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Sustainability
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Towards Sustainable Agriculture: Pollution Prevention and Control Technologies
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Towards Sustainable Agriculture: Pollution Prevention and Control Technologies

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2024 | Viewed by 4079

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Liandong Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
Interests: wastewater treatment; biofuels; waste recycling; sustainable development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The continuously increasing contribution of non-point source pollution from agricultural production has globally attracted increased attention. The selection of feasible prevention and control technologies is a key solution to reduce agricultural pollution in an effort to seek sustainable development. Based on the principle of ecological engineering, by using the advanced knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology and their interdisciplinary disciplines, efforts should be made to develop key technologies for agricultural pollution prevention and control, such as source pollution reduction, transmission process block and interception, nutrient recycling and utilization. To determine the stand of the latest available biotechnologies and keep the global academic communities up-to-date with the current advances in agricultural pollution prevention and control technologies, the journal Sustainability will publish a Special Issue of papers with a focus on the application of biotechnology for agricultural pollution prevention and control.

We would like to include articles that address vital current developments in agricultural pollution prevention and control through the available biotechnologies. We solicit high-quality, original research papers or review papers in the field.

Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Agricultural pollution reduction from the source;
  • Agricultural pollutant transmission process block and interception;
  • Nutrient recycling and utilization;
  • Interface process, transformation and biodegradation of antibiotics, hormones and other new agricultural pollutants;
  • Data-driven agriculture, such as smart agriculture;
  • Big data application in agricultural pollution control;
  • Innovative solutions for agricultural management;
  • Economic and environmental analysis of agricultural production.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Liandong Zhu
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. 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

  • non-point source pollution
  • agricultural pollution reduction
  • pollutant transmission process
  • pollutant interception
  • nutrient recovery
  • transformation
  • biodegradation
  • new pollutant
  • smart agriculture
  • agricultural policy
  • agricultural management
  • environmental risk assessment

