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Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research (2nd Edition)

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 9631

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Dr. Daniela Fico

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1. National Research Council-Institute of Heritage Science (CNR-ISPC), Ecotekne Campus, s.p. 6, Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
2. Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Building P, Ecotekne Campus, s.p. 6, Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; analytical chemistry; materials engineering; archaeometry; innovative and green materials; additive manufacturing; rehabilitation processes; building applications; coatings; 3D printing; bio-based polymers and composites; chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques; conservation and restoration; waste recycling; circular economy
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Dear Colleagues,

Today, ecological problems have led to a limited production of plastics and non-biodegradable materials and their replacement by materials with a low environmental impact. Biodegradable macromolecules and their composites are desirable candidates for a wide range of applications to overcome the difficulties of waste disposal. Moreover, one of the most crucial trends in current research on the development of new materials is associated with the use of waste raw materials or industrial by-products. This approach takes into account not only ecological issues but also economic ones, since recycled and waste materials are significantly cheaper than virgin raw materials, and their use produces low-cost end products. In industries, the substitution of raw materials that must be disposed of, by-products and waste with renewable and recyclable raw materials constitutes an important transition to sustainable development and the Circular Economy: topics that many countries have already introduced into their environmental agenda through the creation of specific legislation.

Considering the attention that these themes receive today, the 2nd Edition of this Special Issue intends once again to highlight advanced research on the development of new eco-friendly materials and new technologies for sustainability and the Circular Economy. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Biopolymers and biocomposites from natural raw materials;
Innovative materials from recycled waste and industrial by-products;
Synthesis, preparation and processing applications;
Characterisation, properties and potential of new biodegradable and ecofriendly materials;
Studies on durability and biodegradability under various conditions and environments;
Life-cycle assessment of new materials;
Circular Economy, sustainability, innovative and green materials.

Original research, Review articles, Case studies and Research papers focusing on chemical, engineering and physical processes, developed with new green materials and other investigations, are accepted. Papers focusing on topics such as sustainability, Circular Economy, and cost-effective technologies for different applications are also welcome.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Best regards,

Dr. Daniela Fico
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 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. Materials 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 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
sustainability
waste
recycling
bio-based materials
ecofriendly materials and processes
green engineering

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Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research in Materials (12 articles)

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovative Materials as Micronutrient Carriers in Soybean Cultivation

by Marzena S. Brodowska, Mirosław Wyszkowski and Ryszard Grzesik

Materials 2025, 18(9), 2070; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092070 - 30 Apr 2025

Abstract

Many of today’s innovative materials used to carry trace elements (TEs) are derived from chelates. Most of the materials used for this purpose have been produced on the basis of EDTA, which is not considered to be environmentally friendly due to its high persistence. Research is therefore being carried out to produce materials that do not pose an environmental risk. Therefore, a study was carried out to determine the effects of newly developed innovative materials with embedded biodegradable and environmentally safe chelates (IDHA—iminodisuccinic acid—and N-butyl-D-gluconamide ligands) containing copper, molybdenum and iron on the yield, biometric characteristics and chemical composition of soybean and selected soil properties. It is difficult to find publications on their effects in soybean cultivation. The greatest increase in soybean leaf greenness index (SPAD) was found after the addition of pure Salmag^® (Sal.^®). The effect of the chelates on the SPAD index was lower, with Sal.^® + Fe chelate having the greatest effect during the vegetative development stage and Cu chelate having the greatest effect during the flowering stage. Sal.^® + Cu, especially with Fe, accelerated pod and seed ripening in the last vegetative stage of soybean. Sal.^® + Cu had the most favourable impact on plant height, pure Sal.^® on the pod number per plant, Sal.^® + Fe on the seed number per pod, Sal.^® with Mo and Fe chelates on soybean seed yield, and pure Sal.^® on fresh weight remaining above-ground part yield, while pure Sal.^® and Sal.^® + Fe had the most favourable impact on dry weight aerial yield. The fertiliser materials (especially Sal.^® + Cu) generally increased the N content of the tested soybean organs and the Cu content of the other above-ground soybean parts (especially those containing chelates) and had an antagonistic effect on the Mg content of the soybean above-ground parts. Sal.^® + Cu also had a negative effect on the Fe content of other above-ground soybean parts. Sal.^® + Fe had a positive impact on the iron content, and Sal.^® + Mo had a positive impact on the molybdenum content of soybean. The applied fertilisers had little effect on the contents of Cu, Mo and Fe in the soil. There was only a significant increase in the Cu content of the soil after the addition of Sal.^® + Cu and a significantly smaller increase under the influence of Sal.^® without chelates, as well as an increase in the Mo content of the soil with Sal.^®. The present study confirms the beneficial impact of the novel materials with chelates. It has been demonstrated that the presence of materials containing Mo and, in particular, Cu has a considerable effect on the yield and quality characteristics of soybeans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research (2nd Edition))

