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Environments
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Soil Remediation and Improvement Through the Application of By-Product Amendments,...
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Soil Remediation and Improvement Through the Application of By-Product Amendments, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2026 | Viewed by 770

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elias Afif Khouri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Organisms and Systems Biology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain
Interests: cltivated soils; nutrient dynamics; soil remediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rubén Forján Castro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, GEAPAGE: Environmental Geomorphology and Geological Heritage, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: soil remediation; contaminated soils; by-product amendments; biochar and hydrochar; phytoremediation; environmental biogeochemistry; edaphology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The loss of productive soil due to contamination and other causes of degradation and excessive waste production are two of the key issues we face today. For this reason, in this Special Issue we will research joint solutions that address both problems, including the use of by-products (biochar, hydrochar, compost, and inorganic amendments) to remediate contaminated soils (mine soils and brownfield soils) or improve soil quality (cultivated soils and farmlands). In addition, this Special Issue will include manuscripts on the positive effects of amendments that use other techniques, such as phytoremediation, and those that demonstrate crop improvements. Moreover, in this second edition of the Special Issue, we welcome submissions addressing the use of bioremediation techniques for degraded soil decontamination and improvement.

The publications included in the first and second editions can be found by visiting the following webpage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/environments/special_issues/2E2H5226D2; https://www.mdpi.com/journal/environments/special_issues/8L7Z725SO6.

Dr. Elias Afif Khouri
Dr. Rubén Forján Castro
Guest Editors

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. Environments 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 1800 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

  • biochar
  • brownfield soils
  • by-products
  • compost
  • cultivated soils
  • phytoremediation
  • soil remediation
  • bioremediation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 3035 KB  
Article
Waste-Derived Fertilizers for Sustainable Soil Management: A Life Cycle and Multi-Indicator Assessment Within an Eco-Environment–Health Framework
by Angela Maffia, Federica Alessia Marra, Santo Battaglia, Carmelo Mallamaci, Emilio Attinà and Adele Muscolo
Environments 2026, 13(4), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13040226 - 20 Apr 2026
Viewed by 519
Abstract
The growing global food demand has increased the use of chemical fertilizers, causing environmental issues. Previous studies have often assessed waste-derived fertilizers separately in terms of soil improvement or environmental impact, with limited integration of these aspects across different recycling processes. This study [...] Read more.
The growing global food demand has increased the use of chemical fertilizers, causing environmental issues. Previous studies have often assessed waste-derived fertilizers separately in terms of soil improvement or environmental impact, with limited integration of these aspects across different recycling processes. This study evaluated the effects on soil quality and the environmental impact of fertilizers produced with different percentages of food wastes and different recycling processes. The fertilizers investigated include vermicompost (VC, 70% wood sawdust + 30% food wastes), Compost 1 (C1, 50% wood sawdust + 50% food wastes), Compost 2 (C2, 10% straw + 90% food wastes), and sulfur–bentonite (SBC, 90% SB + 10% food wastes). Six months post-fertilization, vermicompost significantly improved soil properties, increasing soil organic matter from 3.01% to 4.70% (+56%) and total nitrogen from 0.15% to 0.22%, along with an increase in microbial biomass compared to the unfertilized control. Compost treatments also improved soil quality, although to a lesser extent. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed across the entire life cycle of the fertilizers. Vermicompost showed the lowest environmental impact, with a global warming potential of 45 kg CO2 eq ton−1, compared to 93 and 100 kg CO2 eq ton−1 for C1 and C2, respectively, and 167 kg CO2 eq ton−1 for SBC. The results evidenced that vermicompost improved soil quality by increasing soil organic matter, total nitrogen, microbial biomass, and biological activity and that it emitted less CO2 eq, SO2 eq and PO43− during the vermicomposting process, emphasizing its environmental sustainability. The two composts improved soil quality with a moderate environmental impact. SBC positively affected soil properties but with a strong negative environmental impact. From the benefit–cost perspective, the sustainable fertilizer ranking was VC > C2 > C1 > SBC. These findings underscore that these waste management processes represent a possible transition to sustainable fertilizers derived from waste materials to mitigate the environmental degradation associated with the production and use of conventional fertilizers. By adopting these practices, the agricultural sector can boost productivity while maintaining environmental sustainability standards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Remediation and Improvement Through the Application of By-Product Amendments, 3rd Edition)
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