Bioactive Extracts Recovery from Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Waste
A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Analysis of Natural Products and Pharmaceuticals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 March 2027 | Viewed by 8
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The principle of the circular economy requires efficient use of renewable resources and minimizing waste generation. Medicinal and aromatic plants are widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical industries, generating substantial amounts of by-products and residues during processing. These plant wastes often contain substantial amounts of valuable phytochemicals that remain underexploited despite their potential biological activity.
The recovery and valorization of such residues represent a promising strategy for enhancing resource efficiency, reducing environmental impact, and creating high-value products from industrial waste streams. Innovative extraction technologies such as pressurized liquid extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, and green solvents are increasingly being applied to recover high-value compounds from plant residues.
This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers working on sustainable approaches for the recovery, characterization, and application of bioactive compounds obtained from medicinal and aromatic plant waste. Particular emphasis will be placed on environmentally friendly extraction processes, novel green solvents, and technologies that support the transition toward a circular and resource-efficient bioeconomy.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Valorization of medicinal and aromatic plant waste and by-products;
- Isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds;
- Green and sustainable extraction technologies;
- Novel solvents and environmentally friendly extraction approaches;
- Cascade processing and biorefinery concepts;
- Phytochemical profiling of plant residues;
- Biological activities of recovered extracts and compounds;
- Applications in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical products;
- Process optimization and scale-up strategies;
- Circular economy approaches for plant resource utilization.
Dr. Milena Nikolova
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- plant waste
- by-products
- eco-friendly extraction methods
- green solvents
- bioactive compounds and extracts
- biological activity
- circular economy
- sustainable resource utilization
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