Environmental Sustainability and Applications
A section of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Section Information
Over the last decades, the use of primary resources has been increased due to the growing global population, the improvement of economies and a new life-style which is changing the habits of populations from high income and developing countries. However, some goods, such as fossil fuels, free lands, metals and mineral reserves are mostly limited, while renewable resources such as water and recyclable materials are commonly mismanaged. As a result, the sustainable use of resources is becoming mandatory for the development of current economies in a viable way, in order to maintain a clean environment for long time.
Since the second half of the 20th century, research and studies have focused their interest on environmental concerns such as air pollution, water and soil contamination, excessive mine extraction, deforestation, waste mismanagement and unplanned land use, among others. This attention is due to the increasing frequency of events which affect the lives of people worldwide and which are introduced mostly by anthropic activity. Hence, changing the form of industrialization, resource management and project development has been suggested by many authors, providing many solutions that can be viewed as a real opportunity. For example, the main solution suggested is the inclusion of the so-called “Circular Economy” in current and future management plans. This theory has been developed in order to encourage change in the general behavior of public policies which adopted the concept of the linear economy (i.e., buy–use–waste), introducing a few management steps to change the end-of-life stage of resources, with the aim of recovering and reusing something that is not necessary at the current moment. Thus, the reuse of recyclable materials, the inclusion of renewable energies, the treatment of wastewater for its reuse, the construction of new facilities adopting green policies (reducing the energy consumption and improving efficiencies), and the reuse of low-value materials, are all solutions that were recommended for the enhancement of new economies in a sustainable manner and by viable means. On one hand, many efforts were introduced at international and local level for the adoption of these proposals into new management policies. On the other, more studies are required, in order to boost the development of sustainable technologies and projects.
This section focuses on original research and reviews regarding the sustainable development and re-use of natural resources according to the principle of the Circular Economy. In this framework, studies concerning the sustainable use of water resources, biomass valorization, recycling of waste, energy recovery, renewable energy provision and the sustainable exploitation of natural resources are welcome as well as other related arguments, in the form of both specialized and interdisciplinary manuscripts.
Prof. Dr. Eng. Vincenzo Torretta
Section Editor-in-Chief
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Nature-Based Solutions and Biodiversity: Synergies and Implications (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Applied Research on Phytoremediation of Soil and Water: New Insights and Approaches (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Valorization of Renewable Resources for the Production of Biobased Products through the Implementation of Circular Bio-Economy Principles (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Monitoring of Environmental Matrices: New Scenarios and Future Perspectives (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Green Technologies for Environment, Health and Sustainable Development (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Geological CO2 Storage (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Ecosystem Assessment Based on Ecosystem Services (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Sustainability and Optimization in Production and Service Systems (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Advanced Methods and Technologies in Soil Metal Pollution Removal (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Sustainable Environmental Bioprocesses for Resource Recovery (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Recent Trends in Applications of Computer Vision in the Development of a Sustainable Environment (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Industrial Biotechnology Applications in Medicine, Agroindustry, Aquaculture, Biofuel, and Environmental Areas (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Advances in Remote Sensing on the Sustainable Development of the Global Environment (Deadline: 30 September 2023)
- Corporate Environmental Management and Industry 4.0 (Deadline: 1 October 2023)
- Geographical Information Research for Eco-Environment Sustainable Development (Deadline: 2 October 2023)
- Understanding Low-Carbon Development: How Fairness Exists (Deadline: 12 October 2023)
- Sustainable Agro-Environmental Management and Rural Development (Deadline: 15 October 2023)
- Photovoltaic Thermal Integrated Technologies in Environment Applications (Deadline: 16 October 2023)
- Application of Machine Learning in CO2 Capture Technology (Deadline: 16 October 2023)
- Sustainable Environmental Protection: Climate Change and Ecological Remote Sensing (Deadline: 17 October 2023)
- Adoption of Management Strategies and Technologies for Sustainable Production: A Solution to Reduce Environmental Emissions Volume II (Deadline: 18 October 2023)
- Microenvironmental Air Pollution Control, Comfort and Health Risk (Deadline: 23 October 2023)
- Effects of Human Activity on the Third Pole and Trade-Offs for a Sustainable Plateau (Deadline: 23 October 2023)
- Sustainable Growth and a Resilient Environment: Theory, Application and Practice (Deadline: 24 October 2023)
- Effects of VOCs on Environment and Human Health (Deadline: 24 October 2023)
- Intelligent Remote Sensing and Sustainable Management of Landscape and Green Areas (Deadline: 26 October 2023)
- Renewable Energies towards Zero Emission Plans (Deadline: 26 October 2023)
- Recent Advances in Climate Change and Water Resources (Deadline: 29 October 2023)
- Environmental Sustainability in Natural and Engineering Systems (Deadline: 30 October 2023)
