Green Urban (RE) Generation: A Research and Practice Methodology to Better Implement Green Urban Infrastructure Solutions

Green Urban Infrastructure Solutions (GUIS) are becoming more and more popular globally. Recent research reveals the environmental benefits derived from GUIS as well as their contribution to climate change adaptation. However, the urgent need for GUIS in order to meet the Paris Agreement, has not translated into an easy implementation thereof. This paper proposes a circular design methodology (CDM) where the combination of research and practice contributes to minimize both current skepticism and barriers when implementing GUIS. It includes a community engagement process to better understand their sensitivity and build consensus on GUIS. Additionally, GUIS are implemented, in a series of pilot projects and specific research is applied to comprehend the environmental benefits derived from these GUIS. The paper argues that GUIS represent a significant opportunity to respond to climate change risks as well as to achieve other urban benefits; however, in order to overcome existing barriers and skepticism, the proposed CDM reaches for more consensual urban solutions and drives uptake and implementation of GUIS, contributing to move from pilot project to common practice.

Pilot Scale Production of Precast Concrete Elements with Wood Biomass Ash

Downsizing fossil fuel dependence and greenhouse gas emissions is at the forefront of a sustainable future. The expansion of renewable energy while striving to minimize dependence on fossil fuels has led to biomass taking the lead among renewable energy sources, with wood having the broadest application. Along with the growing trend of using biomass as a renewable energy source, the combustion of wood biomass results in wood biomass ash (WBA), leading to compelling amounts of waste. In this study, the technical feasibility of fly WBA from different Croatian power plants was analyzed to evaluate its potential use in precast concrete drainage elements and curb units. By implementing a performance-based design, the influence of various factors in thermal processing of wood biomass was investigated, together with a detailed characterization of WBA in order to assess the feasibility of using WBA as a secondary raw material in a large-scale industrial batching plant. The compressive strength and durability properties (water absorption, permeability, and freeze–thaw resistance) of concrete mixtures with WBA as a replacement for 15 wt% cement were evaluated and compared with the precast concrete manufacturer’s technical requirements. The main concerns identified were compositional inconsistency of WBA, workability downturn, delay in initial reactivity rate, and increased water absorption. Concrete with WBA based on a circular design has been found to be a viable solution to cement depletion, stepping up from recycling to reuse of industrial waste.

Life Cycle Analysis of Disposed and Recycled End-of-Life Photovoltaic Panels in Australia

This study presents a life cycle analysis (LCA) of end-of-life (EoL) photovoltaic (PV) systems in Australia. Three different EoL scenarios are considered for 1 kWh of electricity generation across a 30-year PV system lifespan: (i) disposal to landfill, (ii) recycling by laminated glass recycling facility (LGRF), and (iii) recycling by full recovery of EoL photovoltaics (FRELP). It is found that recycling technologies reduce the overall impact score of the cradle-to-grave PV systems from 0.00706 to 0.00657 (for LGRF) and 0.00523 (for FRELP), as measured using the LCA ReCiPe endpoint single score. The CO2 emissions to air decrease slightly from 0.059 kg CO2 per kWh (landfill) to 0.054 kg CO2 per kWh (for LGRF) and 0.046 kg CO2 per kWh (for FRELP). Increasing the PV system lifespan from 30 years to 50 and 100 years (a hypothetical scenario) improves the ReCiPe endpoint single-score impact from 0.00706 to 0.00424 and 0.00212, respectively, with corresponding CO2 emissions reductions from 0.059 kg CO2 per kWh to 0.035 and 0.018 kg CO2 per kWh, respectively. These results show that employing recycling slightly reduces the environmental impact of the EoL PV systems. It is, however, noted that recycling scenarios do not consider the recycling plant construction step due to a lack of data on these emerging PV panel recycling plants. Accounting for the latter will increase the environmental impact of the recycling scenarios, possibly defeating the purpose of recycling. Increasing the lifespan of the PV systems increases the longevity of the use of panel materials and is therefore favorable towards reducing environmental impacts. Our findings strongly suggest that PV recycling steps and technologies be carefully considered before implementation. More significantly, it is imperative to consider the circular design step up front, where PV systems are designed via circular economy principles such as utility and longevity and are rolled out through circular business models.

