PROCEEDINGS AND PUBLICATION OF PAPERS

The objective is to gather research papers from different areas of Environmental Science and technology that deal with the latest trends in water and wastewater treatment technologies.

Research works from the following fields are expected:

• Drinking water safety
• Wastewater and drinking water treatment processes (conventional and advanced) for the elimination of emerging contaminants
• Disinfection by-products in drinking water and their transformation products
• Wastewater biorefinery in the context of circular bioeconomy
• Resource recovery during wastewater treatment
• Microplastics in water treatment: fate, toxicity, assessment, and removal technologies
• Life Cycle Assessment and or Life cycle Inventory (data generation) on wastewater treatment plants 

ISWA's journal, will select at least 9-12 papers to be published in the journal's regular Issue which will be published on May 2024. Selected Authors, will be informed to submit their manuscripts for peer review by 15 November 2023. Authors must indicate in their cover letter that the paper is for the CEST2023 conference.

The available natural resources are limited and global challenges such as climate change and land and ecosystem degradation along with population growth force humanity to look for new ways of production and consumption that will respect the planet’s ecological boundaries. It is therefore necessary to produce and consume food, products, and materials within healthy ecosystems through the sustainable bioeconomy. Linear economic models based on production-consumption-disposal schemes tend to be replaced by circular and resource-efficient economic models, which focus on the whole material cycle to promote reuse as well as to reduce waste and utilize resources as efficiently as possible. The circular economy aims at maintaining a balance between economic and environmental factors, while creating sustainable growth and new jobs. Bioeconomy covers all sectors and systems which are based on biological resources (animals, plants, microorganisms, and biomass, including organic waste), their functions and principles.

The new economic models must be circular and sustainable. As a result, industries will be revitalized, primary production systems will be updated, the environment will be better protected, and biodiversity will increase. The European Union has established the primary axes for the creation of an operational group and a road map, emphasizing the significance of renewable resources and biotechnologies in sustainable development and enticing the Regions and agencies to create innovations in the bioeconomy. These new sectors already account for 9% of all employment in the EU, presenting the tremendous potential for growth and the ability to alter the economic landscape through synergies between businesses and organizations.

The Mediterranean region faces challenges with several issues, including an energy deficit, a declining agricultural sector, deteriorating water and soil quality, a rise in the risk of natural disasters brought on by climate change, coastal pollution, ineffective biowaste management, deteriorating ecosystems, a loss of biodiversity, etc. It is essential to a) strengthen research, technological development, and innovation; b) improve the competitiveness of the agricultural sector; c) support the transition to a low carbon economy; d) promote adaptation to climate change; e) increase environmental protection; and f) promote resource efficiency if they are to meet the contemporary challenges they face. Sustainable and Circular Bioeconomy can significantly aid in addressing the aforementioned needs.

The Waste Management Laboratory of the Department of the Environment of the University of the Aegean (Greece) is coordinating a project called "Center of Sustainable and Circular Bioeconomy" (https://bioeconomy.aegean.gr/), which aims to support the insular regions of Aegean in the transition from a linear to a circular bioeconomy model. It is organized in the following four (4) distinctive project activities, which will lead to the development of innovative services and platforms in the regions of interest in the North and South Aegean:

1. BIOmass | Sustainable production and management of biomass
2. Nature4water | Sustainable water resources and soil management using nature-based solutions
3. REproduct | Recycling of materials and production of new products
4. Hotel Footprinting | Reduction of the environmental footprint in the tourism industry

The scope of this special issue is to collect papers from the above research areas and all the other scientific fields related to Circular Economy and Bioeconomy. Manuscripts should clearly demonstrate the contribution of the study to the green transition of the Meditteranean region.

CIES is a hybrid journal. Authors can choose to publish under the traditional publishing model (no charges apply), but the journal also provides the open access option (with article-processing charges)

Building on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the cornerstone of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, allocated by the UN as “An Agenda of unprecedented scope and significance.” The seventeen ambitious goals, which are intended to be reached by 2030, are conceived as integrated, indivisible, and balancing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Sustainable production and consumption can be defined as the production and use of products and services in a manner that is socially beneficial, economically viable and environmentally benign over their whole life cycle. 

This special issue will collect all the relevant papers from the Mediterranean Areas dealing with at least one of the SDGs. 

Highlights: 

The Special Issue aims at presenting high-quality research studies on the following topics

• Sustainable Development Goals
• The impact of the European Green Deal 
• Circular Economy Strategy
• Research on Wastewaters
• Clean technology/cleaner production
• Climate change mitigation
• Consumer engagement and communication
• Corporate social responsibility
• Eco-efficiency
• Ecosystem services
• Ethical investment and consumption
• Green/sustainable chemistry 
• Industrial ecology
• Intra/Intergenerational equity
• Life cycle management
• Life cycle thinking
• Life cycle sustainability assessment
• Producer responsibility
• Sustainable energy systems
• Food waste
• Digitalization and gamification approach
• Sustainable cities
• Soil Science, Soil pollution

This Special Issue will focus on bio-based materials, which are a type of sustainable materials that are biodegradable and created from biomass. Materials have often only included advancements, such as plastic, synthetic fibers, and fossil fuels, which at the time, enhanced cost, performance, and convenience. However, there is a need to address the damage that these conventional materials cause to the environment. Recent advancements in the sustainability field have demonstrated their ability to not only reverse this adverse effect but also positively affect the environment. As biotechnology and biomass are widely used in the production of goods, energy, and resources, our economy will soon transition to a bioeconomy. Corporations must commit to using bio-based, reusable, and biodegradable products and take a stand against the utilization of single-use plastic for this to become a reality.

Cleaner manufacturing techniques, renewable resources, and products are offered by bio-based materials. They provide a practical strategy for addressing pressing global requirements, such as lowering dependency on petroleum in a sustainable fashion, on the necessary scale, and with the available resources. All throughout the world, consumers, governments, and investors are realizing this. The main goal of the Issue is the collection of papers on the following topics: 

• Green and sustainable products
• Biobased products
• Distribution, use, and application
• End of life of products
• End-of-waste criteria
• Recycling and circulation
• Circular Economy
• Waste and energy flows
• Alternative energy sources
• Social and environmental protection
• Bio-circular economy
• Material recovery
• Material flow analysis
• Natural based solution
• Life cycle assessment

This Special Issue aims to comprise current novel papers in Atmospheric Physics presented at the 18th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology (CEST2023) organised by the multi-disciplinary Global NEST (Network of Environmental Science and Technology).

It focuses on physical and dynamical processes controlling the atmospheric phenomena from the surface to the upper atmosphere, and from micro to macro-scale with the aid of experimental data and modelling.