scholarly journals DigiPrime: Digital Platform for Circular Economy in Cross-Sectorial Sustainable Value Networks

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Elena Mossali ◽  
Marco Diani ◽  
Marcello Colledani
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Economic Opportunity ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Digital Platform ◽  
Sustainable Value ◽  
Value Added Products

Circular Economy is the solution for the current environmental crisis, representing a huge economic opportunity to build new sustainable businesses. However, many barriers need to be faced for its implementation at industrial scale—firstly, the lack of data sharing between the different stakeholders of product value-chains. The DigiPrime project is an EU-funded Innovation Action aimed at developing and demonstrating a digital platform with services able to unlock innovative cross-sectorial business models for the remanufacturing and recycling of target value-added products. In this paper, the concept behind the DigiPrime project is reported, with a particular focus on the construction sector.

scholarly journals Basic Steps to Promote Biorefinery Value Chains in Forestry in Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 11731
Author(s):  
Swati Tamantini ◽  
Alberto Del Lungo ◽  
Manuela Romagnoli ◽  
Alessandro Paletto ◽  
Michael Keller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Value Added ◽  
Energy Generation ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Wood Biomass ◽  
Wood Industry ◽  
Lignocellulosic Feedstock ◽  
New Methodologies ◽  
End Use ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Value Added Products

Biorefineries are an important pillar to conduct the transition toward a circular bioeconomy. Forestry value chains produce wood biomass from harvesting and processing residues that have potential to be used in biorefineries, but currently, these residues are mostly used for energy generation. New biorefineries and new methodologies of wood fractionation allow the production of high value-added products based on carbohydrates and lignin. However, biorefineries based on lignocellulosic feedstock are still few in European countries and even less in Italy. The present study analyses the processes involved in a scenario of establishment of forest biorefineries, reviewing the main components and the actual organization of forestry value chains in Italy. The aim is to have a general vision, to identify and to focus the possibilities of the actual value chains and to fill gaps. The development of the territories is thought of in a perspective of a broader repertoire and more branched value chains than simple energy-generation end use, reviewing the tool for a feasibility study that could potentially involve lignocellulosic biorefineries also based on forest-wood industry feedstocks.

scholarly journals Circular Economy Model: Insights from a Case Study in South Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Palmieri ◽  
Alessandro Suardi ◽  
Vincenzo Alfano ◽  
Luigi Pari
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Economic Evaluations ◽  
South Italy ◽  
New Business

This study aims to analyze the economic and environmental sustainability of a case study of an energy power plant that produces electricity from pruning residues of olive groves from nine municipalities in southern Italy. To assess the economic sustainability of the agro-energetic chain, the profitability and efficiency ratios are calculated. Moreover, the GHG emissions of the agro-energetic pruning supply chain due to both the pruning collection at the field level, and their combustion for energy production at the power plant, are calculated. To put together the environmental and economic evaluations, the ecoefficiency ratio was calculated to measure the value added per 1Mg of GHG emitted into the atmosphere. The findings show the whole agro-energetic chain, namely the power plant and the collection company have both a good return on owner’s equity (ROE) ratio (15.89% and 31.48%, respectively) and ROI ratio (4.34% and 6.14% respectively). Moreover, the power plant’s ecoefficiency ratio (2.64€ per 1Mg of GHG) is slightly lower than harvest firm one (2.91€ per 1Mg of GHG). The findings could be useful to develop new business models based on the circular economy concept. In fact, the business model proposed could push entrepreneurs towards new income opportunities, at the same time, helping local farms and reducing the environmental impacts.

scholarly journals Design and Development of Cellulosic Bionanocomposites from Forestry Waste Residues for 3D Printing Applications

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3462
Author(s):  
Maya Jacob John ◽  
Nokuzola Dyanti ◽  
Teboho Mokhena ◽  
Victor Agbakoba ◽  
Bruce Sithole
Keyword(s):  
Fourier Transform ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Screw Extruder ◽  
Chemically Modified ◽  
Cellulose Nanofibres ◽  
Twin Screw ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Polybutylene Succinate ◽  
Value Added Products

This paper deals with the development of cellulose nanofibres (CNFs) reinforced biopolymers for use in packaging applications. Cellulose nanofibres were extracted from sawdust by a combination of chemical and mechanical treatments. The extracted cellulose nanofibres were chemically modified (fCNFs) and characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Bionanocomposites were prepared from biopolymers polylactic acid/polybutylene succinate (PLA/PBS) and cellulose nanofibres by compounding in a twin-screw extruder followed by injection moulding. The developed bionanocomposites were subjected to mechanical and thermal characterisation. As part of product development, CNF-biopolymer pellets were also extruded into filaments which were then 3D printed into prototypes. This work is a successful demonstration of conversion of waste residues into value-added products, which is aligned to the principles of circular economy and sustainable development.

scholarly journals TOWARDS CRYSTALLIZING CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 175-194
Author(s):  
AGNIESZKA KARMAN ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Value Proposition ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Creation

