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Sustainability
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Utilization of Biomass Resources and Green Chemical Products
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Utilization of Biomass Resources and Green Chemical Products

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Products and Services".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 June 2024) | Viewed by 7021

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Leonie Asfora Sarubbo

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. UNICAP Icam Tech School, Catholic University of Pernambuco (UNICAP), Rua do Príncipe, 526, Recife 50050-900, PE, Brazil
2. Advanced Institute of Technology and Innovation (IATI), Rua Potyra, 31, Recife 50751-310, PE, Brazil
Interests: green chemical products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Attilio Converti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica e di Ambientale, Scuola Politecnica, Università degli Studi di Genova, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy
Interests: green chemical products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is an urgent need for renewable and optimized use of resources for sustainable production and processing systems across the world. Biomass and renewable raw materials are the basis for the industry's orientation to the principles of green chemistry and sustainability. Nature provides an extraordinarily wide range of renewable raw materials with different properties and chemical compositions. Renewable raw materials are therefore of particular interest as alternatives to fossil resources for energy generation and as raw materials (i.e., remaining biomass after the removal of the nutritional components) for industrial chemistry. Examples of applications that use biomass as starting materials include adhesives, textiles and leather, cosmetics, cleaning agents, coatings, inks, printing inks, crop protection, lubricants and dietary supplements.

The use of biomass is also one of the main cycles in many chemical biorefinery schemes, which facilitates the production of protected products and energy. Biorefineries integrate relevant and ecologically correct concepts of green chemistry with intelligent and integrated agricultural processes, optimizing agricultural production. Thermochemical and biochemical processes are excellent alternatives for the production of new classes of biofuels and renewable raw materials, with a relatively small impact on greenhouse gas emissions and are also efficient methods to obtain value-added chemicals and biofuels. Thus, this Special Issue aims to explore research on raw material production technologies responsible for several environmental problems, such as soil and water contamination through the use of hazardous substances, generation of toxic products and the excess of biomass, with the aim to provide green alternatives, reinforcing the principles of sustainability.  

This Special Issue is addressed to scholars who have embraced an interdisciplinary and progressive approach in their research activities and have achieved promising results. Moreover, we welcome contributions from practitioners who have been involved in successful public–private partnerships in the field of sustainable development.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following topics: 

  • Biotechnology;
  • Industrial ecology;
  • Climate change;
  • Food security;
  • Sustainable agriculture;
  • Environmental pollution;
  • Nano-composites;
  • C sequestration;
  • Phytoremediation;
  • Renewable energy;
  • Environmental impact;
  • Water treatment;
  • Wastewater treatment;
  • Green building;
  • Sustainable renewable energies;
  • Innovative technologies;
  • Climate change impacts.

Dr. Leonie Asfora Sarubbo
Prof. Dr. Attilio Converti
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. 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 resources
  • green chemistry
  • biomass
  • renewable raw materials
  • biosurfactants
  • biorefinery
  • biofuel
  • environmental biotechnology

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4797 KiB  
Article
Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass into Biochar: Enhancing Adsorption Kinetics and Pore Properties for Environmental Sustainability
by Tasi-Jung Jiang, Hervan Marion Morgan, Jr., Wen-Tien Tsai, Herlin Chien, Tsair-Bor Yen and Yu-Ru Lee
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6623; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156623 - 2 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1753
Abstract
This study investigates the pyrolysis and adsorption properties of biochar derived from coconut shell (BC-CS), rice husk (BC-RH), and cow manure (BC-CM) under varying thermal treatment conditions. Biochar samples were produced at 800 °C with residence times ranging from 0 to 60 min. [...] Read more.
This study investigates the pyrolysis and adsorption properties of biochar derived from coconut shell (BC-CS), rice husk (BC-RH), and cow manure (BC-CM) under varying thermal treatment conditions. Biochar samples were produced at 800 °C with residence times ranging from 0 to 60 min. Their characteristics were analyzed using their Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, total pore volume, and pore diameter measurements. BC-CM exhibited the highest BET surface area of 263.3 m2/g and a total pore volume of 0.164 cm3/g, while BC-RH and BC-CS showed maximum BET surface areas of 220.62 m2/g and 197.38 m2/g, respectively. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms revealed distinct microporous and mesoporous structures, with BC-CM demonstrating superior adsorption capacity across all relative pressures. The adsorption kinetics of methylene blue (MB) were examined at initial concentrations of 1 ppm, 5 ppm, and 10 ppm, with varying biochar doses (0.1 g, 0.3 g, and 0.5 g). The results showed that the adsorption rate constant (k) decreased with higher initial MB concentrations, while the equilibrium adsorption capacity (qe) increased. BC-CM achieved the highest qe of 2.18 mg/g at 10 ppm and a 0.5 g dose, followed by BC-RH-800-45 (1.145 mg/g) and BC-CS (0.340 mg/g). The adsorption process was well described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. Increasing biochar doses improved MB removal efficiency, highlighting the dose-dependent nature of adsorption. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing pyrolysis parameters to enhance biochar’s adsorption performance and identify key factors influencing its effectiveness in environmental applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Utilization of Biomass Resources and Green Chemical Products)
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Review

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32 pages, 3379 KiB  
Review
Biosurfactants: Promising Biomolecules for Agricultural Applications
by Maria da Glória C. Silva, Anderson O. Medeiros, Attilio Converti, Fabiola Carolina G. Almeida and Leonie A. Sarubbo
Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010449 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4691
Abstract
Population growth and the need for increased agricultural productivity pose a global problem. Therefore, the development of green compounds to ensure agricultural sustainability is an urgent necessity. Surfactant compounds hold significant commercial importance due to their diverse industrial uses. However, the synthetic origin [...] Read more.
Population growth and the need for increased agricultural productivity pose a global problem. Therefore, the development of green compounds to ensure agricultural sustainability is an urgent necessity. Surfactant compounds hold significant commercial importance due to their diverse industrial uses. However, the synthetic origin of these agents limits their commercial application due to their toxicity. As a result, extensive research has focused on the production of microbial-originated green surfactants, known as biosurfactants, over the past fifteen years. These biomolecules not only offer a green alternative for agriculture but also exhibit reduced toxicity and excellent stability under specific environmental conditions. Biosurfactants can lower surface tension more effectively than synthetic surfactants. With properties such as detergency and foam formation, biosurfactants are suitable for various agricultural applications, particularly in pesticide and agrochemical formulations. They can function as biopesticides to manage pests, pathogens, phytopathogenic fungi, and weeds due to their antimicrobial activity. Moreover, plants can benefit from biosurfactant molecules and microorganisms as nutrients. They can also aid efficiently in the distribution of micronutrients and metals in the soil. They also stimulate plant immunity and are utilized for soil hydrophilization to ensure proper moisture levels and uniform fertilizer distribution. This review aims to provide valuable insights into the role and properties of biosurfactants as agricultural adjuvants, fostering the development of sustainable formulations to replace the chemical surfactants used in pesticides. For this purpose, the general aspects of global agricultural activity are initially described, followed by a discussion of pesticides, including herbicides, fungicides, and insecticide products. Next, the properties of chemical surfactants are discussed and the use of green surfactants, with emphasis on microbial biosurfactants, is demonstrated. The application of biosurfactants in the agricultural industry and trends are addressed and prospects for the application of these agents are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Utilization of Biomass Resources and Green Chemical Products)
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