Lignocellulosic Feedstocks for Producing Sustainable Construction Materials: Advances and Recent Progress

Dear Colleagues,

The use of renewable resources in the bioeconomy and the substitution of fossil resources promises a variety of benefits, firstly for marketing bio-based materials with superior properties, secondly for strengthening climate protection, thirdly for lowering resource dependency, and finally for value-added improvement from local resources. However, research, development and the implementation of novel, bio-based and sustainable products and process innovations also implies a broad set of challenges, especially considering material development, fabrication technologies and sustainable resource supply. The development and production of materials based on lignocellulosic feedstocks and the mobilization of resources for these production systems, such as agricultural crops, agricultural residues and residues from forestry management, demands innovative material concepts and intelligent regional material flow management approaches. According to the UNEP “2022 Global status report for buildings and construction”, the building and construction sector is one major player responsible for a huge fraction of global Greenhouse Gas emissions. In 2021, the buildings and construction sector accounted for around 37% of energy- and process-related CO₂ emissions within global anthropogenic emissions. Therefore, the substitution of conventional construction materials and processes with climate friendly alternatives, especially contributing to buildings’ energy efficiency, is mandatory when aiming to achieve climate targets from the Paris Agreement. The bioeconomy holds major perspectives, but also major responsibilities in delivering solutions for decarbonizing the construction and building sector, while ensuring the sustainability of provisioning eco systems and efficiency alongside the chains of custody and in the construction and use stages of bio-based products. Possible product groups that can be manufactured from lignocellulosic feedstocks include insulation materials (FIB) and medium-density fiber boards (MDF), natural-fiber reinforced composites (NFC), foams and adhesives, laminates and wood-plastic composites. The scope of this Special Issues addresses recent advances in product development, in particular in the European bioeconomy, and the sustainability assessment of these innovative materials when comparing them against business-as-usual fossil-based comparators. The results and findings expected from the potential contributions should support the European and German bioeconomy strategies and the players in the bio-based industry. The aim is to advance material and product development, sustainable resource mobilization and specific decision support for innovation and material flow strategies. We are therefore calling for contributions in the area of life cycle sustainability assessment, in the areas of materials testing, materials development and materials characterization, and last but not least in the area of development and assessment of circular bioeconomy strategies and innovation strategies for bio-based industries in the construction materials sector.

Prof. Dr. Jakob Hildebrandt
Dr. Rafael Cavalcante Cordeiro
Guest Editors

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• natural fibre reinforced composites
• biocomposites
• lignocellulosic feedstocks
• innovative construction materials
• climate-friendly building products
• sustainable bioeconomy
• life cycle sustainability assessment