Recovery and Preparation of Innovative Products and Composite Materials for Environmental Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The intensive development of the industry in recent years has resulted in an increase in the demand for raw materials necessary to produce goods for the functioning of our constantly changing modern civilization. The development of the industry is possible thanks to the use of increasingly sophisticated production technologies that ensure the optimal use of raw materials, water, electricity, and human labor. However, industrial development has also caused negative changes in the environment. For this reason, environmental issues are still an important problem that requires comprehensive analysis and solutions. Due to the need to protect the natural environment against pollution and to optimize the use of raw materials and energy, the development of modern technologies and products is carried out in accordance with the concepts of sustainable development, green chemistry, and the circular economy. It is also important to conduct  life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the total impact of a product on the environment. In addition, waste is increasingly used as a source of new products, and the “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” (3R) principle is widely applied.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to present recent research on the recovery and preparation of innovative products and composite materials for environmental applications. We invite authors of research on innovative products, materials, and chemicals that currently have or may have potential environmental applications in the future. We also invite scientists dealing with the economic aspects of the evaluation of the preparation, production, and application of chemicals, materials, and products to send their manuscripts.

This Special Issue aims to present a collection of review articles and research papers on the following of topics, though the list is not fully exhaustive:

• Technologies and processes related to the recovery of water and valuable raw materials from wastewater, sewage sludge, and production waste;
• Innovative products and materials, including composite materials, for air, water, wastewater, and soil purification;
• Innovative chemicals (coagulants, precipitating agents, etc.) obtained from waste raw materials for the purification of water, wastewater, leachates, etc.;
• Green chemicals (coagulants, precipitating agents, etc.) for the purification of water, wastewater, leachates, etc.;
• Innovative materials for land remediation, soil improvers, bio-fertilizers;
• Biochar, natural, and modified adsorbents;
• Adsorbents obtained from waste raw materials;
• Composite materials for construction applications obtained from municipal and industrial waste;
• The economic and environmental evaluation of the preparation, production, and application of chemicals, materials, and products;
• Selected issues related to life cycle assessment (LCA), green chemistry and sustainable development.

Other important publications that may potentially make a significant contribution to the production, recycling, and application of novel materials will also be welcome.

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Generowicz
Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Barbusiński
Dr. Maciej Thomas
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. 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.