- Advances in Potential Transformation of Waste Residue into Value-Added Products (Deadline: 30 October 2023)
- Environmental Pollution and Monitoring (Deadline: 30 October 2023)
- Research on Green Mining Technology with Cemented Paste Backfill (Deadline: 30 October 2023)
- Current Advances in Green Governance and CO2 Emissions towards Sustainable Development (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Innovation and Sustainable Development of Remote Sensing Technology (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Sustainable Air Pollution Assessment and Management (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Sustainable Development of Enzyme System for Industrial Applications (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Sustainable Management of Energy in Mining Industry (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- EARTH 2022-Green Technologies for Waste Treatment and CO2 Reduction (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Atmospheric Environment and Aerosol Science (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Balancing Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emission under the Context of Carbon Peak in China (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Sustainable E-waste Management towards a Circular Economy (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Sustainable Applications of Remote Sensing and Intelligent Geospatial Information Systems (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Soil Salinity Risks Assessment Using Hybrid Machine Learning Approaches (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Emerging Technologies in Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery: Recent Advances, Challenges and Future Trends (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Sustainable Desalination and Wastewater Treatment: A Way Forward for Water, Energy, and Environment Security Nexus (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- The Role of Environmental Microorganisms in Environmental Protection and Remediation (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Sustainable Air Quality: Studies Based on Fluid Mechanics and Compressor-Less Water-Based Cooling (Deadline: 31 October 2023)
- Carbon Emission Reduction and Energy Conservation Methods (Deadline: 2 November 2023)
- Recent Research on Green Nanotechnology and Environmental Sustainability (Deadline: 7 November 2023)
- Sustainable Microbial Remediation of Oil-Contaminated Soils and Reclamation of Wastes (Deadline: 10 November 2023)
- Sustainable Bioeconomy and Biotechnology in Waste Management (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Use of Non Conventional Processes for Sustainability in the Natural Plants Sector (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Recent Advances in Vulnerability and Resilience Studies: Sustainable Development, Disaster Risk Management, and Climate Change Adaptation (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Plateau Ecosystem Carbon Cycling: Towards Sustainable Ecosystem Management (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Carbon Footprints and Sustainability of Biofuels (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Sustainable Approach for Slope Stabilization against Changes in Climatic Conditions (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Preparation of Carbonaceous Adsorbent and Study of Its Interface Behavior (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Research on Municipal Wastewater and Rural Domestic Sewage Treatment and Utilization of Solid Waste Resources (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Impacts of Emerging and Hazardous Pollutants on the Toxicity of Sustainable Environment (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Green Sustainable Process for Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Science (Deadline: 30 November 2023)
- Sustainable Aquatic Food Systems: Harmful Algal Bloom Consequences in a Changing Climate (Deadline: 1 December 2023)
- Acquiring Green Growth and Environmental Sustainability through Green Energy Production & Consumption, Eco-Innovation, and Sustainable Natural Resource Extraction & Consumption (Deadline: 10 December 2023)
- ESG Disclosure, Pro-environmental Behavior and Sustainability (Deadline: 11 December 2023)
- Urban-Rural Integration in the Context of Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection (Deadline: 15 December 2023)
- Groundwater, Soil and Sustainability (Deadline: 15 December 2023)
- Environmentally Sustainable and Water Engineering: Arid and Semiarid Hydrology and Sediment Transport (Deadline: 15 December 2023)
- Sustainability in the Seafood Chain and Impacts on Product Quality (Deadline: 20 December 2023)
- Green Infrastructures: Theoretical Aspects, Experimental Tests and Numerical Analyses (Deadline: 20 December 2023)
- Nature-Based Technologies for Wastewater Treatment: Removal of Emerging Organic Contaminants and Potentially Toxic Metals (Deadline: 20 December 2023)
- Toxic Metal Remediation: Recent Advances in the Development of a Green and Sustainable Environment (Deadline: 30 December 2023)
- Application of AI in Environmental Engineering (Deadline: 30 December 2023)
- Advanced Oxidation-Based Techniques for Heterogeneous Treatment of Sediment and Sludge (Deadline: 30 December 2023)
- Advanced Application of Geoinformatics and Artificial Intelligence on Disaster Risk Management (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Wetland Ecosystem Services Evaluation and Conservation (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Sustainable Forest Management and Environmental Sustainability: Challenges and Management Implications (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Recent Advances in Geospatial Data Analytics for Environmental Studies (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Environmental Governance and Environmental Sustainability (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- The Role of Landscape Perspective for Environmental Management (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Land Use Change, Air Quality and Environmental Pollution Government (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Impact of Ecological Network Structure on Ecosystem Dynamics and Function (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Emerging Pollutants in Environment: Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Governance (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Sustainable Water-Saving Irrigation (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Life Cycle Assessment as an Environmental Sustainability Tool (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Green Technology and Related Macro-Policy Regulation for Soil Remediation, Water Treatment, and CO2 Abatement (Deadline: 1 January 2024)
