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Sustainable Bioeconomy and Biotechnology in Waste Management

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 3497

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Juris Burlakovs

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Guest Editor

Mineral and Energy Economy Research, Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-261 Krakow, Poland
Interests: geochemistry; pollution remediation; geotechnics; geology; prevention; sorbents
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Zane Vincēviča-Gaile

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Science, University of Latvia, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
Interests: trace and major elements; possible contaminants in food and soil; bioavailability of elements; quantitative detection of elements; circular economy; waste valorization; secondary raw material; material cycling; bioeconomy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The life cycle of products and materials often results with these items ending up in landfills, which not long ago were uncontrolled dumps. The problem has grown significantly due to the Industrial Revolution, and only recently have paradigm changes led to environmental preservation and circular economy ideas.

A vast amount of resources have been disposed of in landfills worldwide that could still serve as a strategic reserve of raw material within the circular economy. These resources become available for society if extracted in symbiosis with relevant remediation principles, in order to avoid the pollution of the environment. Abandoned and new landfill sites emit greenhouse gases (GHG) and have a significant adverse effect on global climate change. The methane emissions from the waste sector represent 18% of the global whole, predominantly from landfills. Emissions of landfill gas, which mainly consist of CH₄ and CO₂, need to be reduced by the collection of methane; however, as the dump ages, methane is still released into the atmosphere and collection becomes difficult and unfeasible. It could be avoided by using biological methane degradation technology in engineered biocovers. Other biological technologies for choosing the best available options for each individual case of waste collection, sorting, recycling, and waste-to-energy are important. Solutions should be involving the triple helix approach, where NGOs, municipalities, and industry work together to attain sustainable solutions.

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

Bioeconomy;
Biotechnology;
Waste management;
Sustainable materials;
Landfills engineering;
Environmental engineering.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Juris Burlakovs
Dr. Zane Vincēviča-Gaile
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

circular economy
future landfills
sustainable ecodesign
revitalization of dumps
bioenergy
gas collection systems
waste engineering

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2049 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modified Clinoptilolite for the Removal of Rhodamine B Dye from Wastewater

by Syed Fawad Ali Shah, Fatima Khitab, Shagufta Rasool, Rozina Khattak, Tasmia, Hajera Gul, Riaz Muhammad, Muhammad Sufaid Khan, Munaza Naseem and Zane Vincevica-Gaile

Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2267; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062267 - 08 Mar 2024

Viewed by 545

Abstract

This study reveals the modification of the surface area of natural zeolite Clinoptilolite (CLN) by implementing the ion exchange method. The ammonium chloride cation exchange method was adopted and was followed by calcination at 450 °C for 5 h. This procedure helps to increase the surface area of CLN and also enhances its adsorption efficiency. The modifications of the CLN were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The efficiency and adsorption capacity of the modified CLN were determined by the adsorption of a Rhodamine B (Rh B) dye from an aqueous medium. The comparative analysis of the adsorption efficiency of raw CLN and the modified CLN revealed an enhanced adsorption of Rh B by the modified CLN at pH = 10. For desorption, different solvents were used. The results showed good desorption in ethanol and methanol, and poor desorption in acidic (HCl) and basic (NaOH) solutions. The kinetic study of the adsorption of Rh B by the modified CLN helped us to conclude that the adsorption follows a pseudo-second-order kinetics. For the surface study and to understand the mechanism of adsorption, several isotherm models were applied to the adsorption data at equilibrium. The data showed consistency with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm confirming that the process took place at its heterogeneous surface. The experimentally calculated adsorption capacity of the modified CLN was 2.81 mg g⁻¹, showing a comparable value to certain other common adsorbents. Therefore, the modified CLN may also be considered a cost-effective and promising adsorbent for the removal of Rh B dye from wastewater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Bioeconomy and Biotechnology in Waste Management)

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19 pages, 5431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Use of Rendering Mortar Waste Powder as a Cement Replacement Material: Fresh, Mechanical, Durability and Microstructural Properties

by Aref A. Abadel, Mohammed Salah Nasr, Ali Shubbar, Tameem Mohammed Hashim and Rabin Tuladhar

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11659; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511659 - 28 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 987

Abstract

The difficulty of decomposing solid waste over time has made it a significant global problem because of its environmental impact and the need for large areas for disposal. Among these residues is the waste of the rendering mortar that is produced (falls to the ground) while applied to wall surfaces. The quantity of these materials may reach 200 to 500 g/m². As a result of local urban development (in Iraq), thousands of tons of these wastes are produced annually. On the other hand, the emission of greenhouse gases in the cement industry has had a great environmental impact. One of the solutions to this problem is to reduce the cement content in the mix by replacing it with less emissive materials. Residues from other industries are considered a relatively ideal option due to their disposal on the one hand and the reduction of harmful emissions of the cement industry on the other hand. Therefore, this research aims to reuse rendering mortar waste powder (RMWP) as a possible alternative to cement in mortar. RMWP replaced the cement in proportions (0, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30% by weight). The flow rate, flexural and compressive strengths, ultrasonic pulse velocity, bulk density, dynamic modulus of elasticity, electrical resistivity, and water absorption tests of the produced mortar were executed. Microstructural analysis of the produced mortar was also investigated. Results indicated that, for sustainable development, an eco-friendly mortar can be made by replacing cement with RMWP at a rate of 15%, resulting in a 17% decrease in compressive strength while maintaining or improving durability properties. Moreover, the microstructure became denser and more homogeneous in the presence of RMWP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Bioeconomy and Biotechnology in Waste Management)

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15 pages, 12279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determination of Heavy Metals Immobilization by Chemical Fractions in Contaminated Soil Amended with Biochar

by Karolina Barčauskaitė, Olga Anne, Ieva Mockevičienė, Regina Repšienė, Gintaras Šiaudinis and Danutė Karčauskienė

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8677; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118677 - 26 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1393

Abstract

Biochar is a promising tool to immobilize heavy metals (HMs) in the soil. Biochar’s effect on HMs immobilization into acidic soil (pH < 5) and the interaction of plants have been investigated. Three types of feedstocks were used for biochar development via pyrolysis at two temperatures and then applied as soil amendments. A vegetative experiment has been carried out with buckwheat and white mustard to determine the effect of biochar as an HMs immobilizing agent in the presence of sewage sludge. The results show promising biochar properties to immobilize heavy metals and reduce their availability for plants. Biochar incorporation increased soil pH and reduced heavy metal forms available to plants. A sequential extraction procedure was applied to investigate five different forms of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and evaluate their distribution after plants’ cultivation. The proportion of the residual fraction (RES) of HMs varied widely and differed from metal to metal and from plant species. RES in the soil after treatment with biochar and buckwheat harvest varied between 68.14 and 96.40% for Zn, 42.39 and 59.48% (Cu), 75.89 and 93.11% (Cr), 81.85 and 92.83% (Ni), and 98.94 and 99.20% (Pb). In comparison, a slightly opposite trend was found in the soil after white mustard cultivation. The proportion of RES was: 0.82–53.44% for Zn, 0.99–52.93% (Cu), 48.87–76.41% (Cr), 10.22–72.63% (Ni), and 98.31–99.32% (Pb). HMs immobilization efficiency in the soil after biochar treatment followed the order Ni > Cr > Pb > Cu > Zn and Ni > Pb > Zn > Cr > Cu after buckwheat and white mustard cultivation, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Bioeconomy and Biotechnology in Waste Management)

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