Circular Economy (CE) can be promoted and supported by the creation of new and innovative business models which embed CE principles into organisations’ value chains. This paper provides a review of approaches to the circular business model (CBM). We conducted a literature review, including content analysis, and examined publications (51 papers) on circular business models published in English in peerreviewed journals. Our objective was to provide an overview and systematize the stateof-the-art in CE-oriented business model approaches. The following research questions were posed in relation to the objective: Which sub-processes and components are included in the Circular Business Models (CBM)? Which CBM archetypes have already been established? Which strategies and other factors support the creation/ transformation of the CBM? The results of the studies were presented in five areas encompassing the following: 1) development (including the methodologies of development and transformation), value proposition, creation and delivery, 2) CBM archetypes, 3) circular strategies, 4) the determinants of development and transformation of business models for CE. The paper contributes to the improved understanding of circular business models. It consolidates related research by offering an overarching conceptual framework. It also points to the directions of future research.

scholarly journals A template for sustainable food value chains

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Monastyrnaya ◽  
Gwenola Yannou Le Bris ◽  
Bernard Yannou ◽  
Gaëlle Petit
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Graphical Representation ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Pork Industry ◽  
Business Model Canvas ◽  
Sustainable Value ◽  
Collaborative Efforts ◽  
Food Value

This paper proposes a template to assist food value chain actors in their collaborative efforts to develop common sustainable strategies and business models. Inspired by the simplicity of the Business Model Canvas, the template reintroduces sustainable practices as a support for management solutions for sustainable food value chains. The template requires cooperation between actors and stakeholders and comprises three steps: (1) identification of needs for sustainability; (2) development of value chain practices aimed to deliver sustainable value, and assignment of responsibilities to actors for these practices; and (3) formulation of a sustainable value proposition. The template also allows a simple graphical representation of sustainability in value chains, which helps improve communication between actors, and allows stakeholders to be kept informed. The template is applied to a sustainable pork value chain to illustrate how it captures various aspects of sustainability in the pork industry.

scholarly journals Wdrażanie modelu gospodarczego opartego na obiegu zamkniętym w biogospodarce

2021 ◽  
Vol 21(36) (3) ◽  
pp. 24-40
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Gralak
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Good Knowledge ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Different Dimensions

Implementing circular bioeconomy solutions is a complex issue. It requires a good knowledge of the concepts, the different processes of the circular economy and their expected impacts on sectors and value chains. However, research on the circular economy appears to be fragmented across disciplines and there are often different perspectives on the interpretation of the concept and related aspects to be assessed. This article reviews the literature on bioeconomy and closed-loop economy to better understand the concept, as well as its different dimensions and expected impacts. The aim of the article is to outline the concept of a circular bioeconomy along with a presentation of the main considerations for its implementation. Selected policy initiatives for the implementation of the closed-loop bioeconomy concept in the bioeconomy sector and business models dedicated to bioeconomy solutions are presented.

scholarly journals Yeast cell factories for sustainable whey-to-ethanol valorisation towards a circular economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1529-1549
Author(s):  
Patrícia Carvalho ◽  
Carlos E. Costa ◽  
Sara L. Baptista ◽  
Lucília Domingues
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Fermentation Process ◽  
Cheese Whey ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Yeast Fermentation ◽  
Biotechnological Applications ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Value Added Products

Cheese whey is the major by-product of the dairy industry, and its disposal constitutes an environmental concern. The production of cheese whey has been increasing, with 190 million tonnes per year being produced nowadays. Therefore, it is emergent to consider different routes for cheese whey utilization. The great nutritional value of cheese whey turns it into an attractive substrate for biotechnological applications. Currently, cheese whey processing includes a protein fractionating step that originates the permeate, a lactose-reach stream further used for valorisation. In the last decades, yeast fermentation has brought several advances to the search for biorefinery alternatives. From the plethora of value-added products that can be obtained from cheese whey, ethanol is the most extensively explored since it is the alternative biofuel most used worldwide. Thus, this review focuses on the different strategies for ethanol production from cheese whey using yeasts as promising biological systems, including its integration in lignocellulosic biorefineries. These valorisation routes encompass the improvement of the fermentation process as well as metabolic engineering techniques for the introduction of heterologous pathways, resorting mainly to Kluyveromyces sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. The solutions and challenges of the several strategies will be unveiled and explored in this review.

scholarly journals Recent Advances of Photocatalytic Hydrogenation of CO2 to Methanol

Catalysts ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Gajanan Y. Shinde ◽  
Abhishek S. Mote ◽  
Manoj B. Gawande
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Co2 Reduction ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Hydrocarbon Fuel ◽  
Photocatalytic Reduction ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Mixed Metal Oxide ◽  
Metal Organic ◽  
Reduction Of Co2 ◽  
Value Added Products

Constantly increasing hydrocarbon fuel combustion along with high levels of carbon dioxide emissions has given rise to a global energy crisis and environmental alterations. Photocatalysis is an effective technique for addressing this energy and environmental crisis. Clean and renewable solar energy is a very favourable path for photocatalytic CO2 reduction to value-added products to tackle problems of energy and the environment. The synthesis of various products such as CH4, CH3OH, CO, EtOH, etc., has been expanded through the photocatalytic reduction of CO2. Among these products, methanol is one of the most important and highly versatile chemicals widely used in industry and in day-to-day life. This review emphasizes the recent progress of photocatalytic CO2 hydrogenation to CH3OH. In particular, Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), mixed-metal oxide, carbon, TiO2 and plasmonic-based nanomaterials are discussed for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol. Finally, a summary and perspectives on this emerging field are provided.

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