## 2 Overview of the Articles Published  
A total of six articles in all, including one review and five research articles, have been published in this collection.  
In one review article (Contribution 1), the authors presented current processes and challenges in the manufacture of Lyocell man-made cellulosic fibres (L-MMCF) with industrial hemp stalks. The efficient utilization of agriculturally produced hemp stalks can not only mitigate environment-related issues but also address the problem of cellulose shortage for the large-scale synthesis of functional biomass materials. This article provided detailed information of the formation process of L-MMCF and introduced and discussed the main steps of feedstock preparation, chelation, pulping, contaminant removal, and fibre spinning. The authors additionally detailed the challenges posed by the utilization of industrial hemp stalks, including the removal of heavy metals that accumulate in the plants, harvesting and processing techniques, and proper separation methods for hemp stalks.  
The development of novel preparation techniques for carbon sources is crucial for the synthesis of functional biomass-based materials, as indicated by the work shown in Contribution 2, which presented a study on enzyme-based bio-synthesis of bacterial cellulose (BC) and other useful carbon sources by using _Komagteibacter xylinus_. In a culture medium, accessible carbon sources were successfully synthesized through oligo- and polysaccharides via specific enzymes. The results obtained indicated that the enzyme-mediated fermentation process had high potential and was highly efficient, with a more than 40% yield of biomass sources. This enzyme-based strategy provided a simple way to synthesize many valuable carbon sources in the process of BC production.  
Modifications of biomass materials are also important for improving the properties of biomass-based functional materials. In the third Contribution, the biomass of 1-indanone was chemically modified with methyl and methoxy groups and then studied with the use of experimental and computational methods to understand the energetic effects of chemical modification. Through the analysis conducted, it is possible to understand the effect of the position of the chemical groups on the properties of the modified biomass materials, which can guide the design and synthesis of biomass materials with specific desired properties and functions. In another study (Contribution 4), a torrefaction process (in a temperature of 250-350 \({}^{\circ}\)C and an N\({}_{2}\) environment) was applied to improve the fuel characteristics of lignocellulosic and non-lignocellulose. Temperature and time factors were used to evaluate the heating values, mass and energy yields, torrefaction severity indexes, and energy-mass co-benefit indexes of three biomasses. The results presented indicated that the torrefaction process could improve the fuel properties of raw miscanthus and hops but had no effect on the pure sewage sludge biomass.  
Above all, the key output of biomass materials is their practical application. In Contribution 5, coconut shells were used as a carbon source to produce chemically modified activated carbons (ACs), which could be used for the removal of 4-ethylphenol (4-EP) and 4-ethylguaiocol (4-EG) from red wine. It was found that in the presence of both 4-EP and 4-EG, ethanol had a cooperative effect and promoted the adsorption of both components in ACs. Therefore, this study provided suggestions to synthesize biomass-material-based ACs with similar properties, which could decrease the contents of 4-EG and 4-EP in red wine. In another study (Contribution 6), coffee oil was loaded into a water-based lubrication fluid with the help of ionic liquid in order to improve the tribological properties of the materials. It was clearly demonstrated that the addition of coffee oil and a protic ionic liquid with suitable content could improve wettability, enhance corrosion protection, and reduce wear and friction.