Search results for " Circular Economy"
showing 10 items of 54 documents
A methodological approach for assessing businness investments in renewable resources from a circular economy perspective
2018
Abstract In this paper, we have analyzed a feasibility project for the realization of a biogas plant at a company in the viticulture sector located in south-central Sicily. Using engineering formulas, we identified the electrical power that the plant could produce using waste products created by the vineyard itself, examined the new and interesting opportunities that have arisen with the encouragement and development of biogas production in Italy, and then assessed the economic feasibility of the investment itself, considering an investment scheme of total capital self-financing. The possibility of using wastes from wine production comes from an in-depth study of the circular economy, that …
Valorization of Marine Waste: Use of Industrial By-Products and Beach Wrack Towards the Production of High Added-Value Products
2021
Biomass is defined as organic matter from living organisms represented in all kingdoms. It is recognized to be an excellent source of proteins, polysaccharides and lipids and, as such, embodies a tailored feedstock for new products and processes to apply in green industries. The industrial processes focused on the valorization of terrestrial biomass are well established, but marine sources still represent an untapped resource. Oceans and seas occupy over 70% of the Earth’s surface and are used intensively in worldwide economies through the fishery industry, as logistical routes, for mining ores and exploitation of fossil fuels, among others. All these activities produce waste. The other sou…
Sustainable, circular and innovative value chains using growing substrata alternative to peat for the cultivation of nutraceutical species
2019
The modern agricultural system is wasteful, with Europe generating some 700 million tonnes of agricultural and food waste each year. In the context of the agri-food chain, the ‘circular economy’ aims to reduce waste while also making best use of the ‘wastes’ produced by using economically viable processes and procedures to increase their value. In this paper we will try to frame the key issues associated with food waste into the emerging bioeconomy and circular-economic mode, suggesting that these three concepts are intertwined, and considering them unitarily might provide win-win solutions that minimize wastage, promote income growth and job creation, and prompt sustainable local developme…
Hemp flour, from waste to nutritional and nutraceuticals reuse
2023
One of the main objectives of recent years is to characterize and valorize by-products of agri-food industries, as new sources of bioactive components, from the perspective of a circular economy and a biorefinery approach both for environmental and economic reasons. Hemp flour, obtained from Cannabis sativa seeds, is an example of promising bio-sustainability raw material with a high nutritional value that can be obtained from industrial by-products. From C. sativa seeds is obtained an oil rich in fatty acids, mainly linoleic and α-linolenic acids [1]. After oil extraction, seeds can be ground to obtain edible flour. Foods fortified with these “non-wheat flours” would have an additional sup…
Architectural technologies for life environment: spent coffee ground reuse, a novel way to intend architectural and engineering products?
2021
Green architecture is the novel trend in construction that considers innovative materials and solutions to architectural design and engineering build. Then the use of advanced organic materials and renewable energy resources are the new path followed by “bio-designers”. In this context, particularly important are the novel economic and social criteria, often related to ethical issues, whose aim is generating a low environmental impact. In fact, bio-architectural construction contemplates the reuse of industrial bio-wastes to manufacture novel green materials with enhanced performances. The main approach behind a green building is that the whole construction life cycle must be eco-sustainabl…
Packaging and plastic are synonymous with waste: But is that really the case?
2022
The paper presents the value of packaging and misconceptions about plastic. In addition to shedding light on clichés and fake news about plastic and packaging, it outlines opportunities to consider the use and management of packaging for responsible waste collection; and new forms of consumption and supply chains to facilitate the transition from the current linear consumption model to one that is more responsible and open to a circular economy.
Sine cura. Verso il ri-ciclo dell'architettura del secondo Novecento
2019
Gli argomenti discussi nel saggio interrogano il destino che il Codice dei Beni Culturali (2004- 2011) determina per le opere del secondo Novecento. Nella costruzione del futuro di questi manufatti, che per funzione, tecnologia e cicli d’uso sono spesso segnati dall’obsolescenza e dall’abbandono, le ambiguità e le incongruenze delle attuali procedure legislative sollecitano profondamente il ruolo culturale delle esperienze di ricerca che usano metodologie meta progettuali. Il confronto fra alcuni casi italiani ed altri europei rimarca il ruolo del progetto nella costruzione di una prospettiva di tutela trasformativa per il costruito del secondo Novecento. Nel quadro di azione marcato dall’o…
Città, economia circolare e pianificazione urbanistica
2019
Il progressivo sviluppo delle interdipendenze economiche a scala globale ha influenzato anche la rapida crescita della produzione d’inquinanti e rifiuti di ogni sorta, richiamando l’attenzione della comunità europea e delle nazioni unite sulle politiche urbane, la loro efficacia e la loro integrazione. Le città e le regioni urbane costituiscono le maggiori aree di criticità dove si concentra la maggiore produzione di rifiuti urbani con impatti negativi sulla salute umana e sull’ambiente. Per lungo tempo l’aumento dei rifiuti urbani è stato considerato, come altri inquinanti, un problema alla coda di ogni processo produttivo e di consumo ed è stato affrontato con strumenti settoriali, come d…
Energy and environmental benefits of circular economy strategies: The case study of reusing used batteries from electric vehicles
2019
Abstract According to recent literature and technical analyses, used batteries from electric vehicles can still be used, before the final treatment at the end-of-life, in stationary applications that are usually less stressing than the automotive ones. In this framework, a circular economy inspired pathway is emerging between the building and the transportation sector, generally called “second life” of batteries. Used batteries from electric vehicles can be re-used in residential buildings together with renewable electricity generation technologies to improve the matching between the highly variable electricity generation from renewables and the electricity demand in buildings. This study a…
Analysis of Operational Parameters in Acid and Base Production Using an Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes Pilot Plant
2023
In agreement with the Water Framework Directive, Circular Economy and European Union (EU) Green Deal packages, the EU-funded WATER-MINING project aims to validate next-generation water resource solutions at the pre-commercial demonstration scale in order to provide water management and recovery of valuable materials from alternative sources. In the framework of the WATER-MINING project, desalination brines from the Lampedusa (Italy) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant will be used to produce freshwater and recover valuable salts by integrating different technologies. In particular, electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) will be used to produce chemicals (NaOH and HCl). A novel EDBM…