Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue "Zero Waste Technologies"

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 8300

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Piotr Prus

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Al. Prof. S. Kaliskiego 7, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Interests: sustainable development; sustainable development of rural areas and agriculture; education for sustainable development; rural advisory services; agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS); diffusion and adoption of innovations in rural areas; multifunctional development of rural areas; entrepreneurship; non-agricultural entrepreneurship in rural areas; horizontal and vertical integration in the food sector and agriculture; formation and operation of agricultural producer groups
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The municipal activities and every branch of industry, from agriculture to heavy industry, generate waste streams that should be managed in an environmentally safe manner, taking into account economic and organizational realities as well as social expectations.

Technologies generally referred to as "zero waste technologies" are currently the subject of many studies and the assumptions of programs and policies implemented in individual countries and in the European Union. In a special edition, we would like to present work carried out in a wide range of scientific disciplines and industries such as chemical engineering, construction, environmental engineering, agriculture, management sciences, telecommunications, agri-food processing, waste management, all industries in which technologies are implemented waste-free. The common field of the presented research should be the pursuit of reduction or elimination of waste generation or improvements and innovations in the system of management and treatment of waste in general or its individual streams.

Sustainable development of the economy is related, inter alia, to the implementation of technologies that eliminate or limit the production of waste. In addition, the following issues are of key importance for the development of non-waste and low-waste technologies:

Circular economy,
Sustainable animal production technology,
Modern methods of waste treatment,
Wastes as energy resources,
Management of waste biomass,
Clean, low-waste and non-waste technologies,
Sustainable design,
Management of industrial waste / by-products,
Intelligent solutions supporting waste-free technologies,
Innovative energy solutions in non-waste technologies,
Managing innovative projects in the area of waste-free technologies.

An important goal of the special edition is to present the production and organizational activities, technologies, research, ideas and recommendations that are carried out to reduce the mass of generated waste, and thus fit into the mainstream of broadly understood sustainable development.

Dr. Piotr Prus
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 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

waste
waste-free technologies
sustainable development
waste management
recovery of raw materials
recycling
waste processing
intelligent solutions

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

Open AccessArticle

Institutional Pressures and Circular Economy Target Performance: Are Zero Waste Practices and Enviropreneurship Worth Pursuing?

Abdelmohsen A. Nassani

Nicoleta Isac

Joanna Rosak-Szyrocka

Zahid Yousaf

and

Mohamed Haffar

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 2952; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15042952 - 06 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1001

Abstract

The continuous worsening environmental pollution and rapid depletion of natural resources exerts pressures on the economies to adopt circular economy principles in order to improve and protect the natural environment. Given the importance to humanity and social responsibility, this study examines how CETP is achieved through zero waste practices and IP. Zero waste practices are also tested as a mediator between IP and CETP. Furthermore, we also tested the moderating role of enviropreneurship on the relationship between zero waste practices and CETP. Data were collected from 273 front-line managers of manufacturing concerns and analyzed through SPSS 25.0 and SEM. Results proved that IP plays an essential role in explaining CETP and zero waste practices. Zero waste practices directly affectCETP, and also act as a mediator between IP and CETP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Zero Waste Technologies)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Energy Consumption and Quality of Pellets Made of Waste from Corn Grain Drying Process

Joanna Szyszlak-Bargłowicz

and

Grzegorz Zając

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 8129; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14138129 - 03 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1549

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of managing the waste resulting from the corn grain drying process as a biofuel characterized by low energy consumption in the compaction process and to evaluate the quality of the pellets made of this waste. The waste was agglomerated in the form of corn grain (CG), husks (CH), and cobs (CC), and their mixtures were prepared in a 4:1 volume ratio. The results of the analyses showed that CH was the most advantageous material for agglomeration due to the process’s low energy consumption (47.6 Wh·kg⁻¹), while among the prepared mixtures, CC-CH was the most energy-efficient (54.7 Wh·kg⁻¹). Pellets made of the CH-CC mixture were characterized by good quality parameters, with a satisfactory lower heating value (13.09 MJ·kg⁻¹) and low energy consumption in the agglomeration process (55.3 Wh·kg⁻¹). Moreover, data analysis revealed that the obtained pellets had density (1.24 kg∙dm⁻³) and mechanical durability (89%), which are important in their transport and storage. The findings of this study suggest that the use of waste from the corn grain drying process, in the form of pellets, may allow obtaining granules with different quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Zero Waste Technologies)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

