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Processes
Special Issues
High-Value Products from Biomass and Wastes
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High-Value Products from Biomass and Wastes

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 8311

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sharif Zein

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Hull, Kingston Upon Hull HU6 7RX, UK
Interests: sustainable systems; biorefinery; circular economy; sustainable energy; biomass-based processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable use of biomass and waste to create products is a strategy that addresses both environmental conservation and the transition towards a biobased economy. This strategy is especially important in today's context, where reducing waste and using resources efficiently are priorities. This Special Issue, titled "High-Value Products from Biomass and Wastes", aims to provide a platform for showcasing and sharing groundbreaking research and advancements in biomass conversion and waste utilisation.

Biomass, which refers to materials like agricultural residues, forestry wastes, and dedicated energy crops, offers significant potential. Additionally, various types of waste such as waste, agricultural byproducts, and industrial residuals present valuable opportunities for conversion into useful products. It is crucial to explore these materials for the production of high-value products like biofuels, biopolymers, biochemicals, and biomaterials in order to expand our resource pool while reducing our reliance on renewable resources.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions that highlight methodologies, advancements, and comprehensive reviews on biomass utilisation and waste conversion. This includes approaches to pretreatment strategies, conversion technologies, process integration techniques, techno economic analyses, as well as life cycle assessments. Furthermore, catalyst development specifically tailored for conversion processes will also be considered.

We also welcome perspectives on the policy implications, market trends, and sustainable management of supply chains to promote the commercialisation and expansion of technologies.

By sharing insights and publishing research articles, our aim is to advance discussions on the utilisation of biomass and waste, contributing to global sustainability, economic growth, and the reduction in environmental impacts.

Key areas of focus include converting biomass into resources, harnessing the potential of waste for purposes, such as biofuels, biopolymers, and biochemicals, and exploring sustainable technologies. We also emphasise process integration conducting techno analyses and life cycle assessments while considering policy dynamics and market trends.

Dr. Sharif Zein
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 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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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 conversion
  • waste utilization
  • bio-fuel
  • biopolymer
  • biological chemical
  • sustainable technology technical analysis
  • life cycle assessment

