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Polymers
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Biomass Valorization and Conversion for Sustainable Polymer Composites
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Biomass Valorization and Conversion for Sustainable Polymer Composites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 1407

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giulia Infurna

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: biochar; biowaste; biopolymers
Prof. Dr. Nadka T. Dintcheva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: structure/processing/properties relationships in polymers; biopolymers; micro- and nano- composites; polymers and biopolymers degradation and stabilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The valorisation of biomass is recognised as a key strategy in addressing contemporary environmental and industrial challenges. As urban and industrial waste streams continue to increase in volume, there is an urgent need for sustainable alternatives to conventional materials. The question that needs to be addressed is how environmental impacts can be reduced.

Contributions are invited for publication in a Special Issue entitled "Biomass Valorization and Conversion for Sustainable Polymer Composites". The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight cutting-edge research and innovative approaches for converting biomass into high-performance, low-impact materials. The potential for biomass to drive sustainable material innovation is significant, given its status as a renewable and underutilised resource. This is evidenced by its presence in a variety of forms, ranging from agricultural residues to urban biowaste.

The present Special Issue has been conceived with the aim of exploring multidisciplinary strategies for the development of bio-based materials, green composites, and biochar-filled composites, with a view to supporting the transition towards a circular and low-impact economy. The subject matter is commensurate with the scope of the journal, with a particular emphasis on sustainable development, resource efficiency, and environmentally conscious material engineering.

We welcome original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and case studies that cover topics including, but not limited to:

-Biochemical and thermochemical conversion routes for material applications
-Novel composite formulations using biomass-derived components
-Bio-based polymer synthesis and processing
-Integration of biomass into material development frameworks
-Innovative waste valorization strategies
-Circular design principles in material science
-Emerging technologies for sustainable composite production

I look forward to receiving your valuable contributions and working together to advance sustainable biomass technologies.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Dr. Giulia Infurna
Dr. Nadka T. Dintcheva
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-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

  • biomass valorization
  • sustainable materials
  • bio-based products
  • green composites
  • circular economy
  • biorefinery
  • waste-to-resource
  • bioenergy
  • renewable feedstocks
  • sustainable development

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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19 pages, 1970 KB  
Article
Rheological Behavior, Filament Stability, and Microstructure of an Extrusion-Processable Kefiran–PG Formulation
by Elisa Capuana, Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino, Roberto Scaffaro, Valerio Brucato and Vincenzo La Carrubba
Polymers 2026, 18(6), 732; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18060732 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 373
Abstract
Microbial polysaccharides are attracting increasing interest as water-processable polymers for extrusion-based additive manufacturing due to their ability to form physically stabilized networks without covalent cross-linking. In this study, a kefiran–propylene glycol (PG) formulation was developed to investigate whether time-dependent supramolecular reorganization can be [...] Read more.
Microbial polysaccharides are attracting increasing interest as water-processable polymers for extrusion-based additive manufacturing due to their ability to form physically stabilized networks without covalent cross-linking. In this study, a kefiran–propylene glycol (PG) formulation was developed to investigate whether time-dependent supramolecular reorganization can be exploited to control print fidelity. Extrusion performance was assessed through quantitative filament collapse analysis, while rheological behavior was characterized by oscillatory strain, frequency, and time sweep measurements. Filaments printed 5 min after PG addition showed pronounced sagging (δ/(L/2) ≈ 0.35 at the largest spans), whereas after 15 min the normalized deflection decreased below 0.03, indicating a marked improvement in self-supporting capability. Time sweep experiments revealed a continuous increase in storage modulus from ~100 to ~1200 Pa over 1800 s, consistent with progressive viscoelastic stiffening. Freeze-dried constructs exhibited an interconnected porous architecture with a predominant pore population between 6 and 20 µm and an apparent porosity of 60.9 ± 1.2%. Upon rehydration at 37 °C, samples swelled to ~350% within 5 h and showed gradual mass loss over 56 days while remaining intact. ATR–FTIR confirmed the preservation of the polysaccharide backbone without evidence of new covalent functionalities. Extrusion fidelity is therefore governed by progressive supramolecular consolidation within a physically assembled network, rather than by any form of chemical cross-linking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Valorization and Conversion for Sustainable Polymer Composites)
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23 pages, 2008 KB  
Article
Backpropagation DNN and Thermokinetic Analysis of the Thermal Devolatilization of Dried Pulverized Musa sapientum (Banana) Peel
by Abdulrazak Jinadu Otaru
Polymers 2026, 18(1), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18010122 - 31 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 616
Abstract
This study examined the thermal degradation of pulverized Musa sapientum (banana) peel waste through thermogravimetric measurements and thermokinetic modelling. For the first time, it also incorporated backpropagation deep learning to model pyrolysis traces, enabling the prediction and optimization of the process. Physicochemical characterization [...] Read more.
This study examined the thermal degradation of pulverized Musa sapientum (banana) peel waste through thermogravimetric measurements and thermokinetic modelling. For the first time, it also incorporated backpropagation deep learning to model pyrolysis traces, enabling the prediction and optimization of the process. Physicochemical characterization confirmed the material’s lignocellulosic composition. TGA was performed between 30 and 950 °C at heating rates of 5, 10, 20, and 40 °C min−1, identifying a primary devolatilization range of 190 to 660 °C. The application of a backpropagation machine learning technique to the processed TGA data enabled the estimation of arbitrary constants that accurately captured the characteristic behaviour of the experimental data (R2~0.99). This modelling and simulation approach achieved a significant reduction in training loss—decreasing from 35.9 to 0.07—over 47,688 epochs and 1.4 computational hours. Sensitivity analysis identified degradation temperature as the primary parameter influencing the thermochemical conversion of BP biomass. Furthermore, analyzing deconvoluted DTG traces via Criado master plots revealed that the 3D diffusion model (Jander [D3]) is the most suitable reaction model for the hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin components, followed by the R2 and R3 geometrical contraction models. The estimated overall activation energy values obtained through the Starink (STK) and Friedman (FR) model-free isoconversional kinetic methods were 82.8 ± 3.3 kJ.mol−1 and 97.6 ± 3.9 kJ.mol−1, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters estimated for the pyrolysis of BP indicate that the formation of activated complexes is endothermic, endergonic, and characterized by reduced disorder, thereby establishing BP as a potential candidate material for bioenergy generation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Valorization and Conversion for Sustainable Polymer Composites)
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