Circular Economy

Working in smart city projects requires to bring together different players in this very diverse eco-system, from IT to product suppliers, service providers, finance, social innovators and of course the cities with their various departments. A good way to start is looking at top notch smart city projects as well as knowledge, matchmaking and IT platforms.

Industrial symbiosis (IS) optimizes resource use and minimizes waste by exchanging resources among industries. European initiatives invest in IS methodologies to enhance market adoption but face challenges like complexity and data availability. The identification process involves mapping, screening, and matchmaking, requiring collaboration and long-term viability assessments.

The article outlines approaches and a framework for pricing in industrial symbiosis, stressing fair and sustainable mechanisms, considering costs, earnings, risks, and value beyond economics for successful circular economies.

The EU project CORALIS explores biomass gasification's techno-economic feasibility for decarbonizing energy-intensive industries, highlighting its potential with syngas and biochar production as fossil fuel alternatives. Larger-scale operations demonstrate better economic returns, with significant positive impacts on industrial decarbonization efforts.

Professor Hussam Jouhara discusses the development of the Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser (HPCE), designed to reduce industrial energy consumption and emissions by recovering waste heat and water. Supported by the EU's Horizon 2020, HPCE overcomes challenges such as exhaust stream variability and corrosive condensates, aiming to enhance efficiency and environmental sustainability in industries, especially in the chemical sector, by promoting energy and material recovery.

A new framework evaluates industrial symbiosis, showing cost savings, revenue growth, risk reduction, and intangible benefits, advocating strategic partnerships and regulatory navigation for long-term sustainable advantage.

The CORALIS project highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement in promoting industrial symbiosis (IS) through participatory processes, as demonstrated in case studies from Spain, Austria, and Turkey, to overcome IS adoption barriers and foster sustainable industry practices.

Industrial symbiosis (IS) promotes sustainability via resource-sharing among firms, yet faces challenges in implementation due to economic, regulatory, and technological barriers. Future success depends on innovation, policy support, and cross-sector collaboration to overcome these hurdles.

The CORALIS project demonstrates how industrial symbiosis (IS) facilitates decarbonization by enabling cross-industry collaboration, leading to resource optimization and sustainability enhancement across European demonstrators. Key findings highlight the importance of managerial frameworks, trust, stakeholder engagement, and local authority support in successful IS implementation.