Advances in Sustainable Processing of Wood and Lignocellulosic Materials: From Molecular Engineering to Industrial Implementation

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 549

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Facultad de Ingeniería en Tecnología de la Madera (FITECMA), Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH), Morelia 58040, Mexico
Interests: organic physical-chemistry; wood chemistry; lignocellulosic adhesives and materials; molecular modeling

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Facultad de Ingeniería en Tecnología de la Madera, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edif. D. Cd. Universitaria, Santiago Tapia No. 403, Centro, Morelia 58000, Mexico
Interests: wood chemistry; lignocellulosic materials; densified solid biofuel; bioenergy; biochar
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue explores the latest advancements in the responsible management of wood and lignocellulosic materials, relying on a thorough comprehension and the utilization of their fundamental physical and chemical properties. As a renewable resource, wood has extraordinary structural complexity and compositional diversity, which can be utilized for applications including green adhesives, green composites, high-performance construction materials, and advanced biomaterials.

This Special Issue of Forests welcomes contributions that examine the following topics:

1) Molecular engineering and functionalization—this includes research focusing on the chemical modifications of wood components to enhance their functionality for specific applications.
2) Innovative adhesive formulations: this includes studies on the development of formaldehyde-free and bio-based adhesives, with an emphasis on durability, bonding mechanisms, and environmental impact.
3) Composite and hybrid materials: this includes investigations into advanced composite technologies utilizing lignocellulosic materials, encompassing fiber-reinforced polymers and hybrid systems for structural or non-structural applications.
4) Durability and antifungal strategies: this includes contributions exploring antifungal and antimicrobial treatments to improve the longevity of wood and wood-based products, with an emphasis on eco-friendly approaches.
5) Analytical and characterization techniques: this includes research presenting innovative methods with which to characterize wood’s chemical composition and physical properties to optimize industrial applications.
6) Green extraction and processing: this includes advances in sustainable extraction and fractionation of wood components for applications in bio-based chemicals, fuels, and materials.
7) Applications in emerging industries: this includes novel uses of wood and lignocellulosic biomaterials in areas such as bioplastics, packaging, and renewable energy.

Dr. Pablo Lopez-Albarran
Prof. Dr. José Guadalupe Rutiaga-Quiñones
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.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 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

  • wood chemistry
  • lignocellulosic materials
  • molecular engineering
  • sustainable wood adhesives
  • advanced wood composites
  • antifungal wood treatments
  • physical properties of wood
  • chemical modification of wood
  • renewable biomaterials
  • industrial applications of wood

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 2641 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Process of Steaming Beech Sapwood and False Heartwood with Saturated Water Steam in Terms of Acidity Changes and Color Wood
by Michal Dudiak
Forests 2025, 16(5), 864; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050864 - 21 May 2025
Viewed by 268
Abstract
The paper presents changes in the color and acidity of beech wood with false heartwood in the process of pressure steaming at the temperature interval t = 105 °C and 125 °C during τ = 6 to 24 h. The light white-gray color [...] Read more.
The paper presents changes in the color and acidity of beech wood with false heartwood in the process of pressure steaming at the temperature interval t = 105 °C and 125 °C during τ = 6 to 24 h. The light white-gray color of sapwood with a yellow tint changes to pale pink and red-brown to brown-red color during the steaming process. The color of beech wood with false heartwood changed to brown-gray color shades during 24 h of steaming with saturated water steam. From the measured data, as well as the visual evaluation of the color of the wood, I can conclude that, in the process of steaming beech wood with false heartwood, we can achieve color unification between false heartwood and sapwood in mode at temperature t = 105 °C for time τ = 18 h and in mode at temperature t = 125 °C for time τ = 12 h. Due to the influence of hemicellulose hydrolysis, the acidity of beech wood changes in the process of steaming. The decrease in acidity of beech wood in the temperature interval t = 105–125 °C and time τ = 6–24 h is in the range of values pHsapwood = 5.2 to 3.6 and pHfalse heartwood = 5.0 to 3.9. The relationship between the total color difference ∆E and the acidity change in beech sapwood and false heartwood is expressed by a second-degree polynomial function. The above mathematical relations represent a useful tool for evaluating the achieved color shade before further technological processing. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop