Call for Abstracts// Circular Economy: Addressing the novel concept of water-food-energy nexus for the sustainable future

About this Research Topic:

Today, the growing world population has resulted in a surging demand on food, water resources, energy and technological development. Projections of the future water, energy, and food demands show an exponential rising trend, while a series of the available natural resources could be significantly deteriorated via environmental degradation, pollution and climate change, with substantial burdens on the social, economic, and environmental implications. Circular economy and nexus approach are novel concepts in the realm of the sustainability discourse. While circular economy has been devoted to removing waste and pollution through reducing, reusing, recycling and recovery of resources, the nexus approach has been structured to waste minimization and efficiency improvement by focusing on the inter-linkages between resource management. The transition from a linear to a circular economy requires a joint effort by stakeholders from different sectors. Within this context, circular economy has been highlighted to be a key driver for addressing the unique relationships between the sectors of water-food-energy nexus, mainly by:

  • Realigning the domestic, agricultural, and industrial discharges with the natural water cycle;
  • Improving water use efficiency by pursuing all possibilities of water treatment, recycling or reuse, specifically via the exploration of sustainable environmental management systems related to natural water, food and energy courses, implementation of new emerging soilless cultivation technologies and renewable energy resources application;
  • Establishing health risk and hazard assessment guidelines for environmental preservation and public health protection;
  • Policies review related to water, food and energy management strategies, and smart partnerships;
  • Implementing better resources allocation.

This Research Topic will focus on the smart management of water, food, environmental resources, and energy or their nexus towards successive achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The research work, fundamental findings or comprehensive reviews with scientific outputs addressing the SDGs are of paramount importance.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions related, but not limited, to:

  • Identification, detection, characterization, and remediation of environmental pollutants of emerging concern;
  • Integrated management of water, food, energy or environmental resources;
  • Nanotechnologies and green treatment techniques;
  • New emerging environmental management systems and the built environment;
  • Restoration of the natural ecosystem and public health improvement;
  • Environmental risk, bio-accumulative hazards, water or food safety, and toxicity;
  • Techno-economic studies of environmental pollutants treatment and reuse;
  • Water, food, energy or environmental policies related to sustainable development;
  • Treatment, reduce, recycling and reuse of water, food, bioresources or energy;
  • Implementing concept of waste to wealth;
  • Water-Food nexus, Water-Energy nexus, Food-Energy or Water-Food-Energy nexus;
  • Environmental resources management strategies related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Submissions Deadlines

Abstract: 19 August 2022

Submit your abstract here!

Manuscript: 20 October 2022

Submit your manuscript here!

Keywords:

Bio-accumulative hazard, Circular economy, Energy, Environmental resources management, Environmental risk, Food toxicity, Green treatment, Policy, Public Health, Recycling, Sustainable development, Waste-to-wealth, Water, Water-Food-Energy nexus, Water safety

Important Note:

All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

For further information visit the original Call for Abstracts on the Frontiers In webpage.