Recent Advances in Sustainable and Recyclable Polymer Materials from Renewable Resources
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Sustainable Polymer Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 8
Special Issue Editors
Interests: environmental biotechnology; environmental engineering; anaerobic digestion; dark fermentation; wastewater treatment; solid waste treatment (compost, biofuels and high value-added products from waste and bio-based raw materials such as food waste, industrial and agricultural wastes); photocatalysis from photovoltaic panels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: environmental technologies; biotechnology; metal recovery; waste management; renewable energy sources
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Growing environmental concerns and the depletion of fossil fuel reserves have intensified the search for sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based polymers. Recent advances in polymer science have led to the development of sustainable and recyclable polymer materials derived from renewable resources such as plant biomass, natural oils, starch, and microbial sources. This review highlights the cutting-edge progress being made in the synthesis, characterization, and use of bio-based polymers, including polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), bio-polyethylene, and novel lignin- and cellulose-derived polymers. Emphasis is placed on innovative strategies for enhancing the recyclability, biodegradability, and performance of these materials through chemical modification, copolymerization, and advanced processing techniques. Furthermore, emerging technologies such as dynamic covalent chemistry and closed-loop recycling systems are discussed for their potential to enable circular life cycles. The convergence of green chemistry principles with advanced material design offers promising pathways toward a more sustainable polymer industry and a reduced environmental footprint.
Prof. Dr. Konstantina Papadopoulou
Dr. Kyriaki Kiskira
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. 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
- sustainable polymers
- renewable resources
- biodegradable plastics
- bio-based materials
- polymer recycling
- green chemistry
- circular economy
- polylactic acid (PLA)
- polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)
- lignin-based polymers
- cellulose-derived polymers
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