Livestock Wastes Sustainable Management and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Livestock waste management is crucial for sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. Handling livestock waste improperly can lead to water, air, and soil pollution, releasing harmful gases such as methane and ammonia and contaminating water sources with pathogens and nutrients. Sustainable livestock waste management focuses on converting waste into valuable resources, such as fertilizers, biogas, and compost. Technologies including anaerobic digestion and composting help reduce the environmental impact by recycling nutrients back into the soil and generating renewable energy. This approach not only mitigates pollution but also supports the circular economy by enhancing soil fertility and reducing dependency on synthetic fertilizers. Sustainable management practices contribute to improving agricultural productivity while minimizing environmental risks. Moreover, certain types of livestock waste, such as animal fibers (e.g., sheep wool, pig hair, etc.), have the potential to be utilized as eco-friendly building materials, offering several significant benefits. Animal fibers could be used as insulation construction materials or as reinforcement for composite materials; they are renewable and biodegradable resources that reduce the environmental impact to a greater degree than synthetic materials.

The papers in this Special Issue explore innovative methods for managing livestock waste biomass sustainably. Topics include efficient waste management, biomass utilization, and circular economy principles. These studies offer key insights into promoting sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. We welcome submissions on the influence of management practices and socioeconomic factors on agricultural waste systems. Areas of interest include reducing livestock waste, optimizing waste handling, valorizing agro-industrial byproducts, and eco-economic assessments of biomass strategies. Both original research and review articles are encouraged.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Livestock waste management and application;
• Animal fiber valorization;
• Biomass;
• Animal byproducts;
• Livestock waste valorization;
• Bioenergy production;
• Bio resource utilization;
• Circular economy.

Dr. Monica Concetta Maria Parlato
Dr. Andrea Pezzuolo
Dr. Francesca Valenti
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 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. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.

• livestock waste
• sustainable agriculture
• biomass utilization
• anaerobic digestion
• circular economy
• eco-friendly materials
• biodegradable resources