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1608 KiB  
Article
Efficient Chitin Extraction from Shrimp Exoskeletons through Single-Step Fermentation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa QF50 and Serratia sp. QCS23
by Claudio Quiñones-Cerna, Juan Carlos Rodríguez-Soto, Fernando Hurtado-Butrón, Luis Centeno-Calderón, Rosa Mejia-Ruedell, Eulalio López-Quiroz, Julieta Gálvez-Rivera and Wilmer Ugarte-López
Processes 2024, 12(6), 1184; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12061184 - 8 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1965
Abstract
Chitin, an abundant biopolymer with potential applications in agriculture, medicine, and bioremediation, is conventionally extracted using chemical methods that have environmental disadvantages. This study investigates the extraction of chitin from Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp waste by one-step fermentation using the bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa [...] Read more.
Chitin, an abundant biopolymer with potential applications in agriculture, medicine, and bioremediation, is conventionally extracted using chemical methods that have environmental disadvantages. This study investigates the extraction of chitin from Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp waste by one-step fermentation using the bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa QF50 and Serratia sp. QCS23. A total of 4 kg of shrimp waste was treated by fermentation with culture media enriched with different concentrations of glucose (1, 5, and 10%) for 7 days at 25 °C, followed by purification and characterization processes using infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrated an increase in the yield of crude chitin proportional to the glucose concentration, reaching a maximum of 76.81 ± 7.64% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa QF50 and 71.30 ± 1.16% for Serratia sp. QCS23. Both strains showed high efficiencies in deproteinization (80–87%) and demineralization, with significant improvements especially shown at high glucose concentrations. Structural characterization confirmed the presence of the spectral characteristics of α-chitin, with crystallinity indices of 81% and 71% for chitins obtained with Pseudomonas aeruginosa QF50 and Serratia sp. QCS23, respectively. This study concludes that single-step fermentation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa QF50 and Serratia sp. QCS23 is an effective and sustainable method for the extraction of high-quality chitin from shrimp exoskeleton waste, offering a promising alternative to traditional chemical methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Value Products from Biomass and Wastes)
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11 pages, 3966 KiB  
Article
An Experimental Study on the Solubility of Betulin in the Complex Solvent Ethanol-DMSO
by Gulbarshin K. Shambilova, Aigul S. Bukanova, Altynay S. Kalauova, Danagul Zh. Kalimanova, Amangeldi I. Abilkhairov, Igor S. Makarov, Markel I. Vinogradov, Georgy I. Makarov, Sergey A. Yakimov, Alexander V. Koksharov and Egor M. Novikov
Processes 2024, 12(6), 1179; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12061179 - 7 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1374
Abstract
Betulin is a promising natural organic substance due to its antibacterial, fungicidal, and antitumor properties, as are their derivatives. The particle size of betulin can reach several tens of micrometers, and its thickness is several microns. There are various ways of processing betulin, [...] Read more.
Betulin is a promising natural organic substance due to its antibacterial, fungicidal, and antitumor properties, as are their derivatives. The particle size of betulin can reach several tens of micrometers, and its thickness is several microns. There are various ways of processing betulin, but the most promising are solution methods (applying thin layers, impregnation, etc.). Application or impregnation of various materials is carried out using betulin; however, currently known solvents do not allow obtaining solutions with the necessary content of it. Since a number of direct solvents are already known for betulin, which provides only low-concentration solutions, the use of complex systems based on two solvents can become the optimal solution to the problem. The literature data show that the use of mixtures of solvents allows for the preparation of homogeneous solutions, for example, for natural polymers like cellulose, etc. This approach to obtaining solutions has become the basis for the processing of betulin. The use of a mixed solvent based on ethanol and DMSO for the preparation of betulin solutions has been proposed for the first time. The solubility of betulin in a mixture system with a ratio of components of 50 wt.% to 50 wt.% was studied, and a solubility curve was plotted. It is shown that the use of a two-component solvent makes it possible to transfer up to 10% of betulin into solution, which is almost twice as much as compared to already known solvents. The rheological properties of the obtained solutions have been studied. The viscosity of betulin solutions in a complex solvent depends on its content and temperature, so for 7% solutions at 70 °C, it is approximately 0.008 Pa*s. Applying betulin to the surface of the cardboard increases its hydrophobic properties and repellency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Value Products from Biomass and Wastes)
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Review

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21 pages, 4311 KiB  
Review
Biochar: From Laboratory to Industry Scale—An Overview of Scientific and Industrial Advances, Opportunities in the Brazilian Context, and Contributions to Sustainable Development
by Fernando Duarte Prochnow, Matheus Cavali, Aline Perin Dresch, Igor Marcon Belli, Nelson Libardi, Junior and Armando Borges de Castilhos, Junior
Processes 2024, 12(5), 1006; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12051006 - 15 May 2024
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4208
Abstract
Waste treatment and valorization have become crucial for sustainable development towards a circular economy. As an alternative, biochar production is a promising process to convert wastes into a valuable product that presents several potential applications to cope with environmental problems. Biochar in recent [...] Read more.
Waste treatment and valorization have become crucial for sustainable development towards a circular economy. As an alternative, biochar production is a promising process to convert wastes into a valuable product that presents several potential applications to cope with environmental problems. Biochar in recent years has been the subject of many studies, which have leveraged the number of patents and the industrial interest in this process. Against this background, this overview aimed: (i) to identify the advances in biochar research; (ii) to assess the number of patents on biochar over the years; (iii) to look at the industrial production of biochar worldwide; (iv) to detect the potential for biochar production in Brazil regarding waste biomass availability; and (v) to discuss the potential of biochar in contributing to reach some Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The holistic analysis presented here suggests that progress has been made in research, patent development, and industrial implementation of biochar, and that its potential role in achieving certain SDGs is noteworthy. Therefore, this overview can be useful in guiding future research about biochar to improve the knowledge of the different branches in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Value Products from Biomass and Wastes)
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