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Green and Sustainable Chemistry of Waste Conversion in Circular Economy:...
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Green and Sustainable Chemistry of Waste Conversion in Circular Economy: Challenges and Perspectives

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2024 | Viewed by 5063

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maria Rios

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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60440-554, Brazil
Interests: integrated use of biomass; development of multifunctional additives; production, characterization, and performance evaluation of biofuels; thermal analysis; oxidative stability; development of bench-scale equipment; exergy analysis; renewable energy; sustainable development and green chemistry
Prof. Dr. José Cleiton Sousa dos Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, Redenção 62790-970, Brazil
Interests: enzyme-related processes; biocatalysis; chemistry; biology; materials; energy; environment; food; pharmaceuticals; manufacturing, and related engineering fields
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the chemical industry has tried to align with guidelines for sustainable development, working with a new vision to balance environmental, economic, and social factors. Thus, more sustainable innovations have been developed, such as waste-to-energy conversion; waste generation reduces the environmental impact and ensures the production of renewable energy alongside achieving a circular economy. The bio-waste conversion to high-value products such as fuels, chemicals, and materials can play an important role in advancing a circular economy while stimulating the design of products that can be more easily recycled than those currently on the market. The circular economy is a concept that aims to rethink the production system and consumption of goods and services, in addition to reducing waste and preventing damage to the environment caused by air, water, and soil pollution. Its principles are eliminating waste and contamination at the production base, keeping products and raw materials in multiple cycles of use, and regenerating nature. This Special Issue will focus on the green and sustainable chemistry of waste conversion processes, including biomass conversion, the development and application of green chemical products, waste-to-energy processes, thermochemical conversion processes, biomaterials, the life cycle assessment of chemical products and processes, and biomass in the circular economy. Waste biorefinery, as well as circular bioeconomy, will also be covered, which includes bioprocesses; waste for biopolymers; bio-lipids production; bioprocesses for wastewater treatment; and the integrated use of biowaste, biofuels, and renewable feedstocks.

Topics of interest, but not limited, include:

  • Green and sustainable chemistry of waste conversion;
  • Bioconversion of wastes into value-added products;
  • Waste-to-energy conversion;
  • Waste biorefinery: challenges and perspectives;
  • Biomass in a circular economy;
  • Life cycle of chemicals and products;
  • Integrated use of biowaste;
  • Treatment technologies for biowaste;
  • Bioconversion of biowaste into renewable energy and biomaterials.

Prof. Dr. Maria Alexsandra De Sousa Rios
Prof. Dr. José Cleiton Sousa dos Santos
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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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

  • waste conversion
  • bioenergy
  • biorefinery
  • life cycle analysis
  • biomaterials
  • bioprocesses
  • circular economy
  • biofuels
  • green chemistry
  • sustainability

Published Papers (5 papers)

