Strategies for Integrating Waste Recycling and Resource Recovery in Animal Farming

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 2 December 2026 | Viewed by 723

Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, No. 50, Lane 155, Sec. 3, Keelung Rd., Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: biodegradation of organic waste; bioenergy production from livestock waste; anaerobic digestion of agricultural residues; biogas upgrading and desulfurization; livestock wastewater treatment technologies; resource recovery from slaughterhouse waste; microbial and bioelectrochemical systems (e.g., SMFCs); sustainable manure and waste management; water footprint and resource efficiency in animal farming; smart and automated waste treatment systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid intensification of global livestock production necessitates a shift from conventional waste disposal toward advanced circular economy frameworks. This special issue, entitled “Strategies for Integrating Waste Recycling and Resource Recovery in Animal Farming,” highlights the dual challenge of reducing environmental impacts while unlocking hidden value from agricultural by-products. As concerns over greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient runoff grow, the development of robust recovery technologies is critical for ensuring long-term sustainability in animal farming. We welcome original research and reviews that explore innovative approaches to transforming manure, carcasses, slaughterhouse residues, wastewater, and bio-sludge into high-value outputs. Key themes include anaerobic digestion and bioenergy, with emphasis on optimizing biogas production and exploring applications such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); resource valorization through biodiesel production, bioactive compound extraction, and recovery of humic substances; bio-electrochemical systems such as sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFC) for wastewater treatment and energy recovery; and nutrient upcycling strategies to reclaim nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace metals for fertilizers or feed additives. Beyond technical innovation, this Special Issue underscores the importance of integrating life-cycle assessments (LCA) to evaluate environmental and economic efficiency. By bridging fundamental research with scalable industrial applications, the contributions aim to chart a roadmap for a resilient, zero-waste livestock sector that supports global food security while advancing environmental stewardship.

Prof. Dr. Jung Jeng Su
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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 bioeconomy
  • nutrient and resource upcycling
  • livestock waste & wastewater management
  • anaerobic digestion
  • sustainable biofuels
  • bioenergy recovery and practical applications

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 2006 KB  
Article
Sustainable Upcycling of Swine Wastewater Sludge: Using Thermal and Citrate Pretreatment to Enhance Volatile Fatty Acid Production
by Wei-Chen Chen and Jung-Jeng Su
Animals 2026, 16(9), 1403; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16091403 - 3 May 2026
Viewed by 533
Abstract
The sustainable management of intensive swine farming is currently bottlenecked by the difficult valorization of metal-rich wastewater sludge. The structural rigidity of this sludge, stabilized by divalent cation bridging, severely limits its anaerobic digestion and overall resource recovery. To optimize the manure management [...] Read more.
The sustainable management of intensive swine farming is currently bottlenecked by the difficult valorization of metal-rich wastewater sludge. The structural rigidity of this sludge, stabilized by divalent cation bridging, severely limits its anaerobic digestion and overall resource recovery. To optimize the manure management chain, this study comprehensively evaluated various physical and chemical pretreatments to identify the most effective disintegration strategy for enhanced volatile fatty acid (VFA) production. Among the tested conditions, the coupling of thermal hydrolysis with citrate chelation (T/SC) was the most effective, achieving the highest disintegration degree (12.37%) and biopolymer solubilization. Mechanism analysis revealed that, unlike traditional alkaline treatments, which are limited by the severe reprecipitation of magnesium and phosphate, citrate effectively sequestered bridging cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) via ligand exchange. This synergistic disintegration accelerated the fermentation kinetics, enhancing the total VFA yield 2-fold (1293 mg/L) compared to the control group while maintaining a high-value, butyrate-dominant product profile. These findings demonstrate that targeting ionic bridges via ligand-promoted dissolution provides a highly practical and sustainable strategy to maximize resource recovery and nutrient cycling from metal-laden livestock wastes. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop