Special Issues
Table of Content

Advances in Biorefinery Technologies and Products – 2024

Submission Deadline: 31 December 2024 View: 328 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editors

Uģis Cābulis, Head of the Polymer Laboratory, Scientific Director at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Latvia.
Uģis Cābulis received his PhD in 1993 in engineering at the University of Latvia. In 1986, he started his carrier at LSIWC in the Polymer Laboratory. He has more than 35-year experience in PU industry, covering all aspects: from science to practical coordination of National and International research projects. His scientific topics are PU from renewable raw materials and PU foams as cryogenic insulation. He has been a senior researcher and coordinator of bilateral project with ArianeGroup GmbH on insulation of new generation Ariane launcher, as well as in projects with the European Space Agency.

Miķelis Kirpļuks, Senior researcher of the Polymer Laboratory at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Latvia.
He has more than 15-year experience in the field of polyurethane materials – from polyol synthesis and analysis to polyurethane formulation development and final characterization of polyurethane materials. He has actively participated in activities of several EU FP7 and ERA-NET projects such as FORBIOPLAST, BIOPURFIL, EVOLUTION, BIOCORE and Bio4Cryo. He also has experience in projects with the European Space Agency, such as CRYOFOAMS and CRYOFOAMS-LW. The first-ever bio-based cryogenic insulation is being developed in the Bio4Cryo project and upscaled in ESA funded BioSpace project. His scientific endeavours have resulted in 74 research papers indexed in Scopus and his Hirsh-index is 23.

Arnis Kokorevics, Scientific Secretary of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Latvia.
Arnis Kokorevics holds a Dr. chem. degree (1992). In his work at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, he deals with organizational activities regarding research projects, including research evaluation and scientometrics. The range of his scientific interests includes the biorefinery concept, scaling and fractal geometry approaches to description of the structure of wood and its components.

Kristīne Meile, Researcher of the Biorefinery Laboratory and Head of the Liquid Chromatography Centre at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Latvia.
Kristīne Meile holds a Dr. chem. degree from the University of Latvia, Faculty of Chemistry. She applies her analytical background to separate, purify, characterize and valorize chemical products obtained from wood and other lignocellulosic feedstocks to develop new biorefinery possibilities. She is captivated by the biorefinery concept and always tries to tie up loose ends and approach zero-waste systems. Apart from her research work, Dr. Meile is the organizer of the BTechPro! conferences.


Summary

Biomass, as the only carbon containing renewable resource, is a key to future materials, fuels and chemicals. For a higher beneficial impact biomass is processed within biorefineries to obtain several valuable products from a single feedstock. This special issue is dedicated to current and innovative technologies used for obtaining biomass-based products, and how these technologies can be combined for maximum efficiency. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

· Biomass feedstock pre-treatment

· Biomass processing and extraction

· Biomass-based materials

· Bioengineering technologies

· Synthesis of bio-based chemicals and polymers

· Characterisation of biorefinery products

· Bioeconomy and environmental aspects


Keywords

pre-treatment, valorisation, bioeconomy, green chemistry, renewable resources

Published Papers


  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Polymer Resins Synthesized via the Michael 1,4-addition from Tall Oil Fatty Acids Using Various Epoxidation Techniques

    Aiga Ivdre, Ralfs Pomilovskis, Arnis Abolins
    Journal of Renewable Materials, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.056820
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Biorefinery Technologies and Products – 2024)
    Abstract Studies on the use of renewable materials for various applications, including polymers, have gained momentum due to global climate change and the push towards a circular economy. In this study, polymer resins were developed through Michael 1,4-addition. The precursors were synthesized from tall oil-based acetoacetates derived from epoxidized tall oil fatty acids or their methyl esters. Two different epoxidation methods were employed: enzymatic epoxidation of tall oil fatty acids and ion-exchange resin epoxidation of tall oil fatty acid methyl esters. Following oxirane opening and transesterification with trimethylolpropane, further esterification or transesterification was carried out to… More >

  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Characterization of Physico-Chemical Changes of Lignin Obtained under Different Conditions of Enzymatic Hydrolysis on an Industrial Scale

    Maris Lauberts, Janis Rizikovs, Matiss Pals, Karl Pebo
    Journal of Renewable Materials, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.056815
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Biorefinery Technologies and Products – 2024)
    Abstract Research-based on lignin as a bioproduct has grown due to its high availability, reactivity, physicochemical stability, and abundance of different aromatic units. Lignin consists of various functional groups, which can react in various chemical reactions and serve as a raw material in various processes to obtain multiple products. These characteristics make lignin suitable for synthesizing products from natural raw materials, replacing fossil ones. Due to a high aromatic variety and complex structural arrangement, lignin isolation and fractionation are still challenging. The aim and novelty of this work was the modification of severity and enzymatic hydrolysis… More >

