sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Plastic Biodegradation and Sustainable Environmental Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 86

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Sant'Epifanio 14, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: fungi; bioremediation; hydrocarbon; plastic

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Sant'Epifanio 14, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: fungi; wood decay fungi; myco-materials; bioremediation; culture collections; emerging pollutants; wastewaters

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: photocatalysis; water treatment; pyrolysis; radiation chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are thrilled to propose the scope and purpose of this Special Issue, entitled “Plastic Biodegradation and Sustainable Environmental Management”.

In a rapidly growing world, plastic has gone from being one of the most versatile and widely used materials to one of the most widespread and problematic. Many efforts have been made to reduce its use, but in many supply chains, this is difficult to achieve.

Numerous attempts are underway to identify new biological, chemical, and integrated approaches to achieve the degradation and recovery of plastics, with the aim of protecting the environment.

With this Special Issue, we aim to focus on these serious problems, investigating in particular the knowledge gaps relating to plastics and their interactions with organisms and the environment. This Special Issue aims to expand the existing literature on the problem of plastics and their environmental impact, integrating emerging methodologies, innovative perspectives, and case studies that highlight their practical applications for sustainable environmental management. Addressing this highly complex issue requires an interdisciplinary approach, in line with global sustainability goals, such as the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Evaluation of plastic biodegradation techniques and their feasibility.
  • Organisms and environment microplastic interactions.
  • Biodegradation agents’ interactions and their effects on different plastic polymers.
  • Plastic biodegradation byproducts and their ecotoxicity.
  • Plastisphere: plastic-driven communities.

Dr. Marta Elisabetta Eleonora Temporiti
Dr. Simone Buratti
Dr. Daniele Dondi
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-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

  • plastic
  • biodegradation
  • ecotoxicology
  • environmental pollution
  • plastisphere
  • interactions

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop