Synthesis of bio-based materials from residues and by-products from the agro-food industry

The huge amount of solid residues together with the vast quantity of water required in the food industry make it one of the most pollutant industries worldwide, causing important environmental issues which should be avoided. In this sense, the reuse of the residues and by-products obtained from this industry can be addressed for their revalorization and reduction, which would imply a lower environmental footprint, as well as a circular economy. Several studies have supported the employment of these residues or by-product as raw materials for other processes from the food Technology field to material science. More concretely, the synthesis of new materials has been reported to be a feasible alternative to successfully employ these biowastes. Furthermore, those new materials usually show quite shorter biodegradability times than the conventional petroleum-based materials, avoiding sea pollution than these later commonly produce. This special issue is focused on the study and report of the acquisition, characterization, processing and final properties of these materials, in addition to their feasible applications.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1. Food Industry;
2. Biowastes;
3. Biorefinery;
4. Material engineering;
5. Superabsorbent materials;
6. Biodegradable materials;
7. Rheological characterization;
8. Mechanical properties;
9. Oil-dependence reduction;
10. Circular economy.