Engineered Natural Polymers for Environmental Applications

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in the design, functionalization, and application of engineered natural polymers for addressing critical environmental challenges.

Natural polymers such as cellulose, chitosan, alginate, lignin, starch and other biopolymer derivatives are increasingly recognized as sustainable, biodegradable and versatile compounds for developing environmentally friendly technologies.

Originating from plant, animal and algal sources, these materials possess unique structural features, often involving glycosidic linkages, which make them valuable, renewable and widely available raw resources for modern industry and daily life. Their intrinsic biodegradability and adaptability to advanced engineering approaches have supported a global revival of interdisciplinary research in biopolymer composites, nanostructured biopolymers, and related functional materials.

The excellent biological and chemical properties of natural polymers make them particularly valuable in chemical engineering, environmental engineering, agriculture, nutrition, pharmaceuticals, biomedical applications, membranes, coatings, food technology and horticulture. Among these, medical, environmental and food applications are expected to grow the fastest.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions on innovative biopolymer composites, biosorbents, membranes, hydrogels, and systems based on immobilization and encapsulation. Particular emphasis is placed on research addressing microplastics removal, environmental remediation, water and wastewater treatment, emerging pollutants biosorption and material recycling.

Studies focusing on sustainable materials, biodegradable polymers, polymer functionalization, life cycle assessment (LCA), and the contribution of bio-based materials to environmental protection, biodegradable packaging, and the circular bioeconomy are highly encouraged.

Overall, this Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research that advances the use of natural and engineered biopolymers as key materials for sustainable development and environmentally responsible innovation.

I am pleased to invite you to contribute a research article or review to this Special Issue. Given the strong scientific interest in the proposed topics, your work would be an invaluable addition and would contribute to shaping a successful, high‑impact issue.

Prof. Dr. Lacramioara Rusu
Guest Editor

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. 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.