  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Evaluating the Potential of Birch Bark Suberinic Acids for Solid Wood Impregnation

    Daniela Godina, Guntis Sosins, Aigars Paze, Janis Rizikovs, Raimonds Makars, Andreas Treu
    Journal of Renewable Materials, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.056822
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Biorefinery Technologies and Products – 2024)
    Abstract Instead of the traditional linear model of taking, making, and disposing, the circular bio-economy promotes a regenerative approach. Although there is potential to create valuable products like betulin, lupeol, and suberinic acids (SA) from outer birch bark, many industries, such as plywood and pulp, often choose to incinerate substantial amounts of leftover birch bark to meet their energy needs. This highlights the importance of obtaining valuable products from wood. The objective of this study was to examine various fractions of SA and assess their potential for wood impregnation. The fractions included SA potassium salts in… More >

    Graphic Abstract

    Evaluating the Potential of Birch Bark Suberinic Acids for Solid Wood Impregnation

  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Comparison of Various Ion Exchange Resins for the Separation of Phenols in a Wood Pyrolysis-Based Biorefinery

    Kristine Meile, Martins Romanovskis, Thomas Nicol, Neil Hindle, Aivars Zhurinsh
    Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.12, pp. 2135-2152, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.056775
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Biorefinery Technologies and Products – 2024)
    Abstract Fast pyrolysis of pre-treated birch wood in a super-heated steam environment produces a condensate rich in anhydrosugars. With the objective to obtain several product streams from this condensate, the possibility of extracting additional chemical species is explored, thus promoting the development of a pyrolysis-based biorefinery. In this work, the extraction and recovery of pyrolytic phenols from birch wood pyrolysis condensate was studied using ion exchange resins. With an aim to achieve effective phenol recovery, while obtaining high purity levoglucosan, basic ion exchange resins, both in OH and Cl form, as well as polystyrene-divinyl resins without functional… More >

    Graphic Abstract

    Comparison of Various Ion Exchange Resins for the Separation of Phenols in a Wood Pyrolysis-Based Biorefinery

  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Improvement of the Birch Outer Bark Plywood Binder: The Impact of the Bark Fractional Composition and the Binder Preparation Methodology

    Rūdolfs Bērziņš, Aigars Pāže, Guntis Sosins, Daniela Godiņa, Laima Vēvere, Jānis Rižikovs
    Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.12, pp. 2095-2113, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.056769
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Biorefinery Technologies and Products – 2024)
    Abstract Birch outer bark (BOB) from Betula pendula Roth. is a unique and valuable biomass feedstock that contains suberin. The biopolyester suberin is built from bifunctional fatty acids-suberinic acids (SA)-which can be obtained through a depolymerization process in an alkaline medium and used as a binder due to their adhesive properties. The aim of this study was to develop the SA-containing binder and identify suitable pressing conditions to produce plywood that meets the shear strength requirements of the EN 314-2 standard 3rd moisture resistance class for bonding quality, ensuring durability in unprotected exterior conditions (shear strength ≥… More >

    Graphic Abstract

    Improvement of the Birch Outer Bark Plywood Binder: The Impact of the Bark Fractional Composition and the Binder Preparation Methodology

  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    The Oxyalkylation of Hydrophilic Black Alder Bark Extractives with Propylene Carbonate with a Focus on Green Polyols Synthesis

    Alexandr Arshanitsa, Matiss Pals, Daniela Godina, Oskars Bikovens
    Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.11, pp. 1927-1948, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.056466
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Biorefinery Technologies and Products – 2024)
    Abstract The isolated hydrophilic black alder (Alnus glutinosa) bark extractives were characterized in terms of component and functional composition and converted at 150°C–170°C into liquid green polyols using solvent-free and low-toxic base-catalyzed modification with propylene carbonate (PC). FTIR spectroscopy, HP-LC, GC, GPC, and wet chemistry methods were used to characterize the starting constituents, intermediate and final products of the reaction and to monitor the different pathways of PC conversion. The reaction of extractives as well as the model compounds, including catechol, xylose, PEG 400, and benzoic acid, with PC indicated the ability of OH groups of different… More >

    Graphic Abstract

    The Oxyalkylation of Hydrophilic Black Alder Bark Extractives with Propylene Carbonate with a Focus on Green Polyols Synthesis

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