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Advanced Technologies for Bio-Based Products, Green Process and Resource Recovery

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioeconomy of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 6 November 2026 | Viewed by 488

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica “José Miguel Parera” INCAPE (UNL-CONICET), Santa Fe 3000, Argentina
Interests: process engineering applied to energy, bioenergy, and renewable resources; thermochemical processes and biorefineries; circular economy; technological innovation for the efficient use of renewable resources
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled “Advanced Technologies for Bio-Based Products, Green Process and Resource Recovery”, seeks to explore innovative solutions that accelerate the transition toward a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. In a global context where natural resource pressure, climate change, and increasing waste generation demand immediate responses, this issue aims to integrate scientific, technological, and socio-economic perspectives that enable the development of viable and measurable alternatives for sustainable production and consumption.

General Focus: The Special Issue will be grounded in interdisciplinary frameworks that combine environmental biotechnology, green chemistry, process engineering, materials science, and circular economy principles. Additionally, particular emphasis will be placed on advanced technologies that are capable of transforming biomass and waste into high-value products, developing industrial processes with minimal environmental impact, and achieving efficient resource recovery. The overarching goal is to demonstrate how technological innovation can contribute to resilient production systems aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Scope: Contributions may include original research, critical reviews, case studies, and methodological proposals in areas such as biomass conversion into biofuels, bioplastics, and other bio-based products; green synthesis processes and sustainable catalysis; water, nutrient, and energy recovery from waste streams; design and operation of integrated biorefineries; development of new biodegradable materials and renewable-based polymers; application of life cycle assessment tools and sustainability metrics to emerging technologies; and analyses of policies, regulations, and socio-economic models that foster the adoption of clean technologies. With this broad scope outlined, the Special Issue intends to gather and disseminate cutting-edge research that supports sustainable solutions both locally and globally, advancing academic knowledge and informing industrial and policy decisions.

Relationship with the Existing Literature: While several volumes have addressed topics such as biofuel production, biopolymer development, or waste valorization, they often do so in isolation. This Special Issue distinguishes itself by offering an integrated perspective that connects basic science, technological innovation, and sustainability frameworks. Beyond highlighting technological advances, it underscores the importance of measuring, monitoring, and evaluating impacts through quantitative and qualitative indicators. This approach expands the practical utility of research, creates bridges among the scientific community, policymakers, and industry stakeholders, and helps guide the development of evidence-based strategies for sustainable transformation.

Contribution to Sustainability: The significance of this Special Issue is reflected in multiple dimensions: scientifically, it contributes knowledge for emissions reduction, waste valorization, and resource efficiency; socio-economically, it demonstrates the potential of bio-based innovations to generate green jobs, strengthen value chains, and reduce fossil dependence; and politically and regulatorily, it provides insights for the design of supportive policies and frameworks that enable the large-scale adoption of clean technologies. Altogether, this Special Issue will serve as a platform to accelerate the transition to development models that balance scientific and technological progress with environmental preservation and social well-being.

Dr. Melisa Paola Bertero
Guest Editor

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. 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.

Keywords

  • bio-based products
  • green chemistry
  • circular bioeconomy
  • resource recovery
  • sustainable processes
  • biomass conversion
  • biorefineries
  • life cycle assessment
  • waste valorization
  • environmental sustainability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

32 pages, 2968 KB  
Article
Production of Functional Raw Materials via Pyrolysis of Agro-Industrial Byproducts
by Paula Saires, Ulises Sedran and Melisa Bertero
Sustainability 2026, 18(7), 3475; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18073475 - 2 Apr 2026
Viewed by 270
Abstract
The valorization of agro-industrial byproducts through pyrolysis represents a sustainable route for generating multifunctional raw materials within the framework of a circular bioeconomy. In this study, rice husk (RH) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) were pyrolyzed in a semi-continuous reactor at 500 °C in [...] Read more.
The valorization of agro-industrial byproducts through pyrolysis represents a sustainable route for generating multifunctional raw materials within the framework of a circular bioeconomy. In this study, rice husk (RH) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) were pyrolyzed in a semi-continuous reactor at 500 °C in order to compare product yields and to characterize resulting gas, aqueous and tar fractions. SCB produced the highest bio-oil yield (44.2 wt%), whereas RH generated the highest char yield (42.9 wt%), consistent with its higher ash and lignin contents. In both cases, tar represented about 12 wt% of the bio-oil. Detailed characterization revealed that the liquid products contained oxygenated compounds of interest, mainly carboxylic acids, ketones, and phenols. Acetic acid was the predominant compound in the aqueous phases, while tars were composed mainly of phenols, ketones, furans, and acids. Particularly, phenols accounted for 52.6% and 37.8% of the total chromatographic area in RH and SCB tars, respectively, whereas ketones represented about 10% in both cases. These results show that pyrolysis of agro-industrial residues not only enables energy recovery but also provides liquid fractions enriched in value-added chemicals. Full article
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