The Circular Retrofit Lab: a multi-disciplinary development of a building envelope according to circular design qualities

From 2016 until 2019, the Circular Retrofit Lab (CRL) was realised within the H2020-funded project Building As Material Banks (BAMB). The CRL was an experimental pilot project concerning the refurbishment of eight student housing modules in Brussels, Belgium. The lab aims to demonstrate how to implement circular building design in a retrofitting project. This paper discusses the design choices and the outcome of the CRL’s building envelope. That envelope consists of a modular façade system of prefabricated panels. The innovative, adaptable and reusable building solutions applied in the CRL have been developed in collaboration with various construction stakeholders and included, exceptionally in the design and construction process, also industrial partners. In this study, we go deeper into the impact of the multi-disciplinary approach on the resulting implementation of a circular building envelope. Through a reflexive learning-history workshop, we can show how the involvement of various actors and unconventional circularity requirements increase the complexity of the project, but also how they positively impact the reactivation of existing buildings and proved to be a lasting learning opportunity to all partners involved.

Managing Circular Business Model Uncertainties with Future Adaptive Design

Designing products that can adapt to changes over time is crucial for managing product-related business risks in circular business models. However, there is limited circular economy research on how product adaptivity can contribute to more circular products and business models, especially in the early phases of business development and design. To address this research gap, this conceptual paper builds on the adaptable design concept and incorporates ideas from research on circular business models and circular design literature. It proposes a framework we collectively term “Future Adaptive Design” to help manage product-related business risks in circular business models and investigates related design strategies for product-based companies aiming to adopt circular business models.

Integrating Repair into Product Design Education: Insights on Repair, Design and Sustainability

With the pressure of growing environmental problems, the world is changing, and so is the paradigm of design. Accordingly, the calls for change in design education are increasing throughout the literature day by day. As the designers of the future, students must be prepared for alternative scenarios. This paper provides insights into students’ learning outcomes and competencies related to repair and sustainability in the context of an assignment that integrates repair into design education. This assignment has been part of the master’s degree design course at Linköping University for the last 3 years. During these 3 years, 52 repair projects, including a diverse range of products, were developed. Aiming to find out the insights of this process, focus group sessions were conducted. As a result of these focus group sessions, 12 insights were developed, such as the concepts of brokenness, designed repair, and repair-worthy objects. Findings show that practices of repair constitute complex sites of learning, technical skill and knowledge which could enable novice designers to become competent in circular design. This paper is of value for design educators and researchers, especially those concerned with the repair and circular economy, as it can facilitate future attempts to further integrate circular strategies into design education.

Causality seafood processing circular supply chain capabilities in qualitative data analytics

PurposeThis study establishes a set of seafood processing circular supply chain capabilities (CSCCs) in Vietnam using qualitative data analytics. This study specifies the interrelationships and hierarchical structure comprising six aspects and 24 criteria for the seafood processing circular supply chain in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachFuzzy Delphi method is used to confirm the validity. Fuzzy set theory is used to deal with the complexity and uncertainties from the qualitative information. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method is used to examine the interrelationships among attributes. The analytical network process segregates (or displays) the capabilities in a hierarchical structure.FindingsThe results show that management control and technological capability dominate in circular design, circular sourcing, circular production and resource recovery. In practices, the strategic planning, action planning, information technology and technological facilities are important to seafood processing industry.Originality/valueThe CSCCs are pivotal in establishing a concrete foundation for the execution of circular supply chain management, with the aim of optimizing resource utilization and eliminating waste; however, prior studies have lacked a focus on the capability associated interrelationships and hierarchical structure in qualitative data analytics.