Biomass Pretreatment for Thermochemical Conversion—2nd Edition
A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Processes and Systems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 15
Special Issue Editors
Interests: pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion of biomass; flammability of synthetic and natural polymers and composite materials; kinetic modelling of biomass pyrolysis and combustion; composition, properties, and reactivity of pyrolysis products (bio-oil and biochar); biomass torrefaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biomass; thermochemical conversion processes; transport phenomena; computational modeling; biorefinery; response to fire of polymers and composite materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Following the success of the first edition, we are pleased to announce the launch of the second edition of this Special Issue, “Biomass Pretreatment for Thermochemical Conversion—2nd Edition”, which continues to explore innovative strategies for biomass pretreatment and their critical role in thermochemical conversion.
Biomass fuels are widely recognized as renewable resources that can be transformed into sustainable biofuels, biomaterials, bioproducts, chemicals, and heat and power through chemical and thermal processes. However, feedstock heterogeneity and variability remain major obstacles to large-scale deployment and commercialization, as they significantly affect product consistency and overall quality. Inherent properties such as high moisture content, low bulk density, irregular particle size, hydrophilic nature, low calorific value, and the presence of problematic constituents (e.g., sulfur, chlorine, alkalis, nitrogen, and heavy metals) further complicate conversion efficiency and environmental performance.
To address these limitations, numerous physical, thermal, and chemical pretreatment methods have been developed, including grinding, densification, demineralization, dry and wet torrefaction, acid or alkali treatment, and steam explosion. These approaches aim to improve feedstock quality, enhance process performance, and support the production of renewable biofuels and sustainable bioproducts.
This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and case studies that address the development, optimization, and application of biomass pretreatment techniques, as well as their influence on thermochemical conversion processes and product quality.
Dr. Carmen Branca
Prof. Dr. Antonio Galgano
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. Processes 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 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 pretreatments
- pyrolysis
- gasification
- combustion
- bio-oil and biochar upgrading emissions
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