Special Issue "Waste Treatment and Environmental Sustainability: Current Trends, Challenges and Management Strategies"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sunil Kumar
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Waste Reprocessing Division (WRD), CSIR- National Engineering Environmental Research Institute, Nagpur 440 020, India
Interests: solid and hazardous waste management; anaerobic digestion; phytoremediation; ecology and environmental engineering; industrial wastewater
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Pooja Sharma
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Waste Reprocessing Division (WRD), CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440 020, India
Interests: phytoremediation; bioremediation; metagenomics; waste management; treatment technology; industrial wastewater; metal detoxification
Dr. Deblina Dutta
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Waste Reprocessing Division (WRD), CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440 020, India
Interests: metal recovery; carbon sequestration; life cycle assessment; waste management; risk assessment; treatment technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scope and purpose

The continuous generation of waste from different sources, such as municipal solid waste, E-waste, plastic waste, construction and demolition waste and industrial waste and is highly loaded with different metals pollution parameters. Due to leaching properties of some pollutants, ground water pollution may be caused, affecting the human and environmental health. The use of phytoremediation and bioremediation approaches provides an ecologically sound, efficient, and environment-friendly and cost-effective strategy to the management of waste. The phytoremediation technologies for management play an important role in metals accumulation and pollution reduction. The use of heavy metals accumulation by the native and hyperaccumulators plant species growing on wastewater is the most straightforward strategy for phytoremediation, for which purpose, more than a hundred native plants have been reported to be useful. The analyzed plants investigated during this study presented biochemical factors and antioxidant enzymes which are significantly important for in situ phytoremediations. Therefore, these plants can be recommended for use in mass biotechnological processes to mitigate sites polluted by waste management. Among the different wastes, E-waste has been considered as secondary resources for obtaining metals, plastics, glass and ceramics. For recovering metals from E-waste, different techniques, such as hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, electrometallurgy and the combination of these can be a good approach towards achieving sustainable development. The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together high quality original research and reviews highlighting the significant role of waste management and recycling in terms of environmentally safe disposal. Contributions should focus on the waste treatment techniques and mechanisms, where endless significant contributions can be made and can be of huge interest with respect to future research prospects.

(1) Outline the overall

a.Focus:

Numerous hazardous pollutants and metals are present in solid waste (municipal solid waste, E-waste, plastic waste, construction and demolition waste, etc.) that can directly affect the environment and human health. These pollutants are very hazardous and can generate highly toxic byproducts when disposed in the environment. The conventional methods for treatment and degradation of such kind of pollutants are not effective. To cope with the various problems generated for waste disposal, some processes, such as bioremediation, phytoremediation, and green technologies are usually accepted for achieving sustainable development.

b. Scope and Specific topics:

Academics, researchers, professional engineers and scientists are encouraged to submit their novel, and high quality scientific studies and reviews in terms of the following topics.

  • Identification and profiling of pollutants from waste;
  • Degradation of hazardous pollutants using green technology;
  • Novel technologies for resource recovery from waste;
  • Application of membrane technology in waste treatment process;
  • Waste management and its application to achieve circular economy;
  • Profiling of microbial community during bioremediation of waste management;
  • Mechanism of phytoremediation for waste detoxification;
  • Application of life cycle assessment (LCA) in solid waste management;
  • Role of microorganisms in solid waste management.

c. Purpose

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together high-quality original research and reviews highlighting the significant role of waste management and recycling for safe environmental disposal. Contributions should focus on the waste treatment techniques and mechanisms, where endless significant contributions can be made and can be of huge interest with respect to future research prospects.

(2) Suggest how the issue will usefully supplement (relate to) existing literature.

Innovative advanced treatments techniques for removal and degradation along with resource recovery of metals make a direct and positive impact on economic growth, the environment, and quality of life. Advanced approaches applied for improvement processes and products create several avenues to increasing sustainability. The issue must cover the current state of the art and future challenges in development of multifunctional strategy for energy and environmental applications. Full research papers and review articles are sought for this Special Issue.

Dr. Sunil Kumar
Dr. Pooja Sharma
Dr. Deblina Dutta
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 papers will be 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 1900 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

  • microbial treatment technology
  • emerging pollutants
  • metals detoxification
  • biotechnological approaches
  • management and reuse
  • resource recovery
  • value added products

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Assessment of Technological Developments in Data Analytics for Sensor-Based and Robot Sorting Plants Based on Maturity Levels to Improve Austrian Waste Sorting Plants
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9472; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169472 - 23 Aug 2021
Viewed by 240
Abstract
Sensor-based and robot sorting are key technologies in the extended value chain of many products such as packaging waste (glass, plastics) or building materials since these processes are significant contributors in reaching the EU recycling goals. Hence, technological developments and possibilities to improve [...] Read more.
Sensor-based and robot sorting are key technologies in the extended value chain of many products such as packaging waste (glass, plastics) or building materials since these processes are significant contributors in reaching the EU recycling goals. Hence, technological developments and possibilities to improve these processes concerning data analytics are evaluated with an interview-based survey. The requirements to apply data analytics in sensor-based sorting are separated into different sections, i.e., data scope or consistency. The interviewed companies are divided into four categories: sorting machine manufacturers, sorting robot manufacturers, recycling plant operators, and sensor technology companies. This paper aims to give novel insights into the degree of implementation of data analytics in the Austrian waste management sector. As a result, maturity models are set up for these sections and evaluated for each of the interview partner categories. Interviewees expressed concerns regarding the implementation such as a perceived loss of control and, subsequently, a supposed inability to intervene. Nevertheless, further comments by the interviewees on the state of the waste management sector conveyed that data analytics in their processes would also be a significant step forward to achieve the European recycling goals. Full article
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