizing second-generation waste instead of directly dumping it in the environment can encourage our country to implement the zero-waste concept. Ultimately, the bioresources exploitation can support Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in various focus areas, towards Malaysia as one of the Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG11).

The prospects of the bioresource engineering field in Malaysia seem very promising. Malaysia is blessed with abundant biomass resources, particularly from the agriculture industry sector. A major part of Malaysia's economic activities comes from the agricultural industry, which produces enormous residuals from a variety of sources. For example, as the world’s top producer of palm oil, oil palm-based waste generated alone is massive, approaching 100 million tonnes annually. Hence, it opened up high possibilities for bioresource utilization development. On the other perspective, with the strong agricultural sector in Malaysia, bioresource engineering plays a crucial role in developing agricultural practices, particularly where the bioresource can be turned into beneficial inputs for soils or biofertilizers. These advancements help optimize crop production, minimize water and resource wastage, and reduce the use of chemical inputs, thus promoting sustainable farming practices. On top of that, bioresources often contain high levels of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds that can be processed to extract specific functional ingredients, called functional foods. It is also noted that bioresources can be used to make plant-based proteins in place of animal-based proteins. Thus, incorporating bioresources into food innovation promotes sustainable food production, and improves society's health and well-being.

Universities and research institutes in Malaysia have been conducting research projects and publishing scientific articles on bioresources and bioconversion, covering various aspects such as bioactive compound extraction, waste valorization, bioprocessing, and sustainable production methods. The next step is to translate the research findings into industry-level applications. Translating research findings into industrial-scale production can be challenging, where the elements of technicalities, economic points of view, and regulations are taken into account. These are the geese where bioresource engineers may have an important role to play, particularly when it comes to designing viable industrial processes and transforming bioresources into valuable products and energy. Hence, bioresource engineering has a promising future since it is aligned with several globally sustainable agendas and resource-efficient initiatives.