Aims
The Journal of Resource Valorization & Circular Systems (JRVCS) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing fundamental and applied research that transforms waste, by-products, and underutilized resources into high-value products while promoting circular economy principles. The journal seeks to bridge materials science, environmental engineering, green chemistry, and systems thinking to support sustainable production and consumption. It provides an international platform for innovative strategies that minimize resource depletion and environmental impact while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among academia, industry, and policymakers to accelerate the implementation of resource valorization technologies.
The primary aims of the journal are to:
- Publish original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, empirical studies, and case reports that advance the understanding of resource valorization pathways, circular system design, and their translational implications for sustainability transitions.
- Provide a dedicated scholarly platform for interdisciplinary research integrating industrial ecology, environmental engineering, materials science, waste management, life-cycle assessment, circular economy policy, and sustainable systems innovation.
- Promote the translation of laboratory and pilot-scale discoveries into scalable resource valorization technologies, circular business models, and policy-relevant applications across industrial and urban systems.
- Foster global academic collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and geographical regions while encouraging diverse, regionally representative, and practice-informed scholarship.
- Uphold the highest standards of publication ethics, editorial integrity, rigorous peer review, and research transparency in accordance with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
- Establish a structured pathway toward international indexing in Scopus and subsequently Web of Science, enhancing the academic visibility, policy relevance, and societal impact of published research.
Scope
The Journal of Resource Valorization & Circular Systems (JRVCS) welcomes high-quality submissions addressing the full spectrum of scientific, technological, engineering, environmental, and policy-related aspects of resource recovery, waste valorization, circular economy, and sustainable systems. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
1. Waste-to-Resource Conversion Pathways
- Physicochemical, biological, and thermochemical technologies for converting organic, inorganic, and mixed waste streams into value-added products, including biofuels, chemicals, materials, and energy.
- Role of microbial consortia and enzyme systems in bioconversion, anaerobic digestion, and fermentation for resource recovery.
- Valorization of complex waste matrices and their diagnostic and performance significance in circular processes.
2. Translational Science and Process Engineering
- Mechanistic understanding of material degradation, transformation, and upcycling processes.
- Process optimization and scale-up for valorization technologies at the laboratory-to-industrial interface.
- Genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics applied to waste-degrading organisms and bioprocess design.
- Translational studies investigating novel catalysts, solvents, and separation systems for circular applications.
3. Circular Materials and Sustainable Manufacturing
- Design, characterization, and life-cycle performance of secondary raw materials, recycled composites, and bio-based alternatives.
- Circular product design, design-for-disassembly, and modular manufacturing systems.
- Material flow analysis, material passports, and strategies to mitigate degradation and contamination in recycling loops.
- Resource efficiency and closed-loop production in construction, textiles, electronics, and packaging industries.
4. Process Analytics and Digital Systems for Circularity
- Sensor-based monitoring, material characterization, and quality assurance of secondary feedstocks and products.
- Application of spectroscopy, chromatography, and advanced imaging technologies in waste characterization and process control.
- Digital twins, artificial intelligence-assisted sorting, blockchain traceability, and computational modelling of circular systems.
- Real-time diagnostics and data-driven optimization in resource recovery facilities.
5. Resource Microbiology and Environmental Biotechnology
- Microbial valorization of agricultural, food, and industrial residues, including waste-to-energy and waste-to-product technologies.
- Microbiome characterization in composting, landfills, and bioreactors and its relationship to process stability and productivity.
- Fate and mitigation of contaminants, pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance in circular resource streams.
6. Systems Ecology and Industrial Symbiosis
- Ecosystem-based approaches to industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks, and cross-sector material exchange.
- Metabolic and trophic interactions in circular bioeconomy systems.
- Nutrient cycling, carbon loops, and energy cascades within urban and regional resource networks.
- Resilience and feedback mechanisms in coupled human–natural resource systems.
7. Regenerative Design and Bio-Inspired Systems
- Bio-inspired and biomimetic approaches to material and process design for circularity.
- Biomaterials science for sustainable construction, packaging, and consumer products.
- Bio-based binders, mycelium composites, and scaffold-based regenerative material systems.
8. Green Chemistry, Sustainable Processing, and Product Stewardship
- Solvent selection, reaction efficiency, and atom economy in resource valorization.
- Life-cycle-based design of chemicals, materials, and products that minimize toxicity and maximize circularity.
- Extended producer responsibility, eco-design, and sustainable end-of-life product management.
9. Circular Economy Metrics, Policy, and Global Resource Governance
- Global material flows, waste trade, and their relationship to sustainability and equity.
- Population-level resource consumption, material footprints, and resource accessibility.
- Policy instruments, economic incentives, and integration of circular economy principles within industrial and urban planning.
10. Integrated Assessment and Implementation Science
- Interdisciplinary case studies demonstrating techno-economic-environmental integration in circular economy transitions.
- Pre-implementation assessment and optimization of circular interventions in industrial and municipal systems.
- Risk assessment, safety considerations, and life-cycle management at the interface of technology, policy, and global markets.