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Sustainable Environmental Engineering

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2025) | Viewed by 6437

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marco Vocciante

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry (DCCI), University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova, Italy
Interests: environmental remediation; water and soil treatments; environmental nanotechnology; resource recovery; process modelling and simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sergio Ferro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ecas4 Australia Pty Ltd., Mile End South, SA 5031, Australia
Interests: Dimensionally Stable Anodes (DSA®) for oxygen and chlorine production; environmental applications of electrochemistry; environmental remediation; water & soil treatments; electrolysed water
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The continuous development of our society has led to the steady growth of problems related to resource depletion and environmental pollution. Unfortunately, the development of technical solutions to effectively cope with the consequences of human activity has not been so rapid.

Today, the sustainability of products and processes is no longer optional. This applies, for example, to manufacturing activities, which are increasingly moving towards carbon neutrality through energy efficiency strategies and the substitution of materials and processes to reduce their environmental footprint, but it cannot be limited to this. There are activities aimed at environmental protection, the reclamation of sites or the treatment of contaminated effluents, as well as the valorisation of waste through the recovery of resources that, although implemented with “noble intentions”, are often highly invasive, unsustainable and socially unacceptable, as they involve the significant use of chemical products or processes.

This special issue aims to collect research activities focused on the development of new material, processes and practices to reach new heights of sustainability in the various fields of applied science. Inspired by real industrial problems and the need to deal with real cases of contamination or prevent potentially harmful situations, we will discuss the development and optimisation of “smart” solutions, i.e. sustainable not only from an environmental point of view, but also from an economic one, to facilitate their effective implementation as much as possible.

Contributions on the following topics are particularly welcome:

  • Energy and water efficiency in industry and mining (construction materials; food industry; metallurgy; chemical industry; process optimisation; water use and waste minimisation; life cycle assessment; cleaner production; environmental impact assessment)
  • Renewable energy resources (technical and economic potentials; barriers; cost and benefits)
  • Nano- / micro-technologies and science for the sustainable development of energy, water, and environmental systems
  • Environmental policy and management (waste management; wastewater management; climate change mitigation; climate change adaptation; land management; reclamation and rewilding; social aspects; strategic environmental impact assessment)
  • Modelling for pollution avoidance, energy efficiency and resources optimisation (computer-aided engineering; pollution spreading; heat and mass transfer modelling)

Dr. Marco Vocciante
Dr. Sergio Ferro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Applied Sciences 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

  • environmental pollution and remediation
  • resource recovery and recycling strategies
  • sustainability assessment
  • circular economy
  • water and wastewater treatment
  • waste recovery, recycling and valorisation
  • soil and water reclamation
  • nanotechnologies for environmental and energy applications
  • computer-aided modelling of industrial processes and equipment
  • energy efficiency in industrial applications

