The Sustainable Management of Metals: An Analysis of Global Research

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze research trends in the field of sustainable management of metals on a global level between 1993 and 2017. To do so, a bibliometric analysis was carried out on a total of 6967 articles. The results revealed the growing interest in this research field, particularly over the last five year-period during which 63% of all articles were published. The three journals in which most articles had been published were the Journal of Cleaner Production, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, and Chemsuschem. The countries that published the most articles were China, the United States, India, Germany, and the United Kingdom. A sizeable network of collaboration has been established between countries for the joint publication of studies. The main lines of research have been focused on metal decontamination in water and soil, waste management oriented towards reuse and recycling, and the innovation of processes for cleaner and more efficient production. The results revealed the need for comprehensive studies that integrate different disciplines within the same analytical framework, and to promote research that contributes to the different dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social).

Contribution of Irrigation Ponds to the Sustainability of Agriculture. A Review of Worldwide Research

“…A bibliometric analysis was used to carry out this study. This method was developed in the 1950s by Garfield with the objective of identifying, organising, and assessing the principal components of a specific field of research [41][42][43]. Since then, this methodology has been used in different disciplines, such as biology, engineering, medicine, and economics [44].…”

An Analysis of the Worldwide Research on the Socio-Cultural Valuation of Forest Ecosystem Services

“…Second, this database provides greater accessibility [40,43]. Furthermore, it enables a more complete series of search, processing and downloading options of the complete data, unlike Web of Science (which only enables the downloading of the information contained in Core Collection) [44,45]. The parameters used for the search and selection of the sample of papers to be analysed include the concepts of the forest, ecosystem service and sociocultural valuation, as shown in Figure 1 [46].…”

Phytostabilization of store‐and‐release cover made with phosphate mine wastes in arid and semiarid climate using wild local plants

“…The physicochemical properties of the PW and amendments were determined using standard procedures published in the Official Methods of Soil Analysis (Aubert, 1978). pH (1:2.5 wt/vol soil water) and electrical conductivity (EC) (1:5 wt/vol soil water suspensions) were measured using a multiparameter probe-type WTW pH 1970i (Global Water Instrumentation; Weilheim, Germany).…”

“…In Morocco, there are ~200 abandoned mines of various sizes with differing environmental conditions (Khalil et al, 2013). The abandoned mines containing metal tailings are especially problematic and represent a priority of a research project focused on the stabilization and management of mining wastes (Aznar‐Sánchez, Velasco‐Muñoz, García‐Gómez, & López‐Serrano, 2018; Hakkou, Benzaazoua, & Bussière, 2009; Lghoul, Maqsoud, Hakkou, & Kchikach, 2014).…”