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Sustainability
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Innovative Approaches in Biosystems Engineering for Sustainable Agriculture
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Innovative Approaches in Biosystems Engineering for Sustainable Agriculture

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2026) | Viewed by 1459

Editors

Prof. Dr. Ehab Mostafa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agricultural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza Governorate 12613, Egypt
Interests: biosystem engineering; agricultural waste management; renewable energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hassan Abdellatif

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agricultural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza Governorate 12613, Egypt
Interests: bioenvironmental engineering; agricultural waste management; renewable energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advancements and innovative methodologies associated with biosystem engineering that contribute to sustainable agricultural practices. It will focus on the integration of cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices that enhance agricultural productivity while minimizing their environmental impact. Topics include precision agriculture, advanced irrigation systems, the integration of renewable energy, the conservation of soil and water, and the use of data analytics for optimizing farming operations. This Special Issue will also explore the role of biosystems engineering in addressing global challenges such as climate change, food security, and resource management. By presenting case studies and research findings, this Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of how innovative approaches to biosystem engineering can lead to more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. 

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

  • Precision agriculture technologies and their impact on crop yield and resource efficiency.
  • Advanced irrigation systems and water management strategies for sustainable agriculture.
  • The integration of renewable energy sources in agricultural operations.
  • Soil health and conservation techniques to enhance productivity and sustainability.
  • The application of data analytics and machine learning in order to optimize farming practices.
  • Innovations in greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture.
  • The role of biosystems engineering in mitigating the effects of climate change on agriculture.
  • Case studies on the successful implementation of sustainable agricultural practices.
  • Policy and economic analysis related to sustainable agriculture and resource management.

Prof. Dr. Ehab Mostafa
Dr. Hassan R.S. Abdellatif
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-anonymized 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

  • sustainable agriculture
  • precision agriculture
  • advanced irrigation systems
  • renewable energy integration
  • soil conservation
  • water management
  • data analytics in agriculture
  • climate change mitigation
  • resource efficiency

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 2055 KB  
Article
Effect of Mechanical Grinding and H3PO4 Activation Ratio on the Adsorption Performance of Ficus nitida-Derived Activated Carbon
by Hassan R. S. Abdellatif, Heba G. R. Younis, Fatma Abdelrhman, Ehab Mostafa and Mariam A. Amer
Sustainability 2026, 18(16), 8574; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18168574 - 21 Aug 2026
Viewed by 148
Abstract
Activated carbon is a highly porous adsorbent material that is often used to treat wastewater using physical and chemical adsorption. Agricultural and urban biomass waste valorization to activated carbon is a low-cost, renewable solution to commercial adsorbents, and can help prevent waste from [...] Read more.
Activated carbon is a highly porous adsorbent material that is often used to treat wastewater using physical and chemical adsorption. Agricultural and urban biomass waste valorization to activated carbon is a low-cost, renewable solution to commercial adsorbents, and can help prevent waste from tree pruning from being dumped in landfills or openly burned. In this study, the ability of the ground and unground Ficus nitida leaves to efficiently adsorb Rhodamine B dye and total chromium from model aqueous solutions was investigated. Chemical activation was performed using phosphoric acid (H3PO4) at different impregnation ratios (1:1, 2:1, and 4:1). Samples obtained as a result of the above activation were labeled G1–G3 (ground) and UG1–UG3 (unground). The adsorption test showed that the samples with the highest activation ratio (G3 and UG3) gave the best results, removing 92% and 94% RhB, respectively, in 20 minutes. After 24 h, sample G3 showed the best efficiency of 73.31% (13.35 ppm remaining) in chromium removal, where the adsorption kinetics were well described by the pseudo-second-order model (R2 > 0.98), indicating that there may be some chemical interactions occurring during the adsorption process along with physisorption, and the RhB adsorption isotherms for sample UG3 were well described by the Langmuir isotherm (R2 > 0.95). The higher activation ratio and grinding increased the carbon content (up to 90% C for G3), surface functional groups, and textural properties (BET surface area of 699 m2/g and total pore volume of 3.06 cm3/g). Furthermore, reusability tests over five consecutive cycles demonstrated the excellent recyclability of sample G3, retaining removal efficiencies of 80.5% for RhB and 50.2% for total chromium. The results revealed that Ficus nitida leaf-based AC can be used as an efficient, economical, and reusable adsorbent material for sustainable environmental cleanup and water purification systems and will create a circular economy for waste management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Biosystems Engineering for Sustainable Agriculture)
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