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2862 KiB  
Article
Producers’ Perception of the Benefits of Farm Certification: The Case of the National Good Agricultural Practices Programme
by Małgorzata Pink, Michał Niewiadomski, Katarzyna Grochola and Anna Gorczyca
Sustainability 2024, 16(18), 8196; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188196 - 20 Sep 2024
Viewed by 570
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to assess the perception of a national certification programme for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), specifically IPR (Integrated Plant Production). Another aim was to indicate the barriers of the implementation and the benefits of the practices within the [...] Read more.
The objectives of this study were to assess the perception of a national certification programme for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), specifically IPR (Integrated Plant Production). Another aim was to indicate the barriers of the implementation and the benefits of the practices within the IPR certification. The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire. The results were subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and an analysis of the correlations between demographic characteristics and the perception of the certificate among IPR-certified farmers. Among the motivations for implementing the certificate and perceived benefits, respondents revealed specific values: a high level of social and environmental awareness and responsibility, a relatively high pursuit of material security, and a strong pro-market attitude. Of these factors, the responsibility and awareness factor best described the population, while the material security factor was less significant. The demographic characteristics in the researched population were found to be statistically insignificant for the perception of the programme and presented values. The second part of the study revealed a number of phenomena observed in the context of implementing the certificate, including positive environmental changes and those related to relations with market partners. One of the hidden factors behind these changes was the time factor. In this context, it was suggested that the longer validity of the certificate may increase interest in it. Recommendations were also formulated regarding addressing the values declared by respondents as being key in implementing IPR certification and minimising the gap in expectations regarding the price and the price obtained for certified products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Sustainable Agriculture: Pollution Prevention and Control Technologies)
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16 pages, 3460 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Effects and Mechanisms of the Eco–Substrate in Aquaculture Environment Restoration from an Ecosystem Perspective via the Ecopath Model
by Kai Zhang, Junxian Jiang, Zhifei Li, Ermeng Yu, Wangbao Gong, Yun Xia, Jingjing Tian, Hongyan Li, Wenping Xie, Jun Xie and Guangjun Wang
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2955; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072955 - 2 Apr 2024
Viewed by 944
Abstract
Aquaculture supplies high-quality and healthy proteins. With the increasing human demand for aquaculture production, intensive pond aquaculture developed rapidly and results in environmental deterioration. To solve this problem, the eco-substrate (ES), which is the biofilm carrier, has been utilized in aquaculture ponds. Studying [...] Read more.
Aquaculture supplies high-quality and healthy proteins. With the increasing human demand for aquaculture production, intensive pond aquaculture developed rapidly and results in environmental deterioration. To solve this problem, the eco-substrate (ES), which is the biofilm carrier, has been utilized in aquaculture ponds. Studying the ecological mechanisms of ES from the perspective of the ecosystem may be conducive to the sustainable development of aquaculture. In this study, it was evaluated how ES makes a difference to the trophic structure, energy flow, and system characteristics of two different aquaculture pond ecosystems via the ecopath model. Three aquaculture ponds with ES were designed as the treatment ecosystem and three aquaculture ponds without ES were designed as the control ecosystem. There were 13 and 14 functional groups in the control and treatment ecosystems, respectively. The results showed that (1) the macrozooplankton and microzooplankton showed strong effects on the ecosystem in the keystoneness index; (2) energy transfer pathways in the treatment system with ES increased by 26.23% compared to the control system; (3) the ES improved the utilization rate of detritus, which was 14.91% higher than that of the control ecosystem; (4) the material and energy flow index and network information characteristics demonstrated the ES enhanced the complexity and stability of the treatment system. To improve the energy utilization efficiency, filter feeders can be introduced to ES ponds. Overall, the ES can alter the trophic structure, improve the energy utilization efficiency, and enhance the stability and maturity of aquaculture ecosystems, representing a sustainable practice. Considering the total area of aquaculture ponds on the earth reaching more than 5 million hectares, the application prospect of ES is broad. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Sustainable Agriculture: Pollution Prevention and Control Technologies)
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14 pages, 2617 KiB  
Article
Potential Risk Identification of Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution: A Case Study of Yichang City, Hubei Province
by Jinfeng Yang, Xuelei Wang, Xinrong Li, Zhuang Tian, Guoyuan Zou, Lianfeng Du and Xuan Guo
Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16324; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316324 - 27 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1141
Abstract
Potential risk identification of agricultural nonpoint source pollution (ANPSP) is essential for pollution control and sustainable agriculture. Herein, we propose a novel method for potential risk identification of ANPSP via a comprehensive analysis of risk sources and sink factors. A potential risk assessment [...] Read more.
Potential risk identification of agricultural nonpoint source pollution (ANPSP) is essential for pollution control and sustainable agriculture. Herein, we propose a novel method for potential risk identification of ANPSP via a comprehensive analysis of risk sources and sink factors. A potential risk assessment index system (PRAIS) was established. The proposed method was used to systematically evaluate the potential risk level of ANPSP of Yichang City, Hubei Province. The potential risk of ANPSP in Yichang City was 18.86%. High-risk areas account for 4.95% and have characteristics such as high nitrogen and phosphorus application rates, large soil erosion factors, and low vegetation coverage. Compared with the identification results of the Diffuse Pollution estimation with the Remote Sensing (DPeRS) model, the area difference of the same risk level calculated by the PRAIS was reduced by 33.9% on average. This indicates that PRAIS has the same level of accuracy as the DPeRS model in identifying potential risks of ANPSP. Thus, a rapid and efficient identification system of potential risks of regional ANPSP was achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Sustainable Agriculture: Pollution Prevention and Control Technologies)
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Review

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14 pages, 1361 KiB  
Review
Environmental Biomonitoring of Heavy and Toxic Metals Using Honeybees and Their Products—An Overview of Previous Research
by Saša Zavrtnik, Jelena Loborec, Sanja Kapelj and Ivana Grčić
Sustainability 2024, 16(19), 8526; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198526 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 801
Abstract
Humans and bees share millennia of history that have resulted in ever-increasing connection and interdependence. Thus, today, it is impossible to ignore the influence of humans on bees, particularly regarding the decrease in their numbers due to environmental contamination. Although they do not [...] Read more.
Humans and bees share millennia of history that have resulted in ever-increasing connection and interdependence. Thus, today, it is impossible to ignore the influence of humans on bees, particularly regarding the decrease in their numbers due to environmental contamination. Although they do not cause immediate mortality, heavy and toxic metals, along with dangers such as bee diseases, pesticides, habitat destruction, and climate change, threaten the number of bees and should not be ignored. Honeybees, their colonies, and their products are recognized as accumulators of metals and biological indicators of the presence of these metals in all environmental components. This study is an overview of prominent research from the past three decades on heavy and toxic metal levels in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.), honey, wax, and pollen. This research compares metals such as Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn in natural environments and in an environment where anthropogenic pressure manifests. The presented studies represent a range of research using analytical methods to determine the presence of heavy and toxic metals in different segments of bees and their products, linking these findings with the state of the environment. It has been repeatedly established that if heavy and toxic metals are present in higher concentrations in components of the environment that are under anthropogenic pressure, then their concentrations in bees, honey, and wax will also be higher. By summarizing this research in one place, this study can provide guidelines for future scientific work on this subject, promoting sustainable development through safe beekeeping and healthy bees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Sustainable Agriculture: Pollution Prevention and Control Technologies)
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