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Valorization of Waste and Plant Biomasses for Functional Polymer-Based Material...
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Valorization of Waste and Plant Biomasses for Functional Polymer-Based Material Development

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 681

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Donatella Duraccio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (STEMS), National Research Council (CNR), Torino, Italy
Interests: polymer-based systems; waste valorization; mechanical characterization; structural properties
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giovanna Gomez D’Ayala

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), National Research Council (CNR), Torino, Italy
Interests: biomaterials; waste valorization; extraction method; biomedical application
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight contributions exploring how waste and/or plant biomasses can be transformed into valuable resources for producing functional materials. The process of valorization refers to recovering valuable components with both functional and structural properties from organic wastes or byproducts, such as agricultural residues, wood wastes, or other plant materials, and converting them into useful products with high added value, like biofuels, biodegradable plastics, or advanced functional materials.

The valorization of waste and plant biomasses addresses both sustainability and waste management concerns by reducing environmental pollution and efficiently utilizing renewable resources. The development of functional materials from these biomasses can contribute to the creation of eco-friendly, cost-effective alternatives in various industries, including electronics, construction, biomedical, and packaging.

There are no restrictions on the processes employed for waste valorization, including extraction and thermochemical conversion. Similarly, all types of advanced materials, such as crystalline, amorphous, nanocomposites, composites, thermosets, and thermoplastics, as well as a broad range of polymers, can be considered. The scope of this Special Issue encompasses different applications ranging from energy storage and water purification to packaging and health-related products. Both original research articles and review papers are welcome.

Dr. Donatella Duraccio
Dr. Giovanna Gomez D’Ayala
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

  • plant biomass
  • waste valorization
  • advanced materials
  • sustainability
  • polymer characterization

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 7187 KiB  
Article
New Alternatives in the Valorisation of Eucalyptus globulus By-Products for the Textile Industry
by Jorge Santos, Carlos Silva, Raquel A. Fernandes, Nuno Ferreira, Danilo Escobar-Avello, Pedro Magalhães, Fernão D. Magalhães, Jorge M. Martins and Luisa H. Carvalho
Polymers 2025, 17(12), 1619; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17121619 - 11 Jun 2025
Abstract
The textile industry requires products with a wide range of characteristics for use in diverse applications such as the production of shoes, bags, jackets, thermal clothing and articles for the automotive industry, among others. These products have traditionally been made from leather, which [...] Read more.
The textile industry requires products with a wide range of characteristics for use in diverse applications such as the production of shoes, bags, jackets, thermal clothing and articles for the automotive industry, among others. These products have traditionally been made from leather, which is obtained from animal hides. However, leather production has come under enormous pressure due to sustainability concerns in various areas and the growing number of people who actively choose to avoid all animal products. The main solutions developed by the textile industry have been to apply synthetic coatings based on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyurethane (PUR) to textile substrates. One of the ways to reduce the environmental impact and non-renewable content of artificial leather is to replace parts of the synthetic component with lignocellulosic by-products. In the present work the feasibility of using small branches and leaves of Eucalyptus globulus (BLE) as a component of an aqueous PUR formulation for coating textile products was evaluated. In addition, the possibility of obtaining functional textile products with antioxidant properties based on the BLE particles incorporation was also evaluated. The effect of the BLE particle size distribution in the PUR formulation and on the properties of the coated textile products was evaluated. The BLE particles and their size influenced the colour, appearance, hydrophobicity and mechanical properties of the coated textiles. The (BLE) particles have improved the tensile strength of textile coating products without loss of elongation, improving their properties for specific applications. Furthermore, the textiles coated with the (BLE) particles showed interesting antioxidant properties, being possible to obtain coated fabrics with five times more DPPH radical scavenging activity than the reference coated fabric without (BLE) particles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorization of Waste and Plant Biomasses for Functional Polymer-Based Material Development)
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17 pages, 3721 KiB  
Article
Adsorption of Methylene Blue onto Environmentally Friendly Lignocellulosic Material Obtained from Mature Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) Leaves
by Giannin Mosoarca, Cosmin Vancea, Simona Popa, Maria Elena Radulescu-Grad, Mircea Dan, Cristian Tanasie and Sorina Boran
Polymers 2025, 17(11), 1549; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111549 - 2 Jun 2025
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Abstract
The present study investigates the potential of a new lignocellulosic adsorbent material obtained from mature coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) leaves for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solutions. The material was obtained after minimal processing of the leaves, without chemical or [...] Read more.
The present study investigates the potential of a new lignocellulosic adsorbent material obtained from mature coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) leaves for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solutions. The material was obtained after minimal processing of the leaves, without chemical or thermal treatment. The material was first characterized using several specific techniques (FTIR, color analysis). Then, the mechanism of the adsorption process was investigated through studies related to adsorption equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamics. The adsorption process is described by the Sips isotherm and the general kinetic model, while the thermodynamic parameters suggest that physical adsorption is the primary mechanism responsible for dye retention. The Taguchi method was used to optimize the adsorption conditions and to identify the most influential controllable factor. ANOVA was used to calculate the percentage contribution of each controllable factor to the dye removal efficiency. pH had the greatest influence on the process (87.78%), while temperature had the least effect (0.16%). The maximum adsorption capacity determined was 278.1 mg/g, being higher than other similar adsorbents. All the results show that coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) leaves are a very cheap, environmentally friendly, and effective adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorization of Waste and Plant Biomasses for Functional Polymer-Based Material Development)
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17 pages, 1971 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Hemp Seed Oil as Functional Additive into Polybutylene Succinate (PBS) Films for Food Packaging
by Giovanni Dal Poggetto, Mattia Di Maro, Luca Gargiulo, Donatella Duraccio, Gabriella Santagata and Giovanna Gomez d’Ayala
Polymers 2025, 17(10), 1376; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17101376 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 221
Abstract
In this study, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was performed to recover antioxidant hemp seed oil (HSO) with the purpose of developing polybutylene succinate (PBS)/HSO-based films for active packaging to improve food shelf-life. It was found that MAE achieved comparable yields, structural characteristics, and antioxidant [...] Read more.
In this study, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was performed to recover antioxidant hemp seed oil (HSO) with the purpose of developing polybutylene succinate (PBS)/HSO-based films for active packaging to improve food shelf-life. It was found that MAE achieved comparable yields, structural characteristics, and antioxidant activity to Soxhlet extraction, but in significantly less time (2.5 min vs. 6 h). PBS-based films with 0.5 and 1 wt% HSO were prepared by compression molding. Morphological investigation of the PBS-HSO films highlighted uniform oil droplet dispersion and good compatibility. HSO reduced PBS crystallinity but did not affect the α-form of PBS. Thermal analysis showed reductions in Tm and Tc, whereas Tg remained unchanged at −17 °C. PBS containing 1 wt% HSO exhibited a 42% decrease in Young’s modulus, 47% reduction in elongation at break, and 47% decrease in tensile strength due to the plasticizing effect of the oil and, which reduced the intermolecular forces and facilitated polymer chain disentanglement, in agreement with the FTIR analysis, which showed a distinct broadening of the carbonyl stretching region associated with the amorphous phase (1720–1730 cm−1) in the PBS-HSO films compared to neat PBS. Migration tests showed that the films are unsuitable for fatty foods but safe for aqueous, acidic, and alcoholic foods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorization of Waste and Plant Biomasses for Functional Polymer-Based Material Development)
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