Sustainable Conversion of Biomass, Bio-wastes, and Co-products into Fuels and High-Value Applications

Across both developed and emerging economies, the sustainable conversion of biomass, bio-wastes, and industrial co-products has become a central component of global energy transition and circular bioeconomy strategies. Increasing pressures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate open burning and landfill disposal, and valorize organic residues have positioned bioenergy and biorefinery pathways at the intersection of energy security, environmental governance, and sustainable rural and industrial development. Advances in thermochemical, biochemical, and hybrid conversion technologies now enable biomass resources to be transformed not only into low-carbon fuels, but also into high-value chemicals, materials, and energy carriers. However, the deployment of these pathways remains constrained by feedstock heterogeneity, techno-economic uncertainty, policy fragmentation, and region-specific sustainability trade-offs.This Research Topic provides an international platform to examine innovative conversion technologies, integrated system designs, and governance frameworks that support scalable, environmentally sound, and economically viable biomass utilization across diverse regional contexts.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses the sustainable conversion of biomass resources, bio-wastes, and co-products into fuels, energy carriers, and high-value applications.We welcome interdisciplinary contributions that advance the science, technology, and governance of converting diverse organic streams, such as agricultural residues, livestock manure, municipal organic waste, sewage sludge, food waste, forestry residues, and industrial by-products, into sustainable fuels and scalable applications.Topic areas within the scope of this collection include, but are not limited to:• Feedstock characterization, logistics, and supply-chain design for bio-wastes, residues, and co-products, including contamination control, preprocessing, storage, and regional optimization (e.g., crop residue collection systems, food-waste segregation, manure management)• Conversion technologies and process intensification across thermochemical, biochemical, and hybrid routes, including combustion, gasification, pyrolysis/hydrothermal liquefaction, anaerobic digestion, fermentation, and catalytic upgrading• Fuel pathways and end-use performance, such as biomethane, biodiesel, biohydrogen, and bio-oil upgrading, including compatibility with existing infrastructure and engines• Co-products and cascading use in integrated biorefinery systems (e.g., digestate valorization, biochar for soil and carbon management, lignin utilization, nutrient recovery, biobased chemicals and materials)• Techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessment, and sustainability metrics for waste-to-fuels and residue-to-fuels systems, including carbon intensity accounting, air-pollutant impacts, water and land footprints, and sensitivity/uncertainty analysis• System integration and scale-up challenges for waste-to-fuel and biorefinery platforms• Policy, governance, and market design enabling deployment, including incentives for waste diversion, renewable gas/fuel standards, carbon markets, and sustainability certification. Topic editors: Shu Wang, Changbin Yin Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79058/sustainable-conversion-of-biomass-bio-wastes-and-co-products-into-fuels-and-high-value-applications