Advances in Biorefinery Technologies for Sustainable Future

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Sustainability, Advances in Biorefinery Technologies for Sustainable Future, will provide an outstanding visibility platform to share the most up-to-date and relevant scientific results related to the challenges dictated by the novel global energetic and environmental scenarios.

Indeed, the concept that sustainability must be considered as an emergent property of the whole system imposes a broader vision and awareness that a strong interplay between Science, Engineering, and Society is necessary to catch the goal of a resilient future, even prefiguring a conscious implementation with the high potential offered by the use of AI and machine learning technologies.

In this context, the future of the modern refinery relies on a total renewal of its nature and scope, from a sector with the strongest negative impact on the environment to an eco-friendly and sustainable system. This implies the use of alternative bio-feedstock and bio-waste as an alternative to crude oil cuts, the introduction of novel synthesis that do not use CRMs and toxic chemicals, and the modernization of existing processes to achieve a carbon-neutral footprint and zero environmental impact.

This is the subject of intense research worldwide, and this Special Issue aims at addressing the main current research in the fields of process development/simulation, advanced catalysts’ synthesis and characterization, catalytic and kinetic studies, and process intensification and AI-integration, related to the novel challenges dictated by the use of alternative raw materials in sustainable bio-refineries.

Therefore, we invite contributions in the form of original research papers, detailed reviews, or mini-reviews in, but not limited to, the specialized fields outlined below:

• Novel conversion routes for the valorization of bio-feedstock and bio-waste (such as used cooking oils (UCOs), crude tall oil (CTO), vegetable oils, animal oils, etc.) into biofuels and additives, including catalytic, photocatalytic, and thermochemical processes.
• Optimization of biofuel quality and stability, including the upgrading of the resultant gaseous or liquid fuels.
• Sustainable chemical processes and novel materials for the conversion of bio-feedstock (such as sugars, cellulose, etc.) into high-value chemicals and other building blocks.
• LCA analysis of biorefinery processes and novel bio-products.
• Process simulation and modeling, process intensification, and using the novel potential of AI

Dr. Alessandra Palella
Dr. Lorenzo Spadaro
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability 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.