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Non-Conventional Manufacturing Technologies and Materials for Sustainable Production

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 505

Special Issue Editors

Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Impresa “Mario Lucertini”, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", via del Politecnico, 1-00133 Roma, Italy
Interests: laser processing; materials manufacturing; surface engineering; mechanical testing; mechanical engineering; thermal analysis
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Guest Editor
Faculty Engineering Sciences, Hochschule Mittweida-University of Applied Sciences, 09648 Mittweida, Germany
Interests: manufacturing materials; manufacturing technologies; machining; laser machining; 3D printing; DoE
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to the development and implementation of innovative manufacturing technologies that support the sustainable production and consumption of materials. The goal is to highlight the latest research and advancements in manufacturing processes that minimize their environmental impact—such as conserving resources, promoting the use of renewable or recycled materials, and replacing traditional manufacturing techniques with more energy-efficient alternatives.

This Special Issue will serve as a valuable platform for researchers, scientists, and engineers to share their latest findings and insights, fostering collaborations and driving progress in sustainable material processing. The key areas of interest in this Special Issue include the processing of sustainable materials (bio-based, recycled materials, biocomposites), green manufacturing technologies (additive manufacturing, green machining, sustainable surface engineering), life cycle assessment and sustainability metrics (LCA, metric development, circular economy principles), and digitalization and Industry 4.0 (digital manufacturing, predictive maintenance, smart factories). This Special Issue aims to advance sustainable manufacturing by highlighting cutting-edge research and fostering collaboration in the development and implementation of environmentally conscious production practices.

This list provides an overview of the key areas of interest that could be explored in this Special Issue, although its specific focus and scope may be further refined based on the specific interests and expertise of the broader research community.

Dr. Silvio Genna
Dr. Flaviana Tagliaferri
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. 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

  • recycled materials
  • additive manufacturing
  • life cycle assessments (LCAs)
  • circular economy
  • digital manufacturing
  • predictive maintenance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

26 pages, 3346 KiB  
Article
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of the Materials, Components, and Elements of a Mono-Si Photovoltaic Power Plant
by Patryk Leda, Izabela Piasecka and Grzegorz Szala
Materials 2025, 18(12), 2748; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18122748 - 11 Jun 2025
Viewed by 370
Abstract
The main objective of this study is to assess the environmental life cycle of the materials, components, and elements of a mono-Si photovoltaic power plant towards their sustainable development. Currently, photovoltaic installations are considered to be environmentally friendly systems that produce “green” energy. [...] Read more.
The main objective of this study is to assess the environmental life cycle of the materials, components, and elements of a mono-Si photovoltaic power plant towards their sustainable development. Currently, photovoltaic installations are considered to be environmentally friendly systems that produce “green” energy. During their exploitation, no pollutants are emitted into the environment. However, the processes of manufacturing and post-used management of their materials, components and elements are associated with both high demand for energy and matter, as well as with emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, water, and soil. For this reason, from the perspective of the entire life cycle, photovoltaic power plants may contribute to the deterioration of human health, the reduction in the quality of the environment, and the depletion of non-renewable fossil resources. Due to these potential threats, it was considered appropriate to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment of a real 2 MW photovoltaic power plant located in northern Poland, in terms of compliance with the main assumptions of sustainable development. The analysis was conducted using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology (the ReCiPe 2016 model). Impacts on the environment was assessed in three areas: human health, ecosystem quality, and material resources. Two scenarios were adopted for the post-used management of materials, components, and elements: landfill disposal and recycling. Based on the conducted research, it was found that, among the assessed groups of photovoltaic power plant components (photovoltaic modules, supporting structure, inverter station, and electrical infra-structure), photovoltaic modules have the highest level of harmful impact on the environment (especially the manufacturing stage). The use of recycling processes at the end of their use would reduce their harmful impact over the entire life cycle of a photovoltaic power plant and better fit with the main principles of sustainable development. Full article
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