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The Sustainability of Biomass and Bioenergy in a Future Bioeconomy

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 623

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Renewable Energy Engineering Department, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
Interests: waste-to-energy; thermal conversion of biomass; sustainable biofuels

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Guest Editor
Department of Energy and Sustainability, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Araranguá, SC, Brazil
Interests: microbial fuel cells; material for hydrogen production; waste-to-energy

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Technology, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia
Interests: focused on biomass thermochemical conversion (gasification, pyrolysis) and atmospheric pollution control, with emphasis on the valorization of residues for the development of adsorbent materials, bioplastics, and biomass-derived catalysts within circular economy frameworks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the world transitions toward more sustainable development pathways, biomass and bioenergy have emerged as essential for the future bioeconomy. However, their long-term viability depends on a careful assessment of environmental, social, technological, and economic factors. Energy transformations require the exploration of potential solutions. Biomass and biofuels are vital components in the energy transition, supporting sustainable development goals. This Special Issue, “The Sustainability of Biomass and Bioenergy in a Future Bioeconomy”, aims to explore innovative pathways, technologies, and policy frameworks that enable the responsible production and use of biomass resources for energy and materials, including emerging bio-based hydrogen systems.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, communications, and concept papers are welcome, and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Innovations in conversion technologies (thermochemical, biochemical, electrochemical, and photobiological) for advanced biofuels and hydrogen production; 
  • Policy instruments and market mechanisms promoting sustainable biomass use; 
  • Life-cycle assessment (LCA) and sustainability metrics of biomass, bioenergy, advanced biofuels, and biohydrogen systems; 
  • Circular bioeconomy models integrating energy, materials, and waste valorization;
  • Carbon neutrality, carbon accounting, and climate mitigation potentials of biomass-based and hydrogen-based energy systems; 
  • Integration of advanced biofuels, bioenergy, and biohydrogen into circular bioeconomy models for energy, materials, and waste valorization; 
  • Socioeconomic impacts and governance frameworks for sustainable bioenergy; 
  • Regional and global perspectives on biomass supply chains and sustainability trade-off.

Prof. Dr. Silvia Layara Floriani Andersen
Prof. Dr. Elise Watzko
Prof. Dr. Astrid Altamar Consuegra
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-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

  • biomass energy conversion
  • advanced biofuels
  • energy policy
  • circular economy
  • biohydrogen

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

33 pages, 9011 KB  
Review
The Sustainability of Biomass Systems in Ghana: A Review of Resources, Governance, and Circular Bioeconomy Opportunities
by Zipporah Asiedu, Alberto Bezama, Nana Y. Asiedu and Michael Nelles
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 5115; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105115 - 19 May 2026
Viewed by 344
Abstract
The transition toward a sustainable bioeconomy is increasingly recognised as a key pathway for resource efficiency and climate resilience in emerging economies. However, system-level analyses integrating biomass flows, governance structures, and actor dynamics remain limited, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study develops a [...] Read more.
The transition toward a sustainable bioeconomy is increasingly recognised as a key pathway for resource efficiency and climate resilience in emerging economies. However, system-level analyses integrating biomass flows, governance structures, and actor dynamics remain limited, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study develops a systems-oriented analytical framework combining material flow assessment, stakeholder mapping, governance assessment, and innovation systems analysis to evaluate the structure, performance, and circularity of biomass systems in Ghana. The analysis focuses on six major biomass sectors: cocoa, cassava, maize, plantain, oil palm, and shea. The results show that Ghana generates substantial biomass resources, yet significant inefficiencies persist, with major residue streams such as cocoa pod husks (~9 million tonnes (Mt) annually) and cassava peels (2.6–3.8 million tonnes annually) remaining largely underutilised. Across sectors, residue utilisation rates remain low, while biomass leakage is driven by fragmented governance, weak coordination among actors, spatially dispersed production systems, and limited processing and technological capacity. Compared with more integrated biomass-based economies, Ghana remains at an early stage of circular transition, despite considerable potential for value addition and resource recovery. The study contributes a transferable systems-based analytical framework for diagnosing circularity gaps and system inefficiencies in data-constrained bioeconomy contexts. Strengthening institutional coordination, decentralised processing infrastructure, and innovation systems is identified as critical for advancing a more circular and inclusive bioeconomy in Ghana. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Sustainability of Biomass and Bioenergy in a Future Bioeconomy)
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