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Cascading Use of Wood Waste and Agricultural Residues for Developing Eco-Friendly Biocomposite Materials

A Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) belonging to the section "Green Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 1248

Editors

Prof. Dr. Petar Antov

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Forest Industry, University of Forestry, 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: wood technology; wood-based composites; eco-friendly wood-based composites; lignocellulosic composites; wood sciences; bio-based adhesives; advanced formaldehyde-based wood adhesives; formaldehyde emission; formaldehyde scavengers; recyclable materials; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ľuboš Krišťák

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Guest Editor
Department of Physics, Electrical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Faculty of Wood Science, Technical University of Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia
Interests: wood-based composites; physical properties of wood; thermophysical properties of wood materials; polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Eugenia Mariana Tudor

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Forest Products Technology and Timber Construction Department, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Markt 136 a, 5431 Kuchl, Austria
Interests: ligno-cellulosic composites; material science; ecology of materials; scientific writing
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Dr. Luigi Todaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, Viale dell’Ateneo Lucano, 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Interests: environmental impacts of wood-based materials; laser processing of wood-based materials; forestry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Growing environmental awareness, the increasing depletion of natural resources, and the implementation of stricter environmental regulations have accelerated the search for sustainable materials derived from renewable and secondary resources. At the same time, the transition from a linear to a circular economy has created strong interest in the efficient valorization of industrial by-products, agricultural residues, and wood waste streams. In this context, the cascading use of biomass has emerged as a key strategy for maximizing resource efficiency, extending material life cycles, and reducing environmental burdens associated with conventional material production.

Wood waste and agricultural residues represent abundant and underutilized lignocellulosic feedstocks with considerable potential for the development of eco-friendly biocomposite materials. Their conversion into value-added products can contribute to waste minimization, reduced dependence on virgin raw materials, and the advancement of sustainable manufacturing systems. The integration of these residues into innovative composite formulations also opens new opportunities for improving material performance, functionality, recyclability, and biodegradability, while supporting the principles of the circular bioeconomy.

This Special Issue, titled “Cascading Use of Wood Waste and Agricultural Residues for Developing Eco-Friendly Biocomposite Materials”, will collect high-quality original research articles and review papers focused on the sustainable utilization of lignocellulosic residues for advanced material applications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the cascading use and valorization of wood waste and agricultural residues; the development of bio-based and hybrid biocomposites; innovative processing and manufacturing technologies; recycling and reuse of lignocellulosic composite materials; biodegradable and recyclable composite systems; bio-based wood adhesives; the use of natural fibers, particles, and fillers in polymer matrices; compatibilization and interfacial enhancement; performance characterization and durability; life cycle assessment and environmental performance; and multifunctional, high-value applications of sustainable biocomposite materials.

We encourage researchers and experts from academia and industry to contribute original research and review articles addressing the latest scientific and technological advances in this rapidly developing field.

Prof. Dr. Petar Antov
Dr. Ľuboš Krišťák
Prof. Dr. Eugenia Mariana Tudor
Dr. Luigi Todaro
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials 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 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-waste-based composites
  • agricultural residues
  • lignocellulosic composites
  • eco-friendly biocomposites
  • recycling
  • cascading use of wood
  • circular economy
  • biomass valorization
  • bio-based wood adhesives
  • life cycle assessment
  • bio-based polymer composites
  • binderless composites
  • natural fiber composites
  • hybrid biocomposites
  • biodegradable composites
  • physical and mechanical properties
  • nanomaterials in biocomposites

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 2442 KB  
Article
Influence of the Spent Coffee Ground-to-Ammonium Lignosulfonate Ratio on the Performance of Wood-Fiber Biocomposites
by Viktor Savov, Petar Antov, Alexandrina Kostadinova-Slaveva, Ekaterina Todorova, Jansu Yusein, Georgi Ivanov, Viktoria Dudeva, Konstantinos Ninikas, Stoyko Petrin and Lee Seng Hua
Materials 2026, 19(17), 3748; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19173748 - 3 Sep 2026
Viewed by 260
Abstract
Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) and ammonium lignosulfonate (ALS) are promising renewable constituents for wood-fiber biocomposites, but the effect of their relative proportion within the binder phase remains insufficiently understood. This preliminary study evaluated wood-fiber panels produced at a constant dry-matter matrix-to-fiber ratio of [...] Read more.
Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) and ammonium lignosulfonate (ALS) are promising renewable constituents for wood-fiber biocomposites, but the effect of their relative proportion within the binder phase remains insufficiently understood. This preliminary study evaluated wood-fiber panels produced at a constant dry-matter matrix-to-fiber ratio of 50:50 while varying the SCG:ALS ratio from 70:30 to 30:70. The panels were hot-pressed and characterized for their physical and mechanical properties, while the corresponding SCG–ALS matrix formulations were evaluated by simultaneous TGA–DSC analysis. Increasing the SCG fraction generally improved dimensional stability and mechanical performance, whereas formulations containing 50% or more ALS showed a marked deterioration in water resistance. The SCG-rich 70:30 formulation provided the highest bending performance, with MOE and MOR values of 2156.5 and 12.83 N·mm−2, respectively. Thermal analysis revealed ratio-dependent changes in mass loss and in the principal heat-flow event, which occurred between approximately 113 and 136 °C, confirming that the SCG:ALS ratio altered the early thermal behavior of the binder system. Overall, the SCG:ALS ratio was identified as a key formulation parameter, with SCG-rich systems providing the most favorable balance between mechanical performance, dimensional stability, and internal cohesion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cascading Use of Wood Waste and Agricultural Residues for Developing Eco-Friendly Biocomposite Materials)
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17 pages, 10666 KB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Orange-Peel-Modified Particleboards Glued with Tannin-Based Resins
by Nicola Rosa, Paola Cetera, Fadwa Yassamine Tsouri, Lorenzo Moro, Elena Colusso, Michela Zanetti, Lincoln Audrew Cordeiro and Gianluca Tondi
Materials 2026, 19(13), 2858; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19132858 - 4 Jul 2026
Viewed by 562
Abstract
The increasing demand for sustainable materials is driving research into the valorization of agro-industrial waste as lignocellulosic alternatives in engineered wood product manufacturing. This study investigates the use of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.) peel as a bio-based filler in particleboards bonded [...] Read more.
The increasing demand for sustainable materials is driving research into the valorization of agro-industrial waste as lignocellulosic alternatives in engineered wood product manufacturing. This study investigates the use of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.) peel as a bio-based filler in particleboards bonded with a bio-based tannin/hexamine adhesive. Panels were fabricated by partially substituting wood chips with orange peel powder at five levels (0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 wt%), hot-pressed at 180 °C for 8 min at a constant biomass-to-adhesive ratio of 9:1 (w/w). Firstly, the effect of temperature on orange peels and then the microscopic structure of the composite was observed through optical stereomicroscopy and SEM. Then, mechanical performance, water resistance, and thermal conductivity were also analyzed. Substitution of up to 10 wt% of wood chips with orange peel allowed for the maintenance of internal bond strength, modulus of rupture, and modulus of elasticity, while the 2.5 wt% formulation yielded a statistically significant improvement in axial thermal insulation. Conversely, when the amount of orange waste rises over 10 wt%, significant decreases in internal bond and modulus of rupture were recorded. These findings demonstrate that C. aurantium peels can be used as a viable filler for formaldehyde-free particleboards, offering a promising strategy for orange waste valorization in the wood panel industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cascading Use of Wood Waste and Agricultural Residues for Developing Eco-Friendly Biocomposite Materials)
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