Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering for Implementing the Circular Economy Concept in Agriculture

A special issue of AgriEngineering (ISSN 2624-7402). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Bioresource and Bioprocess Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2026 | Viewed by 948

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences (DAFE), University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Interests: agricultural engineering; ecological engineering; rural buildings; agroforestry landscape; circular economy; bio-architecture; bioeconomy; agroplastics recycling
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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences (DAFE), University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Interests: agricultural and biosystems engineering; environmental engineering; agroecology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences (DAFE), University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Interests: agricultural and biosystems engineering; ecological engineering; greenhouse technology; plastic material; agricultural plastics recycling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering provides agricultural actors with the knowledge and skills required to use advanced technologies that can transform waste into new resources, thus contributing to the implementation of the Circular Economy concept in agriculture. Indeed, by managing organic (biomass) and non-organic (mostly, agro-plastics) waste, farmers can increase their economic returns while reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture. This Special Issue reports the results of scientific research and training activities carried out by Agricultural Engineers—mostly those implemented within the TANGO-Circular Project, in which farmers and agricultural stakeholders were trained on the appropriate use, post-consumer collection, and recycling of agricultural co-products, by-products, residuals, and waste. Their upskilling allowed them to play a proactive role in the valorization of agricultural waste, which was consolidated thanks to the participation of other interested actors involved in the Quadruple-Helix, including public institutions, private industries, universities/research centers, and civil society/non-profit organizations. During the Project Final Conference, held in Matera, Italy, on 25–27 June 2025, several European universities specializing in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering presented data on the latest technologies and systems for valorizing agricultural waste, discussing on how to implement and harmonize them, thus shading light on cutting-edge technological solutions and creating innovative opportunities in agricultural waste valorization.

Prof. Dr. Pietro Picuno
Prof. Dr. Salvatore Margiotta
Dr. Roberto Puglisi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • sustainable agriculture
  • agroecology
  • bioeconomy
  • agricultural waste
  • biomass
  • agro-plastics recycling
  • bio-based material
  • biodegradable material

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

20 pages, 2313 KB  
Review
Citrus Waste Valorisation Processes from an Environmental Sustainability Perspective: A Scoping Literature Review of Life Cycle Assessment Studies
by Grazia Cinardi, Provvidenza Rita D’Urso, Giovanni Cascone and Claudia Arcidiacono
AgriEngineering 2025, 7(10), 335; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7100335 - 5 Oct 2025
Viewed by 525
Abstract
Citrus fruits and related processed products represent a major agricultural sector worldwide, contributing to food supply chains and to regional economies, particularly in Mediterranean and subtropical areas. Citrus processing generates significant amounts of post-processing waste, and their sustainable management is a critical challenge, [...] Read more.
Citrus fruits and related processed products represent a major agricultural sector worldwide, contributing to food supply chains and to regional economies, particularly in Mediterranean and subtropical areas. Citrus processing generates significant amounts of post-processing waste, and their sustainable management is a critical challenge, driving growing scientific interest in exploring environmentally sustainable and profitable valorisation strategies. This study aimed at mapping the sustainability of post-processing citrus valorisation strategies documented in the scientific literature, through a scoping literature review based on the PRISMA-ScR model. Only peer-reviewed studies in English were selected from Scopus and Web of Science; in detail, 29 life cycle assessment studies (LCAs) focusing on the valorisation of citrus by-products have been analysed. Most of the studies were focused on essential oil extraction and energy production. Most of the biorefinery systems and valorisation aims proposed were found to be better than the business-as-usual solution. However, results are strongly influenced by the functional unit and allocation method. Economic allocation to the main product resulted in better environmental performances. The major environmental hotspot is the agrochemicals required for crop management. The analysis of LCAs facilitated the identification of valorisation strategies that deserve greater interest from the scientific community to propose sustainable bio-circular solutions in the agro-industrial and agricultural sectors. Full article
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