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Valorization of Renewable Resources for the Production of Biobased Products Through the Implementation of Circular Bioeconomy Principles: Second Edition

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 1114

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Ave., 11635 Athens, Greece
Interests: biodegradable food packaging materials; oleogelation for the production of fat substitutes; biopolymers and ex situ modification to nanostructures; renewable waste and by-product streams; biomass pretreatment; biorefinery development; bioprocessing, fermentation; fatty acid esters for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The increasing generation of waste and the reduction of primary resources are major problems faced by contemporary society and are closely interlinked with escalating raw material costs. The efficient management of resources is of outmost importance in terms of meeting sustainability targets. An alternative approach, the circular bioeconomy, would convert end-of-life goods into resources, minimizing waste and replacing production with sufficiency. The transition to a low-carbon economy must be based on the utilization of renewable resources, incorporating novel technologies and bioprocessing to provide clean energy, green chemicals, and biodegradable and safe products of high quality and functionality. Sectors of the EU bioeconomy have been reported to be worth EUR 2 trillion in annual turnover and to account for approximately 9% of the EU workforce. Contributions to this Special Issue may include empirical studies, case studies, and comparative and theoretical studies, and topics of may interest include, but are not limited to: Biomass pretreatment and waste valorization;Biorefinery development for biobased products;Sustainable production of biobased products;Biofuels towards a carbon neutral economy;Sustainable applications in food formulations, packaging, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc.;Development of bioeconomy business models;Life cycle assessment for biobased production using renewable resources;Bioinformatics;Genetic tools and approaches; Protein structures and purification; Nanostructures and polymer synthesis. Based on the aforementioned topics, this Special Issue will supplement the existing literature by providing a holistic overview regarding waste valorization and biobased production within a circular bioeconomy era. “State of the art” and “beyond the state of the art” scientific research is anticipated to update the current situation enlightening and giving directions for sustainable future development and innovation. 

Dr. Erminda Tsouko
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • biobased production
  • renewable biomass
  • life cycle assessment
  • carbon neutral bioeconomy
  • pretreatment
  • waste management
  • environmental footprint
  • biofuels
  • genetic approaches
  • transition to biocircularity

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 1707 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Environmental Impacts of the Valorization of Creole-Antillean Avocado via an Extractive-Based Biorefinery in the Montes de María Region
by Stefany A. Valdez-Valdes, Lesly P. Tejeda-Benitez and Ángel D. González-Delgado
Sustainability 2024, 16(24), 11057; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162411057 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 708
Abstract
In recent years, the environmental evaluation of biorefineries has become critical for ensuring sustainable practices in bio-based production systems. This study focuses on the application of the Waste Reduction (WAR) Algorithm to assess the environmental impacts of an Extractive-based Creole-Antillean Avocado Biorefinery located [...] Read more.
In recent years, the environmental evaluation of biorefineries has become critical for ensuring sustainable practices in bio-based production systems. This study focuses on the application of the Waste Reduction (WAR) Algorithm to assess the environmental impacts of an Extractive-based Creole-Antillean Avocado Biorefinery located in Northern Colombia, aimed at producing bio-oil, chlorophyll, and biopesticide from avocado pulp, peel, and seed, respectively. The environmental impacts were evaluated using the WAR algorithm, which quantifies the potential environmental impacts (PEI) of different process streams. The following four scenarios were developed: (1) considering only waste, (2) including waste and products, (3) including waste and energy sources, and (4) incorporating waste, products, and energy consumption. This study analyzed global impacts focusing on atmospheric and toxicological categories, with a detailed assessment of the most critical scenario. The results indicated that Scenario 4 had the highest PEI, particularly in the atmospheric and toxicological categories, driven by emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), greenhouse gases (GHGs), and the presence of heavy metals. However, the avocado biorefinery process demonstrated a net reduction in overall environmental impacts, with negative PEI generation rates across all scenarios, suggesting that the biorefinery transforms high-impact substances into products with lower global impact potential. Energy consumption emerged as a significant contributor to environmental impacts, particularly in acidification potential (AP) and Atmospheric Toxicity Potential (ATP). Using natural gas as an energy source had a relatively lower environmental impact compared to coal and liquid fuels, emphasizing the need to optimize energy use in biorefinery design to improve environmental performance. Full article
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