Sustainable Utilization of Low-Value Tree Biomass for Bio-Based Products
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2024 | Viewed by 61
Special Issue Editors
Interests: chemistry of wood; nanocellulose; extractives; biopolymers; polymer chemistry; composites; spectroscopy; chromatography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: structure; biology; chemistry and properties of wood and bark; cellulose nanofibrils; extractives; application; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: tree biomass; wood and bark extractives; natural durability of wood; inhibition of fungal growth; bioactive compounds; value-adding compounds; analytical methods; extraction methods; chromatography; bio-based antifungal/antimicrobial/antioxidant agents
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant and renewable resource on Earth and can be processed in various ways through mechanical, chemical, or thermal conversion processes. Wood is a hierarchically organized biochemical product of trees consisting mainly of three classes of macromolecules: celluloses and hemicelluloses, aromatic polymeric lignins, and low-molecular-weight compounds and extracts.
The concept of the circular economy combines the sustainable use of natural resources with a reduction in emissions and economic growth by using residues as raw materials. Residues from the primary wood industry have already been demonstrated to be an environmentally friendly raw material for various bioproducts. The side streams of the wood processing industry also play an important role as independent value chains in the concept of the circular economy. In addition to industrial residues, low-value and underutilized wood also has great potential for use as a natural raw material for various bioproducts. This also includes wood from non-native and imported tree species that do not currently play an important role in existing hardwood processing chains.
In this context, low-value wood can serve as feedstock for the isolation of individual wood fractions and the isolation of cellulose, lignin, hemicelluloses, extracts, and fine chemicals, which we have termed valuable biopolymers and molecules, including nanomaterials such as nanocrystalline cellulose, nanofibrillar cellulose, and nanolignin. Due to their exceptional characteristics, they can be used to improve the properties of existing materials, form new materials from biopolymers, or produce bionanocomposites.
This Special Issue deals with various possibilities for the advanced use of lignocellulosic biomass. Contributions are also invited that present the original use of traditional and new advanced methods to characterize raw materials, building blocks, processing intermediates, and end products.
Dr. Ida Poljansek
Prof. Dr. Primož Oven
Dr. Viljem Vek
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
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Keywords
- lignocellulosic biomass
- wood bark
- heartwood
- low-value biomass
- chemistry structure
- cellulose
- lignin
- hemicelluloses
- extractives
- polyphenols
- natural antioxidants
- antifungal properties
- fine chemicals
- decomposition
- nanocrystalline cellulose
- nanofibrillated cellulose
- nanolignin
- advanced methods
- characterization
- application
- bionanocomposites
- biopolymers
- biodegradable
