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Risk and Technical Reliability Analysis in a Sustainable Circular Economy

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2025 | Viewed by 1266

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Materials Engineering and Industrial Safety Department, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași, 67 Dimitrie Mangeron Str., 700050 Iași, Romania
Interests: materials engineering; industrial engineering; occupational health and safety management; risk assessment

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Guest Editor
Laboratory for Explosive Materials and Pyrotechnic Articles, National Institute for Research and Development in Mine Safety and Protection to Explosion—INSEMEX Petroșani, G-ral Vasile Milea Str., No. 32-34, 332047 Hunedoara, Romania
Interests: safety of explosives materials and pyrotechnic articles; industrial engineering; mining, petrol, and gases; occupational health and safety management; risk assessment

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Guest Editor
National Institute for Research and Development in Mine Safety and Protection to Explosion—INSEMEX, 32-34 G-ral Vasile Milea Street, 332047 Petrosani, Romania
Interests: explosion protection; explosion-proof equipment; process hazard analysis; mines, oil, and gases; power engineering

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Petrosani, University Street, No. 20, 332006 Petrosani, Romania
Interests: thermotechnics and thermal machines; applied thermodynamics; thermal engines; sustainable environmental engineering and protection; production of electrical and thermal energy; responsible production and consumption

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Materials Engineering and Industrial Safety Department, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași, 67 Dimitrie Mangeron Str., 700050 Iași, Romania
Interests: materials engineering; industrial engineering; industrial management; risk assessment; ergonomics; control and assurance of quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will feature impactful papers focusing on risk analysis and technical reliability in a sustainable circular economy, including all aspects that can influence the work system, technology, management, and the environment in the context of the sustainable use of natural resources.

In this context, new challenges and perspectives for addressing, perceiving, managing, and identifying risks are emerging as a result of the development of sustainable green practices through green products, raw materials, processes, supply chains, distribution, promotion, and procurement.

Therefore, this Special Issue aims to provide a platform to discuss the emerging challenges of sustainable logistics in the new era and to showcase innovative solutions using cutting-edge technologies and methods, including in the contexts of digitalization challenges.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions of original research papers, review papers, case studies, perspective papers, and innovations that contribute to a sustainable future. 

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: 

  • More durable and innovative products that will increase quality of life;
  • Redesigning materials and products for circular use;
  • Mutual influences of different components of working systems and the impact on global projects or companies’ workers safety;
  • Innovative and sustainable solutions for better risk management;
  • Recycling raw materials that mitigate the associated risks;
  • Assessment and management of different types of risk (psychological, public health, environment, and food-related);
  • New risks and practical solutions to eliminate or mitigate them;
  • New materials or processes for improving the protective properties of personal protective equipment;
  • Innovative ideas and research in areas that covers eco-design, packaging, greenwashing, maintenance and repairs, waste management, and other key areas;
  • Improving the efficiency and reliability of energy systems in the context of circular economy.

We will accept both empirical and conceptual papers that offer theoretical and practical contributions to the areas of interest mentioned based on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-research methods.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Mihai-Adrian Bernevig
Dr. Gabriel Dragos Vasilescu
Dr. Vlad Mihai Pasculescu
Prof. Dr. Dan Codrut Petrilean
Dr. Elena Matcovschi
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

  • sustainability
  • risk management and/or assessment
  • health and safety
  • environment management systems
  • technical reliability
  • circular economy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

46 pages, 7933 KiB  
Article
Securing Photovoltaic Systems as Critical Infrastructure: A Multi-Layered Assessment of Risk, Safety, and Cybersecurity
by Simona Riurean, Nicolae-Daniel Fîță, Dragoș Păsculescu and Răzvan Slușariuc
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4397; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104397 - 12 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1003
Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive analysis of photovoltaic (PV) systems, focusing on their development and emerging security challenges over the past decade in Europe and Romania. It begins by presenting regional deployment trends and the increasing significance of PV systems in national energy [...] Read more.
This article presents a comprehensive analysis of photovoltaic (PV) systems, focusing on their development and emerging security challenges over the past decade in Europe and Romania. It begins by presenting regional deployment trends and the increasing significance of PV systems in national energy strategies. In the Romanian context, a risk-based evaluation is conducted to assess the technical vulnerabilities and strategic relevance of PV installations, emphasizing the necessity to formally integrate them into the category of critical infrastructure. The study explores current safety practices, cybersecurity measures, and physical protections, identifying gaps that may affect operational continuity and infrastructure reliability. Given the growing exposure of PV systems to digital threats, the need for robust and adaptive cybersecurity strategies is also highlighted. In line with the principles of a sustainable circular economy, this work underlines the importance of embedding risk management and technical reliability across the entire lifecycle of PV systems. The authors propose recommendations aiming to enhance the resilience, security, and sustainable evolution of PV systems as vital components of a modern, decarbonized energy infrastructure. Full article
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