Biomass Transformation

The exploitation of biomass resources has resulted in an urgent need to produce energy, fuels, and chemical products to replace traditional fossil-based sources. This Topic highlights a variety of valorization strategies for the production of bio-energy and added-value bio-products. The authors present different approaches, starting from the direct conversion of waste biomasses into energy and then moving towards the production of biofuels and bioproducts, such as bio-ethanol, biodiesel, and corresponding by-products originating from the production chain, while also investigating the catalytic aspects and intensification issues. Biochar production and exploitation are topics that are discussed by many authors in this Topic, optimizing thermochemical synthesis and the corresponding applications, mainly as fuel, soil fertilizer, and adsorbent for environmental pollutants. Lastly, different strategies for the fractionation/conversion of the main biomass components into high-added-value products were investigated, highlighting the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids via anaerobic fermentation, the depolymerization of the lignin component via fast-pyrolysis or oxidative paths, and the extraction of chitin nanowhiskers from crustacean biomass with cheap and sustainable ionic liquids. In summary, this Topic showcases innovative developments in the field of biomass conversion strategies, emphasizing the conversion of waste and alignment with environmental, economic, and social sustainability criteria.