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

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4919 KiB  
Article
Life Cycle Assessment of Medical Waste Management: Case Study for Istanbul
by Ender Çetin, İlknur Aysel Esenlikçi Yıldız, Çiğdem Öz Yaşar and Anie Yulistyorini
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(8), 4439; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15084439 - 17 Apr 2025
Viewed by 279
Abstract
The amount of medical waste is anticipated to increase significantly with population growth. Ineffective medical waste management has resulted in adverse impacts on environmental and human health. Therefore, this study aimed to develop the current medical waste management strategy in Istanbul. GaBi Education [...] Read more.
The amount of medical waste is anticipated to increase significantly with population growth. Ineffective medical waste management has resulted in adverse impacts on environmental and human health. Therefore, this study aimed to develop the current medical waste management strategy in Istanbul. GaBi Education version 7.3 was used to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the current medical waste management system (baseline scenario) with alternative scenarios including different proportions of waste disposal methods from an environmental perspective. Global warming, acidification, eutrophication, ozone layer depletion, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, and human toxicity were selected as the environmental impact categories found in CML 2001 within GaBi software. Scenarios with a higher proportion of incineration had more negative environmental impact, whereas the scenario incorporating waste segregation/minimization contributed to reducing the environmental impact. Therefore, Scenario 4 (waste segregation at the generation points/waste minimization + incineration + steam sterilization + landfill) presented the best environmental performance with the lowest total environmental impact value of 14.21% among all scenarios and was recommended as the most sustainable alternative for medical waste management in İstanbul. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Engineering)
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17 pages, 6830 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation of Antibiotic Photodegradation Using a Nanocatalyst Synthesized via an Eco-Friendly Process
by Rúbia Martins Bernardes Ramos, Pablo Inocêncio Monteiro, Lizandra Viana Maurat da Rocha, Oscar Oliveira Santos, Evandro Roberto Alves and Tirzhá Lins Porto Dantas
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(8), 4308; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15084308 - 14 Apr 2025
Viewed by 225
Abstract
Iron-based nanostructures mediated by plant aqueous extract were synthesized. The nanostructures were subjected to ultraviolet radiation to degrade a difficult-to-degrade compound. Various characterization techniques were performed to analyze the morphology of the nanomaterial, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), [...] Read more.
Iron-based nanostructures mediated by plant aqueous extract were synthesized. The nanostructures were subjected to ultraviolet radiation to degrade a difficult-to-degrade compound. Various characterization techniques were performed to analyze the morphology of the nanomaterial, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as well as crystallinity by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The chemical composition was investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and structural characteristics by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that the nanoparticles exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency, achieving 80% degradation of the pollutant. The study concludes that iron nanoparticles synthesized with plant aqueous extract are promising for the degradation of recalcitrant compounds, combining good efficiency with a cost-effective synthesis approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Engineering)
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15 pages, 2151 KiB  
Article
Drying Characteristics of Chicken Manure Under a Variable Temperature Process
by Xuanyang Li, Xiangtao Kang, Lei Xi, Qi Dou, Zhifang Shi, Tongshuai Liu and Limin Wang
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(8), 4093; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15084093 - 8 Apr 2025
Viewed by 291
Abstract
In recent years, employing an auxiliary heat source, combined with residual heat from chicken house ventilation, to dry chicken manure has emerged as a novel manure treatment method. This method uses residual heat from chicken house ventilation in the early drying stage and [...] Read more.
In recent years, employing an auxiliary heat source, combined with residual heat from chicken house ventilation, to dry chicken manure has emerged as a novel manure treatment method. This method uses residual heat from chicken house ventilation in the early drying stage and an auxiliary heat source in the late drying stage, resulting in a variable temperature process. Nevertheless, limited research has been conducted on the variable drying process of chicken manure, and no standard currently exists for setting the drying parameters. To investigate the variable temperature drying process of chicken manure, this study set up a simulated drying system. First, the effects of drying temperature (45–65 °C), air velocity (0.6–1.8 m/s), and moisture content nodes (35–55%) on drying time, energy consumption, and total nitrogen loss were investigated using single-factor experiments. Then, an orthogonal experiment was performed to analyze the comprehensive impact of different influencing factors. Finally, the drying effect was evaluated using a multi-indicator comprehensive scoring method, and the drying parameters were optimized through a combination of orthogonal and single-factor experiments. The results showed that the drying temperature during the second stage had a significant effect on chicken manure drying performance under the variable temperature process (p < 0.05), while the moisture content nodes and air velocity yielded no significant effect (p > 0.05). In actual production, the following optimal parameters are recommended—drying temperature in the second stage: 57.5 °C, air velocity: 1.2–1.5 m/s, and moisture content nodes: 45–50%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Engineering)
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19 pages, 19125 KiB  
Article
Automatic Segmentation of Gas Metal Arc Welding for Cleaner Productions
by Erwin M. Davila-Iniesta, José A. López-Islas, Yenny Villuendas-Rey and Oscar Camacho-Nieto
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 3280; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15063280 - 17 Mar 2025
Viewed by 280
Abstract
In the industry, the robotic gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process has a huge range of applications, including in the automotive sector, construction companies, the shipping industry, and many more. Automatic quality inspection in robotic welding is crucial because it ensures the uniformity, [...] Read more.
In the industry, the robotic gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process has a huge range of applications, including in the automotive sector, construction companies, the shipping industry, and many more. Automatic quality inspection in robotic welding is crucial because it ensures the uniformity, strength, and safety of welded joints without the need for constant human intervention. Detecting defects in real time prevents defective products from reaching advanced production stages, reducing reprocessing costs. In addition, the use of materials is optimized by avoiding defective welds that require rework, contributing to cleaner production. This paper presents a novel dataset of robot GMAW images for experimental purposes, including human-expert segmentation and human knowledge labeling regarding the different errors that may appear in welding. In addition, it tests an automatic segmentation approach for robot GMAW quality assessment. The results presented confirm that automatic segmentation is comparable to human segmentation, guaranteeing a correct welding quality assessment to provide feedback on the robot welding process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Engineering)
