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Environments
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Environmental Science and Technologies for the Management of Natural Ecosystems...
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Environmental Science and Technologies for the Management of Natural Ecosystems and the Sustainable Development of Urban Areas II

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2024) | Viewed by 7156

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yiannis G. Matsinos

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Guest Editor
Department of Environment, University of the Aegean; Sector of Ecosystems Management, University Hill, Xenia Building, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
Interests: ecological modelling; individual-based modeling; soundscape assessment; biodiversity conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Aggelos Tsaligopoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environment, University of the Aegean; Acoustic Ecology Laboratory, University Hill, Xenia Building, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
Interests: noise modeling and assessment; soundscape assessment; noise mapping; circular economy; construction and demoli-tion waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Demetris Francis Lekkas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Environmental Engineering and Science Sector, University Hill, Xenia Building, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
Interests: environmental footprinting; analysis and simulation of environmental systems; technologies for recovery or recycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban areas stand as the forefront of a global multifaced change due to pollution, unsustainable development and unplanned growth. The rapid urbanization and the increased urban population have resulted in an unsustainable consumption of resources, the release of large waste streams similar to construction and demolition waste (CDW), as well as several environmental pressures similar to air and noise pollution and biodiversity loss. In order to deal with the material and immaterial pressures in urban environments and pave the way for sustainable development, it is important that the community focus on transdisciplinary research collaborations, shape ambitious constitutional measures, support entrepreneurial and innovative business initiatives and most importantly create and sustain environmental awareness. The circular economy and bioeconomy paradigms appear to be promising approaches towards sustainability. Circularity encourages a restorative and regenerative economy model, promoting, resource looping, recycling, reuse and reproduct of materials. Techniques similar to environmental footprinting, life cycle assessments (LCA), and ecological modeling can be used in order to identify and quantify the impact of human activity on the urban environment. 

This Special Issue aims to promote interdisciplinary work in environmental sciences and focus on the management of natural and urban systems in order to support the transition towards the sustainable development of urban areas. Researchers from a broad list of disciplines are invited to contribute with original research, case studies and comprehensive review papers in order to initiate a transdisciplinary scientific dialog, with particular emphasis on urban sustainability and circular development. Relevant topics to this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following subjects:

  • Environmental footprinting;
  • Life Cycle Assessments (LCA);
  • Noise and soundscape assessments in the urban environment;
  • Air pollution in the urban environment;
  • New technologies that enable the recovery or recycling of waste for use as a resource, in order to replace the use of raw materials;
  • Applications that enable the reuse of construction and demolition waste.

Dr. Yiannis G. Matsinos
Dr. Aggelos Tsaligopoulos
Dr. Demetris Francis Lekkas
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. 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

  • circular economy
  • sustainable urban development
  • waste management
  • environmental pollution

