Sustainable Methods for Resource Recovery and Circular Waste Management
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 11 July 2026 | Viewed by 39
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant nutrition; biomass valorization; biochar; composting; GHG emissions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are delighted to announce a Special Issue of the journal Sustainability titled "Sustainable Methods for Resource Recovery and Circular Waste Management".
Global food production and agricultural activities generate vast amounts of organic residues, by-products, and waste streams. Without proper management, these materials contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, and water pollution. However, they also represent valuable resources that can be recovered, valorized, and reintroduced into the production cycle—a key principle of the circular economy. The challenge is to move beyond traditional disposal methods toward innovative, high-value solutions that recover resources, reduce ecological impacts, and support climate change mitigation.
Agri-food waste streams hold significant untapped value. They can be transformed into soil enhancers and organic fertilizers, serve as substrates for composting and biochar production, provide raw material for bio-based products, or be converted into renewable energy. By integrating such strategies into a circular framework, we can improve resource efficiency, strengthen the sustainability of food systems, and minimize the environmental footprint of agricultural and food industry activities.
This Special Issue will highlight innovative strategies for transforming agricultural and food industry waste into valuable products, improving resource efficiency, and supporting sustainable farming and food processing systems. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Agri-food waste valorization;
- Bioactive compounds extractions;
- Nutrient recovery;
- Composting techniques;
- Biochar production;
- Bio-based materials;
- Waste-to-energy solutions;
- Sustainable agriculture.
Dr. Igor Palčić
Dr. Melissa Prelac
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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
- agri-food waste
- circular economy
- bioactive compounds
- biochar
- biomass valorization
- composting
- resource recovery
- waste management
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