15 pages, 2732 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthetic Aggregates and Bituminous Materials Based on Industrial Waste

by Alexandrina Nan, Cristina Dima, Marinela Ghita, Iolanda-Veronica Ganea, Teodora Radu and Alexander Bunge

Materials 2024, 17(23), 6002; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17236002 - 7 Dec 2024

Viewed by 867

Abstract

The transition to a circular economy requires new materials and products with new production designs, technologies, and processes. In order to create new materials with physico-chemical qualities suitable for application in the building materials engineering sector, stone dust and polymer waste—two environmentally hazardous industrial wastes—were combined in this study. The materials obtained were evaluated based on an analysis performed using the Micro-Deval test. The results obtained showed a Micro-Deval coefficient value of 7.7%, indicating that these artificial aggregates can replace the natural aggregates used in road construction. Additionally, it was shown that the stone dust used could be applied as a sorbent for dyes without later leaching this dye from the final synthetic stones. Another category of materials that meets the principles of the circular economy and was developed in this study is bituminous mastic, which is currently used for the hot sealing of joints in road infrastructure. For this purpose, a composite material was developed using stone dust and cooking oil to replace the filler, a non-regenerable source used for obtaining bituminous mixtures. Specific standard methods were used to assess the degree to which the new materials approach the behavior of commercially available products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research (2nd Edition))

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15 pages, 3034 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Upcycling of SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test Cassettes into Flame Retardant Plastics

by Tadej Slatinek and Janez Slapnik

Materials 2024, 17(10), 2384; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17102384 - 16 May 2024

Viewed by 1405

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the generation of large quantities of medical waste and highlighted the importance of efficient waste management systems. One good example of this is rapid antigen tests, which contain valuable resources, and which are usually incinerated after their use. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential of waste rapid antigen test cassettes (RATCs) as a resource for the preparation of sustainable flame-retardant plastics. Milled RATCs were compounded with different concentrations (10–30 wt.%) of aluminium diethylphosphinate (ADP) and injection moulded into test specimens. Prepared samples were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) ageing for varying durations and characterised by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile tests, Charpy impact tests, and vertical burning tests. FT-IR analysis revealed that RATCs are composed mainly of high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), which was further confirmed by suitable glass transition temperatures (T_g) determined by DSC and DMA. The addition of ADP resulted in progressive embrittlement of HIPS with increasing concentration, while flammability decreased significantly and reached V-1 classification at loading of 30 wt.%. UV ageing caused photo-oxidative degradation of HIPS, which resulted in decreased strain-at-break, while flammability was not affected. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research (2nd Edition))

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18 pages, 2746 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Valorization of the Residual Fraction of Coal Tailings: A Mineral Circularity Strategy for the Clay Ceramic Industry in the Carboniferous Region of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil

by Wagner Benedet Rebelo, Alexandre Zaccaron, Emily Saviatto, Eduarda Fraga Olivo, Juliana Acordi, Fabiano Raupp-Pereira and Manuel Joaquim Ribeiro

Materials 2024, 17(9), 2131; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17092131 - 1 May 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1276

Abstract

Mineral extraction of coal in the carboniferous region of southern Santa Catarina (Brazil) plays a significant role in the regional economy. However, this activity has severe environmental impacts, with approximately 65% of the extracted mineral being discarded as a rejected material (deposited in landfills). The identification of the technological potential of these materials, based on the geological aspects of the extraction site and the beneficiation operations applied to obtain coal, provides the opportunity to add value to different residual fractions that can be reused. Thus, waste valorization, the main objective of this work, has recently become a strategy for the application of these minerals in the production of clay ceramics using a systematic approach named CPQvA, which means “classification, potentiality, quantity/viability, and applicability”. The use of these materials as secondary mineral sources can avoid the deposition of these materials in industrial landfills and help to reduce the pressure on landfills, which receive an average of four million tons of material annually. In this study, the residual fraction, part of the tailing from coal beneficiation, known as coal fines, was evaluated for formulation valorization in clay ceramics. This residual fraction was classified as non-hazardous (class II-A, non-inert). X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis were performed to characterize the moisture content, particle-size distribution, and coal content to be used in the development of different formulations using the residual fraction of coal tailings (ranging from 0 to 40%) that are of technological interest to the sector. Processing parameters, such as firing at different temperatures (750, 800, 850, and 900 °C), were also correlated with these formulations. The results were compared with those of a reference ceramic formulation from the local productive arrangement of Morro da Fumaça (Arranjo Produtivo Local Cerâmica Vermelha de Morro da Fumaça). The various relationships between the materials were characterized in terms of their thermal shrinkage, water absorption, and mechanical resistance. Leaching and solubilization environmental tests revealed that both the industrial standard formulation and formulations with the application of the residual fraction were classified as non-hazardous materials. Thus, the method of using a mining residual fraction in the formulation of clay ceramics proved to be beneficial for the circular economy in the regional mineral sector through productive and environmental gains; the primary mineral resource and energy consumptions and the impacts related to waste generation were reduced. The results of this study can be applied to similar situations in other parts of the world. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research (2nd Edition))

