This Research Topic is Volume III of a series. The previous volumes can be found here:
Isolation, Modification, and Characterization of the Constituents (Cellulose, Hemicellulose, Lignin, et al.) in Biomass and Their Bio-based Applications Isolation, Modification, and Characterization of the Constituents in Biomass and Their Bio-based Applications, Volume IIBiomass is an abundant renewable biomaterial that is mainly composed of biopolymers of (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) and secondary metabolites (phenolic compounds, terpenoids, nitrogenous compounds) in different proportions. The constituents of cellulose and hemicellulose have been widely used as the precursors to prepare bio-materials, dietary fibers, and intermediates, which can be applied in the areas of biomedical therapy, food preservation, food additives, and cosmetics. Lignin is the most naturally abundant aromatic polymer that can be used to prepare bioactive components. In addition, the bioactivity of secondary metabolites has been widely applied as medicines in different bio-fields. Due to the natural recalcitrance of biomass, an isolation approach should be carried out to obtain these constituents with high purity. In addition, various technologies of modifications are often applied to these constituents to improve their reactive activation or tailor the polymers with specific functions. Hence, seeking the appropriate approaches of isolation and modification is essential for the effective utilization of these biomass components.
To obtain the constituents in biomass, physical, chemical, and combined methods have been widely investigated. Despite the tremendous progress that has been made in the development of these isolation technologies, there still exist some problems, such as bulk chemical consumption, low isolation yield, low purity for final products, and harsh extraction conditions. Hence, seeking environmentally friendly, sustainable, and industrialized technologies to obtain the constituents in different biomass is still quite challenging to a large extent. In addition, due to the structural diversities of biopolymers and secondary metabolites in different biomass, the modified constituents can be explored to prepare the diversified bio-materials and bio-chemicals for being applied in undiscovered bio-applications. Combining the new isolation, modification, and characterization technologies with novel applications will be the key steps to ultimately unlocking the integrated, economically viable, and multi-product process.
The Topic Editors encourage submissions of original research articles, perspectives, and review articles that cover the following topics:
1. New methods to prepare bio-polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose, alginate, and fucoidan) and secondary metabolites (phenolic compounds, terpenoids, nitrogenous compounds) from different biomass.
2. Environmentally friendly, sustainable, and industrialized technologies to prepare the bio-products and bio-polymers from different biomass for bio-application.
3. Biological and thermochemical conversion of biomass to obtain the bio-constituents and biochemical from different biomass.
4. Efficient utilization of bioactive ingredients from herbal medicine.
5. Upgrading bio-applications of natural bioactive compounds in biomass as medicine, functional foods, and cosmetics.