Sustainable Waste Management in Materials Science

Dear Colleagues,

This Topic is related to the "Sustainable Waste Management in Materials Science (SWMMS2026) Conference", which is taking place in Poznan, Poland, from 21 to 23 September 2026 (https://swmms2026.com/).

The topic of waste management is extremely important and relevant, given the current pathway to sustainability and circularity. For this reason, the scientific community is undertaking numerous activities to develop methods for efficient waste utilization. Scientific research is one of the factors that can bring about significant changes in waste management policy and the establishment of new legal regulations, including European Union directives. It is therefore very reasonable to undertake interdisciplinary and international activities to address the growing problems associated with overproduction across multiple sectors. Among the methods for inducing such activities are scientific conferences, such as SWMMS 2026, including establishing research cooperation, building research networks, and exchanging experiences.

This Topic explores the wide range of materials-related topics discussed at the conference, including:

• Comprehensive characterization of waste of different origins using modern research techniques,
• Automation of waste collection and sorting processes,
• Valorization of industrial by-products and waste materials,
• Valorization of agricultural and food-based biomass,
• Sustainable solutions in materials science,
• Sustainable polymer materials,
• Environmentally friendly engineered wood materials,
• Thermal, thermochemical, and thermomechanical conversion of wastes,
• Reduction of environmental and health impacts of waste-based materials,
• Environmental degradation of waste-based materials,
• Recycling and upcycling processes.

Conference participants, as well as researchers working in the respective field, are invited to contribute original research papers or reviews to this Topic. Contributions can include experimental, theoretical, and computational work.

Dr. Aleksander Hejna
Prof. Dr. Mateusz Barczewski
Topic Editors