- Anthropogenic Effects on Hydrological Drought and Its Impact on Society in Drylands (Deadline: 25 January 2024)
- Urban Overheating in a Context of Climate Change: Measurements, Modeling, Thermal Comfort and Adaptation Strategies (Deadline: 30 January 2024)
- Microplastic Pollution and Impact (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Advanced Bioengineering Technology and Biomaterials in Application for Sustainable Water Management (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Recent Advances in Biomass Conversion, Renewable Energy, and Biomaterials (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Sustainability and Indoor Environmental Quality (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Flood Risk Assessment and Resilience for Sustainability (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Solid Waste Management and Environmental Protection (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Soil and Water Conservation for Desertification Control under Climate Change (Deadline: 10 February 2024)
- Nutrient and Carbon Export under Global Warming and Land Use Change (Deadline: 15 February 2024)
- Environmental, Economic and Health Challenges of Managing Wastes (Deadline: 15 February 2024)
- Efficient Use and Recovery of Resources for the Purpose of Circular Economy and Sustainability (Deadline: 24 February 2024)
- Climate Change and Enviromental Disaster (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Carbon Economics: Pathways towards Carbon Neutrality (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Remote Sensing and Image Processing in Environmental Field (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Designing Scenarios as Interpretive Measurement of Human–Environment-Social Sustainable Interaction (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Sustainable Development of High-Altitude Environments (Deadline: 4 March 2024)
- Geochemistry of Sustainable Resources from Partial Melting in the Lithosphere to Mineralisation in the Upper Crust (Deadline: 6 March 2024)
- Sustainability in Water Treatment (Deadline: 15 March 2024)
- Impact of Heavy Metals on the Sustainable Environment (Deadline: 30 March 2024)
- Advances in Synthesis, Characterization and Environmental Assessment of Eco-Friendly Polymers for Sustainable Applications (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- New Insight into the Relationship between Economic Expansion and Carbon Dioxide Emission (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Natural Quality, Environmental Resources and Global Value Chain (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- The Economic and Environmental Pillars of Sustainable Development in the European Union (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Oriented Biotransformation and Recycling of Organic Waste Cascade Utilization (Deadline: 7 April 2024)
- Advanced Research on Bioenergy and Biofuel Production from Anaerobic Digestion Processes (Deadline: 9 April 2024)
- Food Waste Valorization and Anaerobic Digestion (Deadline: 19 April 2024)
- Concrete and Waste Management for Sustainable Construction: Challenges and Opportunities (Deadline: 30 April 2024)
- Assessment of the Environmental Risk and Challenges of Micro(nano)plastics (Deadline: 30 April 2024)
- Advanced Studies in Recycling and Waste Management (Deadline: 30 April 2024)
- Digital Solutions for Promoting a Circular Economy and Sustainability (Deadline: 4 May 2024)
- Wetlands: Conservation, Management, Restoration and Policy 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 May 2024)
- Bioeconomy, Circular Economy and Sustainability 2nd Edition (Deadline: 5 June 2024)
- Development and Application of Environmental Materials (Deadline: 9 June 2024)
- Latest Advances and Prospects in Sustainable Waste Management (Deadline: 9 June 2024)
- Sustainable Management of Energy and Environment Based on Life Cycle Assessment (Deadline: 24 June 2024)
- Artificial Intelligence Applications for Sustainable Environment (Deadline: 30 June 2024)
- Innovative Approaches toward Healthy and Sustainable Environment: Air, Water, Food, and Waste Treatment (Deadline: 30 June 2024)
- Sustainable Waste Management in the Healthcare Sector (Deadline: 30 June 2024)
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology (Deadline: 1 July 2024)
- Challenges and Future Trends in Integrating Adaptation to Climate Change and Green Infrastructure in Planning Practice (Deadline: 12 July 2024)
- Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Promoting Sustainable Geoenvironment (Deadline: 27 July 2024)
- Sustainable Management of Sewage Sludge Based on Recovery and Reuse Strategy: Ecological and Health Risks (Deadline: 31 July 2024)
- Design for Sustainability in the Minerals Sector (Deadline: 31 December 2024)
- Energy Consumption Control and Environmental Pollution Treatment in Sustainability (Deadline: 31 December 2024)
- Sustainable Urban Mobility, Transport Infrastructures and Services (Deadline: 1 July 2025)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Advances in Biomass Waste Valorization
- Aquaculture and Environmental Impacts
- Circular Economy and Sustainable Strategies
- Climate Change, Landscape in Transition and Tools for Sustainable Landscape Planning
- Environmental Assessment, Life Cycle Analysis and Sustainability
- Eutrophication and Sustainable Management of Water
- Feature Papers in Sustainable Use of the Environment and Resources
- Fisheries Economics and Management
- Impact of COVID-19 on the Environment, Energy and Economics
- Organic Waste Management
- Reviews, Advances and Applications in Environmental Sustainability
- Risk Assessment and Management
- Sustainable Consumption and Production
- Sustainable Integrated Clean Environment for Human & Nature
- Trends in Municipal Solid Waste Management