Fundamentals of Circular Economy and Industrial Ecology

This course offers an introduction to Circular Economy, starting off with the limits of the current system and describes how circular thinking can offer a promising alternative. Circular Economy is presented, on the basis of designing a new approach on transforming wastes of one process as the input to another, towards the key approach, that in the system under investigation the wastes produced are zero. The wastes as resources and the materials and energy recovery from different waste streams will be presented and analyse as it is the core of circular economy. The role of the 3Re approach (Repairability, Reusability and Recyclability) will be analyze and presented in the context of circular economy. The principles, the methods and the tools for achieving circularity in the economy can be achieved. The required novel thinking is presented under the context of industrial systems as basic and key actors in the effort. The critical role of ecodesign will be presented and the approach of transforming wastes as resources will be explained, through materials and energy efficiency. The role of Industry and Industrial Ecology and ecosystems will be analyzed as a successful approach towards the specified efforts. The focus will be also on material cycles and energy flow, as the two most successful case studies in the Industrial ecosystems. Case studies involving the transition from a linear to a circular approach in terms of products and processes will be presented, focusing on the market result and consumer benefits.