The growing awareness of environmental issues, coupled with an increased interest in sustainable production technologies, has driven manufacturing industries to seek eco-friendly materials from renewable resources. These materials aim to replace conventional ones in various applications. As a result, there has been a surge in the production and utilization of eco-friendly wood-based composites worldwide. According to the latest forecast data from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the overall demand for wood and wood-based materials is projected to increase by 37% by 2050 compared to 2020. Circular economy principles have introduced stricter requirements for product design and development, including the production of wood-based composites. Additionally, new legislative requirements in waste management have accelerated the transition to a bioeconomy, leading to a demand for innovative eco-friendly materials and products. Key considerations for sustainable development in woodworking and furniture industries include optimizing production technologies, promoting the “cascading” use of wood, recycling, and finding secondary uses for wood waste and by-products. These efforts align with the principles of the circular bioeconomy, emphasizing economic profitability alongside environmental sustainability.
Composite materials manufactured from wood and non-wood lignocellulosic feedstocks, as well as waste and residues from the pulp, paper, and wood industry, offer an ecological and cost-effective alternative to traditional petroleum-based materials. Eco-friendly composites, made from renewable wood-based materials, significantly cut down on fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. They are not only easy to process and recyclable but also boast strong mechanical properties while requiring less energy for production. This makes them a practical, sustainable, and cost-effective substitute for harmful synthetic materials across various industries, including construction, automotive, and furniture.
This Research Topic is aimed at collecting high-quality original research and review articles on topics including (but not limited to) the latest approaches in wood waste and by-products utilization; development of wood waste-based composites; advanced recycling of post-consumer solid wood and wood-based composites; cascading use of wood; life cycle assessment of wood composites; biobased wood adhesives; wood polymer composites; valorization of wood bark for value-added chemicals and production of high-performance wood composites; biodegradable, eco-friendly wood composites; application of nanomaterials in wood composites; non-wood lignocellulosic composites; advanced functionalities and application of wood-waste based composites.
Keywords:
wood waste-based composites; lignocellulosic composites; wood recycling; recovered wood; post-consumer wood; cascading use of wood; circular economy; waste and by-product valorization; biobased wood adhesives
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
The growing awareness of environmental issues, coupled with an increased interest in sustainable production technologies, has driven manufacturing industries to seek eco-friendly materials from renewable resources. These materials aim to replace conventional ones in various applications. As a result, there has been a surge in the production and utilization of eco-friendly wood-based composites worldwide. According to the latest forecast data from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the overall demand for wood and wood-based materials is projected to increase by 37% by 2050 compared to 2020. Circular economy principles have introduced stricter requirements for product design and development, including the production of wood-based composites. Additionally, new legislative requirements in waste management have accelerated the transition to a bioeconomy, leading to a demand for innovative eco-friendly materials and products. Key considerations for sustainable development in woodworking and furniture industries include optimizing production technologies, promoting the “cascading” use of wood, recycling, and finding secondary uses for wood waste and by-products. These efforts align with the principles of the circular bioeconomy, emphasizing economic profitability alongside environmental sustainability.
Composite materials manufactured from wood and non-wood lignocellulosic feedstocks, as well as waste and residues from the pulp, paper, and wood industry, offer an ecological and cost-effective alternative to traditional petroleum-based materials. Eco-friendly composites, made from renewable wood-based materials, significantly cut down on fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. They are not only easy to process and recyclable but also boast strong mechanical properties while requiring less energy for production. This makes them a practical, sustainable, and cost-effective substitute for harmful synthetic materials across various industries, including construction, automotive, and furniture.
This Research Topic is aimed at collecting high-quality original research and review articles on topics including (but not limited to) the latest approaches in wood waste and by-products utilization; development of wood waste-based composites; advanced recycling of post-consumer solid wood and wood-based composites; cascading use of wood; life cycle assessment of wood composites; biobased wood adhesives; wood polymer composites; valorization of wood bark for value-added chemicals and production of high-performance wood composites; biodegradable, eco-friendly wood composites; application of nanomaterials in wood composites; non-wood lignocellulosic composites; advanced functionalities and application of wood-waste based composites.
Keywords:
wood waste-based composites; lignocellulosic composites; wood recycling; recovered wood; post-consumer wood; cascading use of wood; circular economy; waste and by-product valorization; biobased wood adhesives
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.