Sustainable Biobased Materials Application

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue on sustainable bio-based materials applications.

Materials obtained from biopolymers, which are biodegradable and directly used as obtained from their sources, are also referred to as natural polymers. Their industrial use depends on the source of the materials, such as plants, microorganisms, and marine algae.

Plants are among the main biomass producers, and form the most important raw material for bio-based materials. The largest share of these crops is used for the production of technical oils and industrial starch. Chemical industries use starch as a raw material for the production of a variety of materials. Among other things, it is used to produce bio-based plastics. However, in recent years, the range of plant-based raw materials for material production has been steadily expanded.

As a form of non-edible agricultural waste, the use of straw as a raw material is also on the agenda in many places, though thus far it has rarely been applied. Scientists have developed new technologies to be able to further process the lignin contained in straw on an industrial scale.

As a plant tissue, wood is made up of cells with cell walls, which are linked with the scaffolding substance lignin. Otherwise, wood consists mainly of the carbohydrates cellulose, hemicellulose, which have long been used for fibre and paper production, as well as xylose.

In the aquatic sector, algae offer an alternative as a biomass producer. They do not compete with food and sometimes even accumulate as residues in industrial applications.

Several new approaches for material production can also be developed based on the use of microorganisms and enzymes. Humans began to make use of the enormous capabilities of microorganisms long before their actual discovery. Several recent applications and patents in the field of material science demonstrated that fungal biomass could be used for a variety of applications. It has become a versatile tool for a variety of industries, including the creation of new bio-based materials.

Since complex substance transformations can be managed with high yields at room temperature and normal pressure, they are now frequently used in the production of chemical building blocks, which in turn serve as the basis for bioplastics.

In addition, other previously unused organic residues and waste materials are increasingly coming into focus as valuable resources and promising starting points for materials. Researchers around the world are working on efficient processes and technologies to incorporate this raw biomass into a sustainable material cycle through co- and cascade use and recycling processes. Against this background, many bioeconomy approaches also pursue the principle of the circular economy, in which ideally there should be no more waste at all. Rather than dumping or burning residual materials, they should be completely reused and recycled as raw materials in the production process. Recycling—to be able to reuse waste products as secondary raw materials—and cascaded use, in which raw materials are used over several product stages—are therefore important elements of a bio-based economy.

Novel bio-based polymers, also called biopolymers, can have new properties, so a completely new manufacturing process must be developed and established. There are also (novel) composite materials that are produced either completely or partially with bio-based raw materials.

The aim of the present Special Issue is to present recent advancements in this field through research and review papers.

Prof. Dr. Yvonne van der Meer
Dr. Alexandru Rusu
Dr. Sneh Bangar
Dr. Monica Trif
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Materials 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 2600 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.

• bio-based materials
• biopolymers
• vegetable origin materials
• bio-engineering materials
• polymers biosynthesized by microorganisms
• production of fungal-based bio-based materials
• renewable biological resources