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Special Issue "Innovative Approaches toward Healthy and Sustainable Environment: Air, Water, Food, and Waste Treatment"

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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: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 5004

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Shervin Hashemi

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Guest Editor

Institute for Environmental Research, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
Interests: circular economy; conservation and recycling; drinking water management; environmental engineering; environment science; environmental remediation; life cycle assessment; nature-based solutions; public health; risk assessment; sanitation and hygiene; sustainability; waste management; water and wastewater treatment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The provision of safety is one of the most important elements in the management of environmental sustainability. As an example, the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic demonstrated a high universal demand for a more accurate management of major environmental elements, such as air, water, food, and waste to provide a healthy and sustainable environment.

Accordingly, this Special Issue, which is proposed for the “Environmental Sustainability and Applications” section of the journal Sustainability, aims to collect recent, innovative theoretical and practical management approaches toward the provision of a safe and sustainable environment.

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

Air pollution: identification, measurement, treatment;
Water, sanitation, and hygiene for all: the concept of “Leave No One Behind”;
Provision of food on the way toward zero hunger;
Water, energy, and food security nexus;
Exposure and risk assessment;
Nature-based solutions;
Clean technologies;
Circular economy;
New policies;
Any other relevant topics (should be consulted with the editor).

Priority will be given to research conducted in developing countries. In their cover letter, authors should mention to which of the fields below their study corresponds. The “Instructions for Authors” provided by the journal Sustainability should be carefully followed by the authors to prepare their submissions. This Special Issue strictly follows the policies of the journal Sustainability regarding submission, the reviewing process, and publication.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Shervin Hashemi
Guest Editor

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 2200 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

air pollution
circular economy
clean technologies
drinking water
food security
nature-based solutions
risk assessment
sustainable sanitation

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward Plastic Pollution among Malaysians: Implications for Minimizing Plastic Use and Pollution

Ka Ker Coco Chin

Janardan Mahanta

and

Tapan Kumar Nath

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1164; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021164 - 08 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2463

Abstract

Excessive production, consumption, and indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste contribute to plastic pollution, which has a negative impact on the environment and human health. The KAP (knowledge, attitude, and practices) study is thought to be useful in mitigating plastic pollution because understanding the public’s knowledge, attitude, and practices toward plastic pollution can help identify problems and challenges, allowing appropriate policy decisions to be made to set up plans or implement interventions. This study assesses Malaysians’ level of knowledge, attitude, and practices toward plastic pollution, as well as the variation of plastic pollution related to KAP among various socio-demographic groups. For this study, an online survey received 294 valid responses. Descriptive statistics, KAP scoring, and response cross-tabulation were calculated. This study received 294 valid responses via an online survey. Descriptive statistics, KAP scoring, and response cross-tabulation were estimated. A one-way analysis of variance, paired t-test, and binary logistic regressions was performed. Respondents’ overall knowledge score (95% CI mean score: 3.88–10.94 on a scale of 11) and practice score (95% CI 1.09–6.53 on a scale of 6) were poor across socio-demographics when a cut point of 80% was used. Older (>46 years) respondents seemed to have more knowledge than younger (18–30 years) respondents (odds ratio, OR 4.304; p < 0.01). However, respondents between the ages of 31 and 45 reported significantly (p < 0.01) higher attitudes (OR 4.019) and practices (OR 4.056; p < 0.05). Respondents with environmental-related university education had a higher likelihood of knowing about plastic pollution (OR 10.343; p < 0.01). To encourage good practices toward minimizing plastic use and pollution, conclusions are drawn about undertaking interventions such as raising environmental awareness, incorporating plastic pollution topics into formal and informal education, and providing recycling facilities in nearby communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches toward Healthy and Sustainable Environment: Air, Water, Food, and Waste Treatment)

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Environmental and Economic Effect of the Co-Processing of Waste in the Cement Industry in Korea

Dowan Kim

and

Chaegun Phae

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15820; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315820 - 28 Nov 2022

Viewed by 590

Abstract

Recently, the amount of waste generated in Korea has been increasing, and there have been difficulties disposing of it. As an energy-intensive and raw-materials-oriented industry, the cement industry is facing challenges including overcoming the climate crisis and achieving carbon neutrality. Co-processing was suggested as a solution, but the environmental effects of this have not been specifically studied in Korea. In this study, the effects of using alternative resources (limestone, silica stone, iron ore, and gypsum) and fuel on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the cement industry in Korea were analyzed. GHGs generated from mineral mining were compared to GHGs of alternative resources. The reduction in GHGs by using alternative fuel was calculated via the amount of heat from waste instead of that from bituminous coal. Co-processing can reduce approximately 106.9 kg of CO₂ in one ton of cement. The cost savings were estimated to be about USD 3815 million. In addition, the lifespans of landfills would be extended by 7.55 years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches toward Healthy and Sustainable Environment: Air, Water, Food, and Waste Treatment)

Open AccessArticle

Determination of the Risk on Human Health of Heavy Metals Contained by Ship Source Bilge and Wastewater Discharged to the Sea on the Mediterranean by Monte Carlo Simulation

Ömer Harun Özkaynak

Gönül Tuğrul İçemer

and

Hasan Merdun

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8408; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148408 - 08 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1193

Abstract

Discharge of bilge and wastewater from ships into the sea poses a risk to human health due to the heavy metals. In this study, shipborne bilgewater and wastewater carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human health risks determine by using the measured and literature values of heavy metals copper, iron, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in the shipborne bilgewater and wastewater. The heavy metal contents of seawater were selected from 11 points determined in Antalya Bay, wastewater, and bilge samples taken from two ships. The human health risk was determined using the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method using these measured values and the heavy metal concentrations in the Mediterranean Sea in the literature. The risk of carcinogenicity of heavy metals from wastewater by dermal route, ingestion, and from bilge water by dermal way and ingestion were evaluated. The wastewater is dermal Ni > As > Cr, the wastewater is Ni > Cr > As by ingestion, the dermal Ni > As > Cr in the bilge, and the risk of ingestion is Ni > Cr > As. It has been determined that the non-carcinogenic Cr, Co, Hg, and As values in the wastewater and bilge water are above the acceptable 1 and therefore expose a risk to human health. The human health carcinogenic risk caused by heavy metals generating from the bilge and wastewater is much higher than the standard values determined by the WHO. For the first time in this study, it was determined that bilge water exposes a high risk for both swimmers and ship personnel in the health risk assessment of shipborne wastewater and bilge water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches toward Healthy and Sustainable Environment: Air, Water, Food, and Waste Treatment)

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