Biorefining and Circular Economy: Innovative Processes for Waste Valorization
A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 41
Special Issue Editors
Interests: bioprocess engineering; waste valorization; agricultural residues; process design and modeling
Interests: biomass; biocomposites; 3D printing; waste utilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
A circular economy can be achieved by transforming today’s wastes and side streams into tomorrow’s fuels, chemicals, materials, and nutrients. Biorefining is a rigorous systems-level approach that can link feedstock preprocessing, biocatalysis and thermocatalysis, separations, energy and water integration, and end-of-life strategies. Across agriculture, food and beverage, pulp and paper, municipal services, and bioenergy, there is a pressing need for innovative process solutions that are scalable and sustainable.
This Special Issue, “Biorefining and Circular Economy: Innovative Processes for Waste Valorization,” invites original research and critical reviews that advance process concepts converting residual biomass and other waste streams into higher-value products. We particularly welcome contributions that integrate rigorous experimentation with modeling and simulation; demonstrate process intensification and integration; quantify techno-economic performance and life-cycle impacts; and chart viable scale-up and deployment pathways, including industrial symbioses.
Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Novel pretreatment, biocatalytic/thermocatalytic conversion, hybrid processes, and intensified reactors.
- Valorization of agro-industrial residues and aqueous side streams (e.g., stillage, vinasse, whey, glycerol), forestry and food wastes, wastewater sludges, and fiber rejects into fuels, chemicals, biopolymers, and advanced materials.
- Separation, purification, and solvent/reagent recycling; mass/energy/water integration and heat recovery.
- Digital tools for process design and operations: modeling and simulation, optimization and control, AI/ML, and digital twins.
- Techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessment, carbon/water footprints, and sustainability metrics; circular business models, supply chain design, and policy/regulatory considerations.
- Scale-up case studies, pilot/demonstration results, quality assurance, product standards, and safety.
We welcome original research articles, reviews, communications, and perspectives. We look forward to your contributions to this Special Issue.
Dr. Cristiano E.R. Reis
Dr. Anqi Ji
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. 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
- biorefinery
- circular economy
- waste valorization
- process integration
- process intensification
- agro-industrial residues
- techno-economic analysis (TEA)
- life cycle assessment (LCA)
- hybrid biocatalysis–thermocatalysis
- digital twins and process modeling
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