Biopolymers from Renewable Sources

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 2699

Special Issue Editors

Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU Plaza Europa 1, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain
Interests: biorefinery; lignocellulosic biomass; lignin; biomaterials
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU Plaza Europa 1, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain
Interests: biorefinery; lignocellulosic biomass; lignin; polyols
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, University of the Basque Country, Plaza Europa, 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
Interests: biorefinery; lignocellulosic biomass; deep eutectic solvents; process intensification
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU Plaza Europa 1, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain
Interests: biorefinery; lignocellulosic biomass; hemicelluloses; process intensification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU Plaza Europa 1, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain
Interests: biorefinery; lignocellulosic biomass; lignin; polyols

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The depletion of fossil resources and the high environmental impact caused by the lack of biodegradability of synthetic polymers have promoted an urgent need of searching for sustainable and more eco-friendly resources such as biopolymers. In this context, biorefineries have emerged as potential solutions for processing biomass from different origins (lignocellulosic, marine) into a portfolio of marketable biopolymers and bio-based products.

Thus, this Special Issue is devoted to novel extraction methods and valorisation routes of biomass, being of particular interest the extraction, modification and application of its constituents. Potential topics for publication include but are not limited to the following:

  • Valorization of new biomass sources
  • Biopolymer extraction and characterization via sustainable methods
  • Biopolymer modification
  • Novel applications of the extracted biopolymers
  • Sustainability and/or techno-economic analysis of biomass valorization processes

Dr. Amaia Morales
Dr. Xabier Erdocia
Dr. Leyre Sillero
Dr. Izaskun Dávila
Dr. Fabio Hernández
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lignocellulosic biomass
  • biorefinery processes
  • green chemistry
  • biopolymer modification
  • novel applications
  • sustainability analysis
  • techno-economic analysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1847 KiB  
Article
Integral Valorization of Posidonia oceanica Balls: An Abundant and Potential Biomass
by Rim Mnafki, Amaia Morales, Leyre Sillero, Ramzi Khiari, Younes Moussaoui and Jalel Labidi
Polymers 2024, 16(1), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16010164 - 04 Jan 2024
Viewed by 840
Abstract
Posidonia oceanica balls (POB), a kind of seagrass, are a significant environmental issue since they are annually discharged onto beaches. Their current usefulness limits interest in their management and enhances the environmental problem. Therefore, in this research, the potential of this lignocellulosic biomass [...] Read more.
Posidonia oceanica balls (POB), a kind of seagrass, are a significant environmental issue since they are annually discharged onto beaches. Their current usefulness limits interest in their management and enhances the environmental problem. Therefore, in this research, the potential of this lignocellulosic biomass was studied from a holistic biorefinery point of view. To this end, an in-depth study was carried out to select the best pathway for the integral valorization of POBs. First, an autohydrolysis process was studied for the recovery of oligosaccharides. Then, a delignification stage was applied, where, in addition to studying different delignification methods, the influence of the autohydrolysis pre-treatment was also investigated. Finally, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were obtained through a chemo-mechanical treatment. The results showed that autohydrolysis not only improved the delignification process and its products, but also allowed the hemicelluloses to be valorized. Acetoformosolv delignification proved to be the most successful in terms of lignin and cellulose properties. However, alkaline delignification was able to extract the highest amount of lignin with low purity. CNFs were also successfully produced from bleached solids. Therefore, the potential of POB as a feedstock for a biorefinery was confirmed, and the pathway should be chosen according to the requirements of the desired end products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers from Renewable Sources)
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14 pages, 5104 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Biodegradability in Soil of Chicken Feather by Steam Explosion for Potential Application in Agricultural Biodegradable Plastics
by Julen Vadillo, Sarah Montes, Hans-Jürgen Grande, Steven Verstichel, Jonna Almqvist and Krystyna Wrześniewska-Tosik
Polymers 2023, 15(18), 3701; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15183701 - 08 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1341
Abstract
Feather waste is a major issue from an economic and environmental point of view. Even though there are already routes for the valorisation of feathers into fertilisers and feather meal, these are considered to have low added value. For more attractive applications, for [...] Read more.
Feather waste is a major issue from an economic and environmental point of view. Even though there are already routes for the valorisation of feathers into fertilisers and feather meal, these are considered to have low added value. For more attractive applications, for example in agricultural biodegradable plastics, higher and faster degradability in soil is required. To face this challenge alternative approaches to accelerate biodegradation and disintegration processes are needed. In this context, steam explosion appears as an effective technology to modify the structure of feather and improve its soil degradability. In this work, chicken feathers were treated by steam explosion and the effect of treatment on their structure and physico-chemical and thermal properties were evaluated. Finally, the effect of the process conditions on the disintegration and biodegradation in soil of feathers was also investigated, finding an increased degradation in soil of steam explosion treated feathers. These results open up the possibilities of using feather waste as a component for environmentally friendly agricultural bioplastics that can be degraded in-situ in soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers from Renewable Sources)
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