Bridging the Gaps for a ‘Circular’ Bioeconomy: Selection Criteria, Bio-Based Value Chain and Stakeholder Mapping

Abstract

Bio-products and bio-based value chains have been identified as one of the most promising pathways to attaining a resource-efficient circular economy. Such a "valorization and value-addition" approach incorporates an intricate network of processes and actors, contributing to socioeconomic growth, environmental benefits and technological advances. In the present age of limited time and funding models to achieve ambitious sustainable development targets, whilst mitigating climate change, a systematic approach employing two-tier multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) can be useful in supporting the identification of promising bio-based value chains, that are significant to the EU plans for the bio-economy. Their identification is followed by an elaborate mapping of their value chains to visualize/foresee the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges attributable to those bio-based value chains. To demonstrate this methodology, a systematic review of 12 bio-based value chains, prevalent in the EU, sourcing their starting material from biomass and bio-waste, has been undertaken. The selected value chains are mapped to visualize the linkages and interactions between the different stages, chain actors, employed conversion routes, product application and existing/potential end-of-life options. This approach will help chain-actors, particularly investors and policy-makers, understand the complexities of such multi-actor systems and make informed decisions.

Fate of Residual Pesticides in Fruit and Vegetable Waste (FVW) Processing

“…At the same time, a Swedish study [ 3 ] determined that, among the diverse types of produce, apples, tomatoes, peppers and grapes are the ones generating almost 50% of the wastage at the supermarket level. From all this wasted biomass, the development of interesting by-products with applications in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries could be a promising pathway to reach a resource-efficient circular economy [ 4 ].…”

GIS method to design and assess the transportation performance of a decentralized biorefinery supply system and comparison with a centralized system: case study in southern Quebec, Canada

“…The reason for the fixed location of the two biorefineries is that they could coexist in an industrial park and thus benefit from potential industrial symbiosis. Capitalizing on existing infrastructure allows symbiosis to be implemented with other activities, e.g., a soybean and canola crushing and refining plant, or a corn‐grain ethanol plant with an anaerobic digester; industrial parks also have access to efficient transport infrastructure, water treatment, hydrogen production, cheap and reliable energy sources, and share RD&D specialized in green chemistry and renewable energies. An industrial ecology approach to transitioning an existing industrial park to a bio‐industrial park is an effective way to be more sustainable while reducing project costs and risks …”

Hybridised sustainability metrics for use in life cycle assessment of bio-based products: resource efficiency and circularity

“…Bio-based products have been identified as a promising pathway for a transition from linear to a resilient bio-based circular economy and could potentially contribute to 14 (out of the 17) United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 1,2 The sustainability and performance potential of the bio-based sector are determined by a number of factors, including the spatial spread of the supply-chain, agricultural systems, impact on the ecosystem, technology readiness and local skilllevel, which are captured via life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies. LCA is a robust certified approach that offers an impact-led sustainability analysis measuring the environ-mental impacts/credits associated with the use and reuse of resources 3,4 (similar to that presented in Fig.…”