Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.8
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Plant-Based Resources as a Green Alternative for a Sustainable Future
sustainability-logo
Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Plant-Based Resources as a Green Alternative for a Sustainable Future

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 14690

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jelena M. Savić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: plant physiology; plant secondary metabolites; biotechnology; biological pest control
Dr. Nina Devrnja

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: plant secondary metabolites; plant extracts; plant essential oils; biological pest control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In order to achieve a sustainable future, the present generations’ needs and actions must not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. One of the major goals in these efforts is to secure global environmental stability. A plethora of current problems, such as dramatic human population growth, “dirty” industries, extensive agriculture production, and high-energy-demand transportation have become major sustainability threats. All the above concerns lead to global climate change, ecosystem pollution, soil erosion, altered interactions between living species, and jeopardize sustainable development.

To mitigate the consequences of these harmful effects on human societies, and to maintain a clean and stable environment with potential for the future, one of the main goals of today’s science has become the development and promotion of the use of natural resources for sustainable economic development. With about 500,000 species spread over the Earth’s land surface, the kingdom of plants provides a huge reservoir of chemicals, products, and materials that can reduce dependency on different synthetic chemicals and the adverse effects they have on the environment.

In view of the above, this Special Issue aims to collect high-quality original research papers, reviews, or opinions related to studies reporting on the usage of plant-based resources in improving sustainability in the modern world. The Special Issue welcomes both specialized and interdisciplinary studies, which will stimulate knowledge exchange, discussions, and debate within the scientific community but also impact policymakers and stakeholders to implement the advance of knowledge and good practices in improving sustainability.        

The use of plant-based natural products in a sustainable manner is foreseen in many different sectors, so we welcome original articles focusing on the application of green approaches in obtaining:

  1. food biopreservatives
  2. alternatives to chemical and synthetic pesticides
  3. solutions for the replacement of synthetic fertilizers in agriculture
  4. new ingredients in natural cosmetics
  5. biopharmaceutical products
  6. bioenergy
  7. green electronic devices
  8. alternatives to plastics

Dr. Jelena M. Savić
Dr. Nina Devrnja
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. 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

  • plant metabolites
  • biotechnology
  • genetic and metabolic engineering
  • green industry

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

16 pages, 885 KiB  
Review
When Scent Becomes a Weapon—Plant Essential Oils as Potent Bioinsecticides
by Nina Devrnja, Milica Milutinović and Jelena Savić
Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6847; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116847 - 3 Jun 2022
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 5535
Abstract
Crop protection still mostly relies on synthetic pesticides for crop pest control. However, the rationale for their continued use is shaded by the revealed adverse effects, such as relatively long environmental persistence that leads to water and soil contamination and retention of residues [...] Read more.
Crop protection still mostly relies on synthetic pesticides for crop pest control. However, the rationale for their continued use is shaded by the revealed adverse effects, such as relatively long environmental persistence that leads to water and soil contamination and retention of residues in food that brings high risks to human and animal health. As part of integrated pest management, biopesticides may provide crop protection, being eco-friendly and safe for humans and non-target organisms. Essential oils, complex mixtures of low-molecular-weight, highly volatile compounds, have been highlighted as major candidates for plant-derived bioinsecticides that are up to the sustainable biological standard. In this review, we screened the insecticidal activity of essential oils or their purified compounds, with focus given to their modes of action, along with the analyzed advantages and problems associated with their wider usage as plant-derived insecticides in agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Based Resources as a Green Alternative for a Sustainable Future)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

56 pages, 6659 KiB  
Review
Characteristics of Selected Silphium Species as Alternative Plants for Cultivation and Industry with Particular Emphasis on Research Conducted in Poland: A Review
by Grażyna Kowalska, Tomasz Baj, Radosław Kowalski and Muhammad Asif Hanif
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5092; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095092 - 23 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3289
Abstract
This article reviews the available research results of selected species of the genus Silphium L. (Asteraceae) as alternative plants for crops and industry. Silphium species have valuable qualities across a wide range of uses, which is very important in considering plant resources as [...] Read more.
This article reviews the available research results of selected species of the genus Silphium L. (Asteraceae) as alternative plants for crops and industry. Silphium species have valuable qualities across a wide range of uses, which is very important in considering plant resources as a green alternative to a sustainable future. Species of the genus Silphium are tall perennials found in fields, prairies, open forests, and groves in the central and eastern parts of the United States and Canada. Various tribes of Native North American used Silphium for medicinal purposes. The cup plant Silphium perfoliatum L. is the most popular species of the genus Silphium due to its attractive ornamental, honey–giving, healing, and forage qualities. As the literature review shows, species of the genus Silphium are characterized by a high production potential in terms of yields and contain significant amounts of nutrients, i.e., carbohydrates, proteins, and L-ascorbic acid, as well as minerals and biologically active substances, e.g., terpenoids and essential oils, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and oleanosides. In addition, the research confirmed the possibility of using Silphium for fodder, as honeybee forage, phytoremediation plants, for reclamation of degraded land, as plants for energy purposes (biomass, biogas), and as plants that provide components with antimicrobial activity. This review largely takes into account many years of research experience conducted in Poland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Based Resources as a Green Alternative for a Sustainable Future)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1042 KiB  
Review
Sustainability-Based Characteristics of Abrasives in Blasting Industry
by Iskandar Zulkarnain, Nor Adila Mohamad Kassim, M. I. Syakir, Azhar Abdul Rahman, Mohamad Shaiful Md Yusuff, Rosdin Mohd Yusop and Ng Oon Keat
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8130; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158130 - 21 Jul 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4754
Abstract
The abrasive blasting industry is identified as the most unsafe operation in terms of potential exposure to airborne crystalline silica. This is due to the free silica content in the common abrasives that are used for blasting activities. This paper will identify a [...] Read more.
The abrasive blasting industry is identified as the most unsafe operation in terms of potential exposure to airborne crystalline silica. This is due to the free silica content in the common abrasives that are used for blasting activities. This paper will identify a sustainability-based or green blasting media to replace free silica content abrasives for blasting activities. The characteristics of sustainability-based abrasives are determined based on systematic review procedure. The combination keywords of “Abrasive blasting”, “Garnet’’, “Free Silica Media”, “Sustainable blasting”, “Eco-friendly blasting”, “Glass Bead blasting” and “Green blasting” were used to collect the existing studies on abrasive blasting operations. Six characteristics of green abrasives were identified: (1) zero content of free silica, (2) high efficiency and productivity, (3) low consumption media (4) low amount of waste generation and emission potentials (5) high recyclability and (6) environmentally friendly in line with sustainable development goals SDG3, SDG12, SDG13, SDG14 and SDG15. The application of green abrasives as substitution to free silica media is therefore important not only for safety and health reasons, but also for the environmental protection and sustainable business operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Based Resources as a Green Alternative for a Sustainable Future)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop