Circular bioeconomy: industrial symbiosis in the bio-based industrial ecosystem
The bioeconomy is a hot topic these days, right up at the top of policy agendas. It involves using renewable natural resources as a raw material. The circular bioeconomy introduces circularity into this concept: using what would otherwise be thrown away, using spent biological resources to regenerate ecosystems and minimising waste.
The ECESP website has a good selection of circular bioeconomy-themed content. This series will shine a spotlight on it.
Circular bioeconomy concept: industrial symbiosis in the bio-based industrial ecosystem
The SYMBA project focuses on Securing Local Supply Chains via the Development of New Methods to Assess the Circularity and Symbiosis of the Bio-based Industrial Ecosystem.
It is funded by the Horizon Europe programme and will help deliver bio-based solutions with reduced environmental impacts on soil, water and air quality.
The project aims to achieve this by creating an innovative method of industrial symbiosis which can be replicated across the EU, geared to the local/regional bio-based industrial ecosystem. This method will be used to help design zero-waste value chains.
The project comprises 50 R&I projects and nine partners in five EU Member States (Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark). It is aligned with the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and has three objectives:
- to devise and test a new industrial symbiosis methodology for the bio-based sector. This methodology will build on the partners' knowledge and expertise;
- to identify criteria for selecting regional hubs;
- to establish an AI database. This will include monitoring tools, a waste relation matrix, networking and cooperation with EU and local networks.
The project started on 1 January 2024 and will last 36 months.
- The project will establish a database suggesting industrial symbiosis processes for creating zero-waste, locally-oriented value chains, improving the way that economic and social benefits are distributed between stakeholders and increasing the economic value of final products.
- This user-friendly, AI-driven database will act as a tool for identifying and implementing innovative processes, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and driving the transition towards circularity.