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Environments
Special Issues
Environmental Sustainability-Life Cycle Assessment-Energy and Environmental Technologies
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Environmental Sustainability-Life Cycle Assessment-Energy and Environmental Technologies

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2023) | Viewed by 10317

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Spyros Foteinis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
Interests: environmental impact assessment; sustainable production and consumption; renewable energy generation; coastal engineering; wave enegy; environmental monitoring; sustainable water and wastewater treatment; life cycle analysis (LCA); biofuel production; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental pressures acting on a local and, particularly, global scale have long drawn the attention of the academic community and, more recently, of decision- and policymakers and the general public. The effects of climate change, which are currently unfolding before our very eyes, are just a typical example of environmental pressures acting on a global scale and suggest the need for identifying and quantifying the effect of human activities on the environment. Water, air, and soil pollution also comprise problems of emerging environmental concern. To effectively address environmental pressures and curtail wasteful and polluting practices, state-of-the-art and robust tools should be employed. Among the existing methods for identifying and quantifying the environmental sustainability of human activities, life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology has emerged as a promising tool.

As such, the second volume of this Special Issue will still aim to shed light on the environmental sustainability of various engineering processes and on sustainable production and consumption patterns by making use of robust tools, such as LCA methodology. Furthermore, focus is also placed on energy generation and renewable energy technologies, since currently, the global energy mix is fossil-fuel-dependent, thus having a huge impact on the environment and human health. Works dealing with the treatment, depollution, and environmental remediation of soil, air, and water are also encouraged.

Please find publications in the first volume (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/environments/special_issues/Environmental_Energy) which we believe may be of interest to you.

Dr. Spyros Foteinis
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. Environments 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 1800 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

  • sustainable production and consumption
  • circular economy
  • resource recovery and valorization
  • sustainable biofuel production
  • green, smart, and sustainable infrastructure
  • clean energy generation
  • sustainable water and wastewater treatment
  • sustainable cities and rural communities
  • United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals
  • climate change

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 1817 KiB  
Article
Environmental and Social Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management in Italy According to EU Directives
by Patrizia Ghisellini, Renato Passaro and Sergio Ulgiati
Environments 2023, 10(7), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10070106 - 22 Jun 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3263
Abstract
The current Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management system of the European Union to be applied in all member states was introduced in 2002 by the first WEEE directive (2002/96/EC). Since the beginning, the system was intended to improve the management of [...] Read more.
The current Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management system of the European Union to be applied in all member states was introduced in 2002 by the first WEEE directive (2002/96/EC). Since the beginning, the system was intended to improve the management of WEEE and promote circular economy principles in the sector. This study aims at evaluating the environmental and social impacts of the WEEE management system in Italy, with a special focus on collection and recycling in Campania Region (the third more populated Italian Region, Southern Italy). The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is jointly applied with the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA). All five categories of WEEE (R1 to R5) are considered in the assessment. The LCA results show that the extraction of metals and materials from 1 tonne of WEEE collection and recycling generates much lower environmental impacts than the extraction and refining of an equivalent amount of virgin resources. In particular, the results of the environmental LCA highlight that the treatment of 1 tonne of WEEE collected in the Campania Region provides the opportunity to recover several metals such as Aluminum, Iron, Steel and ferrous materials, Copper, Nickel, Lead, and precious metals (Gold, Silver, and Palladium). According to S-LCA, the collection and recycling of 1 tonne of WEEE provides positive impacts to the investigated sub-categories of recipients (i.e., local community and society), except in some cases where the collection may potentially generate negative impacts, expressed by a lower “safe and healthy living conditions” indicator in the local community sub-category. In particular, much more must be done to support small Municipalities towards better collection procedures and integration within the largest Regional and national WEEE valorization networks. Solutions are suggested to improve the transition of the WEEE management system towards a more just environmental and social circular economy model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Sustainability-Life Cycle Assessment-Energy and Environmental Technologies)
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14 pages, 2712 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Co-Management of Acid Mine Drainage with Struvite Synthesis Effluent: Pragmatic Synergies in Circular Economy
by Vhahangwele Masindi, Ryneth Mbhele and Spyros Foteinis
Environments 2023, 10(4), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10040060 - 4 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2909
Abstract
Herein, the alkaline supernatant of a struvite recovery system from municipal wastewater was successfully co-managed with acid mine drainage (AMD). Various ratios (v/v) of AMD to struvite supernatant were examined, and the quality of the passively co-treated effluent and [...] Read more.
Herein, the alkaline supernatant of a struvite recovery system from municipal wastewater was successfully co-managed with acid mine drainage (AMD). Various ratios (v/v) of AMD to struvite supernatant were examined, and the quality of the passively co-treated effluent and of the generated sludge were examined using state-of-the-art analytical techniques including ICP-OES, FE-SEM/FIB/EDX, XRD, XRF, and FTIR. The optimum ratio was 1:9, where metals and sulphate were largely removed from AMD, i.e., from higher to lower score Fe (~100%) ≥ Pb (~100%) ≥ Ni (99.6%) ≥ Cu (96%) ≥ As (95%) ≥ Al (93.7%) ≥ Zn (92.7%) > Ca (90.5%) > Mn (90%) ≥ Cr (90%) > sulphate (88%) > Mg (85.7%), thus implying that opportunities for mineral recovery could be pursued. The pH of the final effluent was regulated to acceptable discharge levels, i.e., 6.5 instead of 2.2 (AMD) and 10.5 (struvite supernatant), while a notable reduction in the electrical conductivity further implied the attenuation of contaminants. Overall, results suggest the feasibility of the passive co-treatment of these wastewater matrices and that opportunities for direct scaling up exist (e.g., using waste stabilization ponds). Furthermore, apart from the initial recovery of struvite from municipal wastewater, metals could also be recovered from AMD and water could be reclaimed, therefore introducing circular economy and zero liquid discharge in wastewater treatment and management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Sustainability-Life Cycle Assessment-Energy and Environmental Technologies)
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21 pages, 2369 KiB  
Article
Industrial Symbiosis in the Balkan-Mediterranean Region: The Case of Solid Waste
by Athanasios Angelis-Dimakis, George Arampatzis, Andreas Alexopoulos, Antonia Vyrkou, Andreas Pantazopoulos and Vasilis Angelis
Environments 2023, 10(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10010001 - 20 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3412
Abstract
The treatment of waste and especially solid waste, the type with the highest increase in terms of annual generation over the last decade, is a key issue in the Balkan and Mediterranean region. Piecemeal efforts to deal with it within the prevailing linear [...] Read more.
The treatment of waste and especially solid waste, the type with the highest increase in terms of annual generation over the last decade, is a key issue in the Balkan and Mediterranean region. Piecemeal efforts to deal with it within the prevailing linear economy model were not successful since the techniques used such as recycling and reusing could not be effective with the existing products. A definitive solution requires the switch to a new model, the circular economy model, which will facilitate the tackling of the excessive use of virgin raw materials and waste generation. The design and development of a digital solid waste reuse platform in the context of the EU-funded Interreg Project SWAN involving four countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece, was a step in this direction. The present paper based on the evidence drawn from this project examines the current situation and the future trends in the solid waste reuse and industrial symbiosis schemes in this region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Sustainability-Life Cycle Assessment-Energy and Environmental Technologies)
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