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20 pages, 1529 KiB  
Article
Influence of Thermal and Chemical Treatment on Biosorbent from Rice Husk and Its Application in Removal of Resorcinol from Industrial Wastewater
by Salaha Saeed, Muhammad Yousaf Arshad, Ahsan Raza, Faisal Mahmood, Agnieszka Urbanowska, Anam Suhail Ahmed and Lukasz Niedzwiecki
Processes 2023, 11(12), 3344; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11123344 - 30 Nov 2023
Viewed by 659
Abstract
The removal of phenolic compounds is of great importance because of their toxic nature and potentially harmful effects on the environment and human health. This study examines the use of rice husk as a biosorbent for eliminating phenolic compounds, particularly resorcinol, from industrial [...] Read more.
The removal of phenolic compounds is of great importance because of their toxic nature and potentially harmful effects on the environment and human health. This study examines the use of rice husk as a biosorbent for eliminating phenolic compounds, particularly resorcinol, from industrial wastewater. Three types of rice husk, namely raw rice husk (RRH), chemically treated rice husk (CTRH), and thermally treated rice husk (TTRH), are utilized after grinding and methanol treatment. Characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and optical microscopy are used to analyze the rice husk-based adsorbents. The microscopic analysis reveals the presence of nano-pores in TTRH and the existence of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups in all sorbent samples. XRD analysis confirms the presence of silica in biosorbents. This study also examines the influence of dosage and initial concentration on resorcinol sorption. Optimized dosages of 0.5 g (RRH), 0.5 g (CTRH), and 1.5 g (TTRH) result in sorption capacities of 14 mg/g (RRH), 11 mg/g (CTRH), and 5 mg/g (TTRH). Isotherm analysis indicates that the Langmuir isotherm best describes the sorption behavior of TTRH, while the Freundlich isotherm is observed for CTRH, and both RRH and CTRH follow the Temkin isotherm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Chemistry of Waste Conversion in Circular Economy: Challenges and Perspectives)
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12 pages, 13717 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical Characterization of Potassium Hydroxide Pretreated Chestnut Shell and Its Bioconversion to Lactic Acid by Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus
by Jeongho Lee, Seunghee Kim, Hyerim Son, Kang Hyun Lee, Chulhwan Park and Hah Young Yoo
Processes 2023, 11(12), 3340; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11123340 - 30 Nov 2023
Viewed by 962
Abstract
Lactic acid (LA) is an important platform chemical with a wide range of applications, including bioplastic materials, and demand for it is growing rapidly. However, the high cost of feedstock for LA production is a major barrier to industrial production. This study designed [...] Read more.
Lactic acid (LA) is an important platform chemical with a wide range of applications, including bioplastic materials, and demand for it is growing rapidly. However, the high cost of feedstock for LA production is a major barrier to industrial production. This study designed a process to produce LA from chestnut shell (CS), a low-cost biomass. The entire process includes KOH pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, and fermentation. This study investigated the chemical compositions and physicochemical properties of raw CS and KOH pretreated CS (KpCS) to evaluate the impact of the pretreatment process that enhances the conversion of cellulose into glucose. The results showed that KOH affected the lignin removal and surface morphological changes of CS, and FT-IR and TGA patterns correlated to increased cellulose fractions were found. In the fermentation process, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus was selected as a prominent LA producer, and the fermentation using KpCS hydrolysate was carried out. As a result, cell growth (27%), glucose consumption (23%), and LA production (21%) were all achieved higher than the control group. The LA production yield from our suggested process was estimated to be 187 g/kg CS, and we concluded that CS has a high potential as a feedstock for LA production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Chemistry of Waste Conversion in Circular Economy: Challenges and Perspectives)
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16 pages, 2274 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Adsorbent Biomaterials Based on Coconut Mesocarp for Treatment of Wastewater Contaminated with Tartrazine Dye
by Candelaria Tejada-Tovar, Ángel Villabona-Ortiz, Fabián Aguilar-Bermúdez, Yerardin Pájaro-Moreno and Ángel Darío González-Delgado
Processes 2023, 11(11), 3115; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11113115 - 31 Oct 2023
Viewed by 978
Abstract
The presence of synthetic dyes in industrial wastewater poses significant environmental and health concerns due to their persistent nature and potential toxicity. Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow dye known for its stability and resistance to conventional treatment methods. As a result, its discharge [...] Read more.