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21 pages, 1770 KiB  
Article
A Cyclic Graywater Treatment Model for Sustainable Wastewater Management Applied in a Small Scale
by Hanen Filali, Malak Moussa, Narcis Barsan, Valentin Nedeff, Oana Irimia and Mohamed Hachicha
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(5), 2836; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15052836 - 6 Mar 2025
Viewed by 583
Abstract
Water scarcity presents a critical challenge to global sustainability, exacerbated by population growth, climate change, and environmental pollution. In this context, graywater reuse has emerged as a promising solution, offering substantial water savings with significant potential for agricultural applications. However, efficient treatment methods [...] Read more.
Water scarcity presents a critical challenge to global sustainability, exacerbated by population growth, climate change, and environmental pollution. In this context, graywater reuse has emerged as a promising solution, offering substantial water savings with significant potential for agricultural applications. However, efficient treatment methods are essential to ensure safe reuse, as contaminants vary depending on the source. This study introduces a cyclic graywater treatment system that integrates both mechanical and biological filtration processes. A key feature of this system is the inclusion of Chenopodium quinoa, a resilient plant known for its phytoremediation potential, which enhances filtration efficiency and facilitates contaminant removal. The study examines the impact of treated graywater on soil and quinoa properties, focusing on its suitability for irrigation. The results show that the cyclic treatment system significantly improves graywater quality, enhancing the removal of biological and microbiological contaminants, such as BOD, with a significant decrease ranging from 31.33 mg O2/L to 15.74 mg O2/L is observed after treatment. For COD, the average values decreased from 102.64 mg O2/L to 54.19 mg O2/L after treatment, making the treated graywater compliant with Tunisian regulation NT 106.03 and WHO guidelines. Cyclic treatment significantly reduced the microbial load of graywater. For example, for E. coli, the average decreased from 0.87 log 10/100 mL in RGW to 0.58 log 10/100 mL in GWT3. The results demonstrate that the cyclic treatment process can predict the graywater quality beyond the three tested stages. This study highlights the potential of plant-based cyclic graywater treatment systems as an eco-friendly and scalable approach for sustainable water management in agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Engineering)
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17 pages, 5093 KiB  
Article
The Optuna–LightGBM–XGBoost Model: A Novel Approach for Estimating Carbon Emissions Based on the Electricity–Carbon Nexus
by Yuanhang Cai, Jianxin Feng, Yanqing Wang, Yuanming Ding, Yue Hu and Hui Fang
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 4632; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14114632 - 28 May 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2209
Abstract
With the challenge posed by global warming, accurately estimating and managing carbon emissions becomes a key step for businesses, especially power generation companies, to reduce their environmental impact. Optuna–LightGBM–XGBoost, a novel power and carbon emission relationship model that aims to improve the efficiency [...] Read more.
With the challenge posed by global warming, accurately estimating and managing carbon emissions becomes a key step for businesses, especially power generation companies, to reduce their environmental impact. Optuna–LightGBM–XGBoost, a novel power and carbon emission relationship model that aims to improve the efficiency of carbon emission monitoring and estimation for power generation companies, is proposed in this paper. Deeply exploring the intrinsic link between power production data and carbon emissions, this model paves a new path for “measuring carbon through electricity”, in contrast to the emission factor method commonly used in China. Unit data from power generation companies are processed into structured tabular data, and a parallel processing framework is constructed with LightGBM and XGBoost, and optimized with the Optuna algorithm. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) is used to fuse features to enhance prediction accuracy by capturing characters that the individual models cannot detect. Simulation results show that Optuna–LightGBM–XGBoost can achieve better performance compared to existing methods. The mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and coefficient of determination (R2) of the model are 0.652, 0.939, 0.136, and 0.994, respectively. This not only helps governments and enterprises to develop more scientific and reasonable emission reduction strategies and policies, but also lays a solid foundation for achieving global carbon neutrality goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Engineering)
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17 pages, 3138 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Recovery of an Agricultural Area Impacted by an Oil Spill Using Enhanced Phytoremediation
by Marco Vocciante, Elisabetta Franchi, Danilo Fusini, Francesca Pedron, Meri Barbafieri, Gianniantonio Petruzzelli and Andrea P. Reverberi
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14020582 - 9 Jan 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1620
Abstract
In this paper, a viability study is conducted for a bioremediation intervention in a cultivated area contaminated by a pipeline oil spill. In this context, green technologies such as bioremediation and phytoremediation could represent an optimal solution for reducing pollution without deteriorating soil [...] Read more.
In this paper, a viability study is conducted for a bioremediation intervention in a cultivated area contaminated by a pipeline oil spill. In this context, green technologies such as bioremediation and phytoremediation could represent an optimal solution for reducing pollution without deteriorating soil quality. The phytoremediation test was conducted at the microcosm scale using three plant species (Zea mays, Lupinus albus and Medicago sativa) and at the mesocosm scale (Zea mays), also evaluating the application of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). The results showed that the selected plants, being able to grow satisfactorily, are able to lessen the presence of hydrocarbons in the soil. An increase of 15–18% in the degradation of the C > 12 fractions in vegetated soils was observed, confirming the effect of plants on the biodegradation of hydrocarbons in the soil. Moreover, a further improvement was recorded after adding PGPB, resulting in fresh biomass production being up to 50% higher than the controls and the degradation of the C > 12 fraction increasing by up to an additional 10%. Particular attention was also paid to pyrene, considered an indicator of PAH contamination. At the end of the experimentation in vegetated soils, pyrene removal reached values above 50%. By favoring plant growth, the addition of PGPB resulted in a further up to 20% reduction in the content of the contaminant in the soil. The primary role of the plants in soil contaminated by petroleum derivatives was to accelerate the degradation of contaminants through the stimulation of microbial activity. Therefore, the cooperation between plants and microorganisms can be concretely used as a nature-based solution in a sustainable and economical way. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Environmental Engineering)
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