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Advances in Biomass Chemicals: Transformation and Valorization
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Advances in Biomass Chemicals: Transformation and Valorization

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 2843

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marlene Lopes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Interests: lignocellulosic biomass; agro-industrial by-products; yeast; bioreactors; microbial lipids; enzymes; organic acids; oxygen mass transfer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to invite you to submit your recent studies in the field of “Advances in Biomass Chemicals: Transformation and Valorization” to a Special Issue of Molecules.

Bio-based chemicals and fuels derived from biomass can be obtained through chemical, biochemical, or a combination of these routes. Lignocellulosic biomass is regarded as an excellent raw material and receives much attention because of its various functional groups, renewability, degradability, nontoxicity, and low-cost availability.

Considering the circular economy perspective, advancing eco-friendly and cost-effective technologies for transforming biomass into value-added products has the potential to enhance lignocellulosic biorefinery industries, thereby contributing to the overall economic growth.

Aimed at enhancing the knowledge in biomass valorization and its transformation into added-value biochemicals and biofuels through different approaches, this Special Issue aims to provide an up-to-date collection of significant papers, presenting the most relevant advances in this field. Researchers are invited to submit their work focusing on (i) pretreatment methods: chemical (acid, alkaline, organic solvents, etc.), physical (coarse crushing, ultrafine grinding, alternative physical treatment such as microwave, ultrasounds, etc.), physicochemical (hydrothermal, steam explosion, AFEX, etc.), biological, and combined methods; (ii) enzymatic hydrolysis (modeling or kinetic studies, experimental analysis); (iii) the microbial conversion of biomass hydrolysates into added-value compounds; and (iv) techno-economic analysis. Discussion on topics related to the extraction of bioactive compounds from biomass and their applications, new methods, compound profiles, and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities are also encouraged. Original research papers, review articles, and short communication letters are all welcome.

Dr. Marlene Lopes
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 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. Molecules 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 2700 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

  • lignocellulosic biomass
  • agro-industrial by-products
  • biofuels
  • biochemicals
  • biorefinery
  • pretreatments
  • hydrolysis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1986 KiB  
Article
Enrichment of Fruit Peels’ Nutritional Value by Solid-State Fermentation with Aspergillus ibericus and Rhizopus oryzae
by Liliana P. Araújo, Helena Vilela, Joana Solinho, Rita Pinheiro, Isabel Belo and Marlene Lopes
Molecules 2024, 29(15), 3563; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29153563 - 28 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1329
Abstract
The fruit processing industry is responsible for disposing of huge amounts of byproducts, especially fruit peels (FPs), which are often discarded in landfills. Using FPs in biotechnological processes contributes to a circular economy, reducing the environmental burden of FPs and increasing the revenue [...] Read more.
The fruit processing industry is responsible for disposing of huge amounts of byproducts, especially fruit peels (FPs), which are often discarded in landfills. Using FPs in biotechnological processes contributes to a circular economy, reducing the environmental burden of FPs and increasing the revenue of the fruit processing industry. This study was focused on upgrading the nutritional value of orange (OPs) and banana (BPs) peels by solid-state fermentation (SSF) with filamentous fungi. SSF factors (moisture, fermentation time, inoculum size, ammonium sulfate (AS), and corn steep liquor (CSL)) and fungi species (Aspergillus ibericus and Rhizopus oryzae) were studied by a variable screening Plackett–Burman design. Both fungi grew on untreated FPs, increasing their protein content and antioxidant activity. Moisture, AS, and CSL were further studied by a Box–Behnken design with A. ibericus. Fermented OPs at 70% moisture and 0.005 g/g AS increased their protein content by 200%, whereas BPs at 70% moisture and 0.005 g/g CSL increased by 123%. Fermented peels were enriched in protein, fiber, and minerals, with a low content of carbohydrates and soluble sugars. Fermented OPs and BPs showed higher antioxidant activity than unfermented peels. The SSF of these FPs is an innovative approach that contributes to obtaining rich nutrient-fermented peels for food. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biomass Chemicals: Transformation and Valorization)
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13 pages, 3022 KiB  
Article
Efficient Preparation of Biodiesel Using Sulfonated Camellia oleifera Shell Biochar as a Catalyst
by Zhimin Yang, Yu Wang, Xichang Wu, Wenxuan Quan, Qi Chen and Anping Wang
Molecules 2024, 29(12), 2752; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29122752 - 9 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1033
Abstract
This study prepared sulfonated Camellia oleifera shell biochar using Camellia oleifera shell agricultural waste as a carbon source, and evaluated its performance as a catalyst for preparing biodiesel. The biochar obtained from carbonizing Camellia oleifera shells at 500 °C for 2 h serves [...] Read more.
This study prepared sulfonated Camellia oleifera shell biochar using Camellia oleifera shell agricultural waste as a carbon source, and evaluated its performance as a catalyst for preparing biodiesel. The biochar obtained from carbonizing Camellia oleifera shells at 500 °C for 2 h serves as the carbon skeleton, and then the biochar is sulfonated with chlorosulfonic acid. The sulfonic acid groups are mainly grafted onto the surface of Camellia oleifera shell biochar through covalent bonding to obtain sulfonic acid type biochar catalysts. The catalysts were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Nitrogen adsorption-desorption Brunel-Emmett-Taylor Theory (BET), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The acid density of the sulfonated Camellia oleifera fruit shell biochar catalyst is 2.86 mmol/g, and the specific surface area is 2.67 m2/g, indicating high catalytic activity. The optimal reaction conditions are 4 wt% catalyst with a 6:1 alcohol to oil ratio. After esterification at 70 °C for 2 h, the yield of biodiesel was 91.4%. Under the optimal reaction conditions, after four repeated uses of the catalyst, the yield of biodiesel still reached 90%. Therefore, sulfonated Camellia oleifera shell biochar is a low-cost, green, non-homogeneous catalyst with great potential for biodiesel production by esterification reaction in future development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biomass Chemicals: Transformation and Valorization)
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