The presence of synthetic dyes in industrial wastewater poses significant environmental and health concerns due to their persistent nature and potential toxicity. Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow dye known for its stability and resistance to conventional treatment methods. As a result, its discharge into natural water bodies can lead to adverse ecological impacts and can jeopardize public health. The objective of this work was to functionalize coconut shells (CSs), coconut cellulose (CC), and modified coconut cellulose (MCC) bioadsorbents with cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTAC) for their use in the elimination by adsorption of the dye tartrazine in aqueous solutions. CC was synthesized through a double extraction with sodium hydroxide, and a chemical treatment was performed with CTAC at 100 mmol L−1. The final dye concentration was determined through UV-Vis at 500 nm. An FTIR analysis showed multiple active sites, represented in groups such as hydroxyl, COO-, NHx-, and hydrocarbon compounds. Increasing the initial concentration had a positive effect on the efficiency of the process, reaching 99% removal with an adsorption capacity of 11.89 mg/g at equilibrium using MCC. The test showed that equilibrium was reached after 30 min. Initially, the removal of the dyes was rapid, about 97% of the contaminant being removed in the first 5 min. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were satisfactorily fitted to the adsorption isotherm, showing physical and chemical adsorption. It can be concluded that MCC is a promising bioadsorbent for the removal of tartrazine dye in aqueous solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Chemistry of Waste Conversion in Circular Economy: Challenges and Perspectives)
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18 pages, 3397 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study and Mathematical Modeling under Various Hot-Air Drying Conditions of Thin Layer Olive Pomaces
by Chafaa Nsibi and Marzouk Lajili
Processes 2023, 11(9), 2513; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11092513 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 794
Abstract
The present work studies the convective drying of a granular porous medium in a bed of olive pomace. The experimental tests were conducted in a closed convection drying loop of hot air. The experimental tests measured the mass loss over time. Tests were [...] Read more.
The present work studies the convective drying of a granular porous medium in a bed of olive pomace. The experimental tests were conducted in a closed convection drying loop of hot air. The experimental tests measured the mass loss over time. Tests were carried out for five temperature values: 60 ± 0.1 °C, 70 ± 0.1 °C, 80 ± 0.1 °C, 90 ± 0.1 °C and 100 ± 0.1 °C, respectively. Moreover, three values of velocities of the drying air, 1 ± 0.01 ms−1, 1.5 ± 0.01 ms−1 and 2 ± 0.01 ms−1, were considered. The effects of initial humidity, bed thickness and pomace composition on the drying process were studied. The results show that the moisture content decreases when the temperature and the velocity of the drying air increase. In addition, the composition of olive pomace (pulp, pits and raw pomace) significantly affects the drying time. A characteristic drying curve and its equation were determined. Seven thin layer drying models were tested, and the Midilli et al.’s model produced the best agreement. The effective moisture diffusivity coefficient (Deff), the activation energy (Ea) and the pre-exponential coefficient of the Arrhenius law were evaluated. The results could be of great help for the pretreatment of crude olive pomace when moving to industrial scale and before passing to the step of biofuel (pellets, briquettes or logs, Syngas) production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Chemistry of Waste Conversion in Circular Economy: Challenges and Perspectives)
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17 pages, 7026 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Fuel Properties of the Seed Shell of the Neem Plant (Azadirachta indica)
by Francisco Simão Neto, Maria Melo Neta, Ana Sousa, Luana Damasceno, Bruna Sousa, Samuel Medeiros, Rafael Melo, Ada Lopes, José Santos and Maria Rios
Processes 2023, 11(8), 2442; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11082442 - 14 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1116
Abstract
The energetic potential of the seed shell of the Neem plant (Azadirachta indica) was investigated using proximate analysis, Higher Heating Value (HHV), thermal analysis (TG-DTG and DSC) in inert and oxidative atmospheres, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The results of ash (3.80% [...] Read more.
The energetic potential of the seed shell of the Neem plant (Azadirachta indica) was investigated using proximate analysis, Higher Heating Value (HHV), thermal analysis (TG-DTG and DSC) in inert and oxidative atmospheres, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The results of ash (3.80% ± 0.44), volatile matter (81.76% ± 1.30), fixed carbon (14.44% ± 1.74), and estimated HHV (18.791 MJ/kg: average value) are compatible with other biomasses already used as fuels in the bioenergy industry. Thermograms showed three main degradation events in synthetic air and two in nitrogen, attributed to the moisture, release of volatile materials, and decomposition of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. The elements positively detected by the XRF were Ca, K, S, P, Fe, Ti, Zn, Rb, and Sr. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Chemistry of Waste Conversion in Circular Economy: Challenges and Perspectives)
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