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 2841 KiB  
Article
Urban Biodiversity Index for Trees: A Climate Adaptation Measure for Cities Based on Tree Inventories
by Nefta-Eleftheria Votsi, Orestis Speyer, Danai-Eleni Michailidou, Athanasios Koukoulis, Charalampos Chatzidiakos, Ine Vandecasteele, Christiana Photiadou, Jose Miguel Rubio Iglesias, Jean-Philippe Aurambout and Evangelos Gerasopoulos
Environments 2024, 11(7), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11070144 - 8 Jul 2024
Viewed by 356
Abstract
A historically large percentage of the world’s population has moved to urban areas in the past few decades, causing various negative effects for the environment, such as air, noise, water, and light pollution; land degradation; and biodiversity loss. Under the current climate crisis, [...] Read more.
A historically large percentage of the world’s population has moved to urban areas in the past few decades, causing various negative effects for the environment, such as air, noise, water, and light pollution; land degradation; and biodiversity loss. Under the current climate crisis, cities are anticipated to play an essential part in adaptation strategies to extreme atmospheric events. This study aims at developing indicators at an urban scale that can highlight adaptation progress by investigating relevant data (especially in situ) and statistics at a pan-European level in support of the EU’s strategy for adapting to the impacts of climate change. The proposed indicator, Urban Biodiversity Indicator for Trees (UBI4T), which can be derived from city tree inventories, assesses one essential component of urban biodiversity by computing the proportion of native, alien, invasive, and toxic tree species spatially across a city. According to our findings (applying the UBI4T for Amsterdam and exploring its policy potential for Barcelona), the UBI4T can offer crucial information for decision and policy makers, as well as stakeholders of a city, with the aim of conducting dedicated and effective strategic initiatives to restore, improve, and protect nature in the urban environment, thus contributing to adaptation and resilience to extreme atmospheric events in cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Science and Technologies for the Management of Natural Ecosystems and the Sustainable Development of Urban Areas II)
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27 pages, 23168 KiB  
Article
Development of a 3D Digital Model of End-of-Service-Life Buildings for Improved Demolition Waste Management through Automated Demolition Waste Audit
by Muhammad Omer, Yong C. Wang, Mikel Quintana Roma, Stanislav Bedrich, Václav Nežerka, Juan Ferriz-Papi, Jesus J. Moros Montanes and Ines Diez Ortiz
Environments 2024, 11(7), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11070138 - 29 Jun 2024
Viewed by 468
Abstract
This paper presents the development of a 3D digital model of end-of-service-life buildings to facilitate a step change in preparation of pre-demolition protocols that can eliminate problems of inadequate documentation and extensive time spent in preparing pre-demolition audits. The 3D digital model consists [...] Read more.
This paper presents the development of a 3D digital model of end-of-service-life buildings to facilitate a step change in preparation of pre-demolition protocols that can eliminate problems of inadequate documentation and extensive time spent in preparing pre-demolition audits. The 3D digital model consists of the following four main components: (i) digitization of paper-based drawings and their conversion to CAD; (ii) automated generation of a 3D digital model from CAD; (iii) corrections to the 3D digital model to account for changes in the lifetime of a building; (iv) a sub-model for performing pre-demolition audit. This paper proposes the innovative approaches of incorporating a minimal amount of human intervention to overcome numerous difficulties in automated drawing analysis, application of augmented reality (AR) in corrections to the 3D digital model, and data compatibility for pre-demolition audit. These processes are demonstrated using one building as case study. Using the digital model, a pre-demolition audit can be prepared in minutes rather than the many days required in current practice without a digital model. The accurate quantification of the quantities and locations of different demolition waste materials and products in buildings to be demolished will enable a systematic and quantitative evaluation of potentials of material and product reuse and eliminate contamination of different demolition waste streams (which may contain hazardous waste), which is the main cause of environmental degradation and downcycling of demolition waste materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Science and Technologies for the Management of Natural Ecosystems and the Sustainable Development of Urban Areas II)
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12 pages, 1834 KiB  
Article
Cold Ironing and the Study of RES Utilization for Maritime Electrification on Lesvos Island Port
by Alexandros Kelmalis, Andreas Dimou, Demetris Francis Lekkas and Stergios Vakalis
Environments 2024, 11(4), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11040084 - 19 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1061
Abstract
The maritime industry is addressing environmental issues, and “cold ironing” offers a promising solution. This method involves supplying ships at port with energy, reducing fossil fuel dependence and emissions, and aiding in global climate change efforts. It is especially important for islands like [...] Read more.
The maritime industry is addressing environmental issues, and “cold ironing” offers a promising solution. This method involves supplying ships at port with energy, reducing fossil fuel dependence and emissions, and aiding in global climate change efforts. It is especially important for islands like Lesvos, which suffer from high energy costs and environmental issues due to imported fossil fuel reliance. However, research gaps exist in using renewable energy sources (RES) for cold ironing, mainly due to insufficient data on power needs and lack of monitoring for precise calculations and the very limited applications for the case of non-interconnected islands. This study uses real data from the port of Lesvos to evaluate power requirements for cold ironing and assesses the viability of a wind power park for an electrified port with the novelty and uniqueness of developing the application on a non-interconnected island. It also examines potential CO2 emission reductions. Data from Marine Traffic S.A. were used, considering factors like ship arrivals, hoteling duration, and engine types. This study also includes a simulation using RETScreen software for a 20 MW wind park intended for port operations. The findings show that the monthly energy demand at Mytilene port is around 6118 MWh, with an average power demand of 8.2 MW. The simulated wind park could supply about 72,080 MWh yearly, with a significant surplus (14,956 MWh annually) exportable to the grid. However, demand fluctuations mean the port might need an extra 924 MWh from the main grid. This underscores the need for additional strategies like energy storage and demand–response practices to fully transition to 100% RES-powered operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Science and Technologies for the Management of Natural Ecosystems and the Sustainable Development of Urban Areas II)
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Review

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35 pages, 3608 KiB  
Review
A Critical Review of Recent Progress in Global Water Reuse during 2019–2021 and Perspectives to Overcome Future Water Crisis
by Ahmed Abou-Shady, Muhammad Saboor Siddique and Wenzheng Yu
Environments 2023, 10(9), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10090159 - 14 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4130
Abstract
The exacerbation of the global water crisis due to an increase in global population, industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural activities, along with global climate change and limited water resources, makes water reuse inevitable in all continents. By 2030, global water consumption may grow to [...] Read more.
The exacerbation of the global water crisis due to an increase in global population, industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural activities, along with global climate change and limited water resources, makes water reuse inevitable in all continents. By 2030, global water consumption may grow to ~160% of the currently available volume. This study reviews recently published articles (2019–2021) to explore global case studies of water reuse and discusses future perspectives by country based on a literature survey on water reuse. There are 17 obstacles reported worldwide regarding water reuse (e.g., the properties and low amounts of treated water, regulations, financial challenges, etc.) and 10 advantages of utilizing reused water in various fields (e.g., overcoming the global water crisis, improving the economy, benefiting the industrial sector, etc.). The concept of reusing water has been accepted by countries in almost every continent (e.g., Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and North America); the technical findings from different countries are summarized in this study. The water reuse scenario is not restricted to countries with limited water supply and can be applied to those with sufficient water resources (e.g., Canada and Brazil have also implemented water reuse policies). Water reuse can be utilized by human beings via indirect and direct potable recycling, as well as in agriculture, textile, construction, hotel, groundwater recharge, and aquaculture industries. However, a standard guideline for the application of reclaimed water at a global scale is unavailable. Several perspectives have been suggested for the future utilization of reclaimed water worldwide as an effort to secure and ensure the sustainability of existing natural water resources. Lastly, water reuse may be considered a potential alternative for reducing the burden on water resources in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Science and Technologies for the Management of Natural Ecosystems and the Sustainable Development of Urban Areas II)
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