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15 pages, 6276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of BiOX-Red Mud/Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Geopolymer Microspheres for Photocatalytic Degradation of Formaldehyde

by Ping Lu, Na Zhang, Ying Wang, Yidi Wang, Jiale Zhang, Qingyi Cai and Yihe Zhang

Materials 2024, 17(7), 1585; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17071585 - 30 Mar 2024

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1288

Abstract

Release of formaldehyde gas indoors is a serious threat to human health. The traditional adsorption method is not stable enough for formaldehyde removal. Photocatalytic degradation of formaldehyde is effective and rapid, but photocatalysts are generally expensive and not easy to recycle. In this paper, geopolymer microspheres were applied as matrix materials for photocatalysts loading to degrade formaldehyde. Geopolymer microspheres were prepared from red mud and granulated blast furnace slag as raw materials by alkali activation. When the red mud doping was 50%, the concentration of NaOH solution was 6 mol/L, and the additive amount was 30 mL, the prepared geopolymer microspheres possessed good morphological characteristics and a large specific surface area of 38.80 m²/g. With the loading of BiOX (X = Cl, Br, I) photocatalysts on the surface of geopolymer microspheres, 85.71% of formaldehyde gas were adsorbed within 60 min. The formaldehyde degradation rate of the geopolymer microspheres loaded with BiOI reached 87.46% within 180 min, which was 23.07% higher than that of the microspheres loaded with BiOBr, and 50.50% higher than that of the microspheres loaded with BiOCl. While ensuring the efficient degradation of formaldehyde, the BiOX (X = Cl, Br, I)-loaded geopolymer microspheres are easy to recycle and can save space. This work not only promotes the resource utilization of red mud and granulated blast furnace slag, but also provides a new idea on the formation of catalysts in the process of photocatalytic degradation of formaldehyde. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research (2nd Edition))

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Review

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31 pages, 10695 KiB

Open AccessReview

Effect of Industrial Byproduct Gypsum on the Mechanical Properties and Stabilization of Hazardous Elements of Cementitious Materials: A Review

by Pengfei Wu, Xinyue Liu, Xiaoming Liu, Zengqi Zhang and Chao Wei

Materials 2024, 17(17), 4183; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174183 - 23 Aug 2024

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1317

Abstract

Industrial byproduct gypsum (BPG) is a secondary product that is mainly composed of calcium sulfate discharged during industrial production. BPG primarily consists of desulfurized gypsum, phosphogypsum, and titanium gypsum, which account for 88% of the total BPG in China. The large-scale utilization of these three types of solid waste is crucial for the safe disposal of BPG. BPG contains various impurities and harmful elements, limiting its applications. The continuous accumulation of BPG poses a serious threat to the safety of the environment. Based on a literature review (2021–2023), it was found that 52% of BPG is used in the preparation of cementitious materials, and the addition of BPG results in an average improvement of 7–30% in the mechanical properties of cementitious materials. Moreover, BPG has a positive impact on the immobilization of hazardous elements in raw materials. Therefore, the utilization of BPG in cementitious materials is beneficial for its large-scale disposal. This study primarily reviews the effects and mechanisms of BPG on the mechanical properties of cementitious materials and the solidification of hazardous elements. Most importantly, the review reveals that BPG positively influences the hydration activity of silica–alumina-based solid waste (such as steel slag and blast furnace slag) and alkaline solid waste (such as carbide slag and red mud). This improves the proportion of solid waste in cement and reduces production costs and carbon emissions. Finally, this article summarizes and proposes the application of BPG in cementitious materials. The application of BPG + silica–alumina solid waste + alkaline solid-waste-based cementitious materials is expected to realize a new type of green ecological chain for the joint utilization of multiple industrial solid wastes and to promote the low-carbon sustainable development of industrial clusters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research (2nd Edition))

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19 pages, 4685 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of the Industrial Byproduct Gypsum in Building Materials: A Review

by Zhiqing Xie, Xiaoming Liu, Zengqi Zhang, Chao Wei and Jiarui Gu

Materials 2024, 17(8), 1837; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17081837 - 16 Apr 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2616

Abstract

The industrial byproduct gypsum is a general term for byproducts discharged from industrial production with calcium sulfate as the main ingredient. Due to the high number of impurities and production volume, the industrial byproduct gypsum is underutilized, leading to serious environmental problems. At present, only desulfurization gypsum and phosphogypsum have been partially utilized in cementitious materials, cement retarders, etc., while the prospects for the utilization of other byproduct gypsums remain worrying. This paper mainly focuses on the sources and physicochemical properties of various types of gypsum byproducts and summarizes the application scenarios of various gypsums in construction materials. Finally, some suggestions are proposed to solve the problem of the industrial byproduct gypsum. This review is informative for solving the environmental problems caused by gypsum accumulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability, Circular Economy and Waste Recycling: Advances in Materials Research (2nd Edition))

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