A Circular Economy: Chemical, Microbiological and Environmental Implications of Mineral and Organic Fertilizers Use in Soils—2nd Edition
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 507
Special Issue Editor
Interests: mineral and organic fertilizers; waste management; biochar; compost; soil organic matter
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The continuous pressure on natural resources and the related environmental pollution are sources of concern around the world, and the intensive development of industry is causing direct or indirect impacts on the environment and human health and wellbeing as a result of the production of large quantities of waste and the emission of toxic chemicals. The circular economy is increasingly gaining in importance as it introduces the development of new, environmentally friendly technologies, minimizes the generation of waste and pollution, and reduces the negative impact of human activities on the environment. Particular attention, in the context of environmental impact, should be given both to important nutrients for plants and impurities that may be introduced into the soil along with fertilizers. The need to protect the environment is forcing us to take a new look at the problems of fertilization and the use of components of applied fertilizers. In recent years, the quality and health of soil fertilized with organic fertilizers (including waste), as part of the principles of sustainable development and the circular economy, is widely recognized by and of great interest to a wide range of scientists around the world.
The following are some of the major areas in which papers are solicited:
- A circular economy in waste management;
- Innovative practices in the management of organic fertilizers;
- The monitoring of soil pollution by trace elements and organic contaminants;
- The reclamation and revitalization of contaminated soils;
- Ecotoxicity assessments and ecological risk assessment;
- Organic fertilization impact on soil fertility and its effect on soil environment and plants;
- The agricultural usefulness of organic fertilizers and waste products enriching soil with organic matter (sludges and industrial composts) and raw materials deacidifying soils (calcium or calcium–magnesium fertilizers);
- Comparisons of the effect of organic and mineral fertilization on soil quality and yield quality;
- The fertilization value of organic materials and organic fertilizers;
- Best practices in solid waste collection and recycling—the generation and characterization of waste;
- Recycling and reuse;
- Treatment (mechanical, biological, chemical, thermal, and other);
- Innovative mineral fertilizers with the addition of organic matter.
Dr. Monika Mierzwa-Hersztek
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- circular economy
- organic matter
- nutrients
- plant quality
- exogenic organic matter
- soil improvers
- waste management
- ecological risk assessment
- microorganisms
- enzymatic activity
- soil pollution
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