Nanotechnology and Its Environmental Impact

Dear Colleagues,

The use of nanotechnology in agriculture and the environment to boost plant production and health, improve soil and water quality, and remediate contaminated environments provides alternative solutions to meet the ever-increasing food demand in an era of global climate change and pathogen outbreaks (e.g., COVID-19). However, as the use of nanomaterials in commercial products increases, there is a growing public debate about whether the environmental and social costs of nanotechnology are greater than its numerous benefits. Moreover, an insufficient understanding of the impacts of nanomaterials on the environment poses significant obstacles to their potential large-scale application. Therefore, it is essential to conduct systematic and comprehensive assessments of these nanoproducts, and the resultant knowledge can be used to predict their potential benefits and side impacts. More research is needed to develop green, cost-effective, and safe nanomaterials for future applications. Evidence is needed on the toxicological and environmental effects of direct and indirect exposure to nanomaterials. It also can be vital to understand the interactions between nanomaterials and macro- and microorganisms in soil–water systems and how these interactions affect soil, water, and crop quality. Importantly, the mechanism study needs to consider the differences in toxicology among the nanomaterials (shape, size, and chemical composition), exposure dose and time, co-existent pollutants, other agricultural amendments, as well as experimental conditions. Finally, systematic studies are crucial to safeguard our environment and food production systems, while making efforts to raise public awareness of nanotechnology. Students, scientists, farmers, engineers, policymakers, and regulators who work in the field will benefit greatly from those topics in terms of their education and safety.

New research papers and reviews addressing these topics are invited for this Special Issue. Papers dealing with new approaches to risk assessment and management are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Zhenli He
Dr. Xiaoping Xin
Dr. Beibei Liu
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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.

• nanomaterials
• sustainable agriculture
• environmental pollution
• environmental impacts
• soil health
• water quality
• nutrient management
• nanotoxicology
• risk assessment
• nano-enabled agriculture