Open AccessReview

The Utilization of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) Waste towards Sustainable Energy and Biochemicals: The Attainment of Zero-Waste Technologies

Prakash Kumar Sarangi

Rajesh Kumar Srivastava

and

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12520; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612520 - 17 Aug 2023

Viewed by 571

Abstract

The valorisation of food and fruit wastes has the potential for the production of sustainable energy and biochemicals. Approximately 70% of the weight of the original jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) fruit is lost during its processing as waste in the form of peeled skin and core, both of which have not been utilized and, thus these contribute to disposal as well as pollution issues. The major components such as cellulose and hemicellulose can be easily biologically transformed into bioenergy sources such as ethanol, methanol, and butanol; valuable phenolics and biotechnological products such as pectin, citric acid, bromelain, ferulic acid, and vanillin; and many other products. These residues can also be utilized as essential sources for the biological transformation process, leading to the production of numerous products with added value, such as phenolic antioxidants, phenolic flavour compounds, and organic acids. Thus, the value addition of jackfruit waste can support sustainable solutions towards food and nutritional security. In this way, zero waste can be achieved through novel biorefineries, which are critically highlighted in this paper. Furthermore, novel technologies for the conversion of jackfruit waste are summarized with recent findings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Zero Waste Technologies)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessReview

Recent Progress and Future Perspectives for Zero Agriculture Waste Technologies: Pineapple Waste as a Case Study

Prakash Kumar Sarangi

Akhilesh Kumar Singh

Rajesh Kumar Srivastava

and

Vijai Kumar Gupta

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3575; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043575 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2185

Abstract

Worldwide, a huge production of agro-industrial wastes is observed every year in the milling, brewing, agricultural, and food industries. Biochemical and bioactive substances can be produced from these agricultural wastes. Pineapple by-products, which consist of the peeled skin, core, crown end, etc., account for 60% of the weight of pineapple fruit and are disposed of as waste, causing disposal and pollution problems. The bioconversion process can utilize these wastes, which are rich in cellulose and hemicellulose, the main components, to produce value-added biochemicals/bioactive compounds such as pectin, citric acid, bromelain, ferulic acid, vanillin, and so on. Therefore, the sustainable solution for food and nutrition security can be supported by the utilization of pineapple waste. The proposed review article addresses approaches that do not generate waste while adding value. This can be achieved by using innovative biorefinery techniques such as green extraction and the use of green solvents. Microbial fermentation with an effective pretreatment (such as hydrothermal treatment and enzymatic treatment) to convert complex waste (pineapple fruit) into simple sugars and later fuel production are also discussed. The proposed review also provides a concise overview of the most recent research and developments in the field of advanced pineapple waste processing technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Zero Waste Technologies)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessReview

MSW Management to Zero Waste: Challenges and Perspectives in Belarus

Alena Harbiankova

and

Sławomir Kalinowski

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2012; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032012 - 20 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1508

Abstract

Municipal solid waste management is one of the key challenges of environmental, economic and social importance. It is a global problem regardless of economic development level and political orientation, and also applies to a country such as Belarus. There is a lack of studies considering the local aspects of waste management in Belarus, therefore the research is actual. The study aims to formulate the recommendations on the conceptual modelling of the MSW management system in Belarus. The research methods are based on the complex systems approach. The study provides a review of the actual concepts on MSW management, including its general principles, hierarchy and methods, analysis of the current state of MSW management system in Belarus, and recommendations on modeling the MSW management system covering the local and regional aspects in Belarus. The suggestions on formulating the MSW management system involve organizational, economic, technical and informational bases as well as considering the local and regional specifics. The results indicate the following: (1) the current MSW management system in Belarus does not move the country towards a circular economy, requiring an update of the existing waste management strategy; (2) sustainable waste management demands an integrated approach in order to support waste recycling into a manufacturing resource within circular economy; (3) two main approaches to solve the problem of waste management in rural communities have been identified— an economic approach implies the minimization of waste generation while a technological approach comprises the development of mini-solutions for waste recycling at the places of waste generation. The research results contribute to the increased interest in the issue of MSW management in Belarus, and can be a useful tool for improving the planning strategies considering the local and regional context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Zero Waste Technologies)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Zero Waste Technologies"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI