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Summary: Membrane Distillation (MD) is based on the evaporation of a hot feed through a microporous and hydrophobic membrane. Thermal energy is needed to heat the feed up to the desired temperature during the process. Therefore, improvements of the thermal performance of MD are important to apply this technology at large scale. The Special Issue "Thermal Performance of Membrane Distillation" focuses on the recent research efforts made in this direction, covering both the development of new membranes and the optimization of the process.

Summary: Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. We consume more resources than the planet can generate, and growing rates of pollution and waste only worsen the problem. In this context, globally, a significant number of frameworks and programs on sustainable consumption and production have been introduced. Most of them concern the environmentally sound management of energy and raw materials and all wastes throughout their life cycle; the substantially reduce of waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse; the adoption of sustainable practices and the integration of sustainability information into their reporting cycle; the promotion of procurement practices that are sustainable; the enhancement of scientific and technological capacity intending to more sustainable patterns of consumption and production etc. This reprint" Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption" takes a broad view of all these issues and aimed to inform about ways contributing to sustainable consumption and production by reducing our environmental impact, promoting the use of renewable sources of energy and encouraging responsible purchasing decisions.

Summary: The growing demand for new forms of energy has led to a significant increase in the use of biomass as a primary source of energy. Although in many situations, the use of biomass is clearly well studied, in other cases, it is a new world, where knowledge is absent regarding how to best value and recycle these forms of biomass, many of which are classified as waste as a result of production processes. Thermochemical conversion technologies could provide an alternative for the processing of these materials, allowing for a reuse value through the transformation of their properties. The purpose of this Special Issue is to contribute to the increase in knowledge in this area when new forms of biomass appear that are cheaper and more available, but also are potentially more problematic, namely in terms of the effects that can be associated with the use of these new products.This Special Issue is focused on the recycling and recovery of biomass materials. Several innovative and alternative concepts can be presented, and the topics of energy recovery, circular economy, life cycle assessment, and supply chain could play a major role. Models on various temporal and geographical scales to understand the conditions of technical as well as organizational change are welcome, as are new methods of modeling that can fulfil technical and physical boundary conditions and consider economic, environmental, and social aspects.