Circular economy patterns and the bio-economy: general ...federationofscientists.org/PlanetaryEmergencies/Seminars/49th/49_Marazza.pdfWood-based industry 473 136 3452 Bio-chemicals

The potential of the bioeconomy and the consequent transition

towards circular economy patterns

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Diego Marazza

Circular economy patterns and the bio-economy: general principles and specific applications in Organic Waste treatment 

University of Bologna, Italy

49th Int. Seminars on Planetary Emergencies Erice, August 2016

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BIOECONOMY - THE GREEN HOPE

In the frame of the wider concept of green economy, bioeconomy is centred on the use of renewable raw materials and application of research, development and innovation and industrial biotechnology in sectors such as food, feed, paper and pulp, and biofuels production.

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SO WHAT’S THE BIOECONOMY?

SUPPLY

PROCESSING

DISTRIBUTION

SERVICES

and the bio-based economy or knowledge based bio-economy?

15 billion tonnes used worldwide

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SECTORS (EU 2014) Annual turnover (€ billion)

Value added (€ billion)

Employment (thousand)

Agriculture 404 157 10200

Food and beverage 1040 207 468

Agro-industrial products 231 62 2092

Fisheries and aquaculture 36,6 9,7 199

Forestry logging 42 22 636

Wood-based industry 473 136 3452

Bio-chemicals 50 120

Bioplastics 0,4 1,4

Biolubricants 0,4 0,6

Biosolvents 0,4 0,4

Biosurfactants 0,7 0,9

Enzymes 1,2

Biopharmaceuticals 30 50 142

Biofuels 16 132

Bioenergy 34 350

TOTAL 2357 647 21790Source: Eurostat (2014), Scarlat et. al. (2015 )

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Total biomass use in EU (t)Agricultural biomass

Source: Faostat, 2014, Scarlat et. al. (2015 )

The use of cereal crops

Total biomass = fodder, food crops, industrial crops, crop residues, wood, animal products and aquatic biomass; EXCLUDED waste from food industry, food waste or other biogenic waste.

Agricultural Biomass: agricultural crops (fodder, food and industrial crops) + animal products and aquatic biomass.

2,0E+09

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Is bioeconomy necessary to mankind?

Yes:

FOOD

TEXTILES

MEDICINES

Maybe: as for biofuels and biomaterials

To answer this question we need a broader approach

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Bioeconomy is strongly intertwined with pollution and resource consumption unbalances.

EXAMPLE: NITROGEN

(GHG, WATER, ENERGY, HEAVY METALS, POPs, PHOSPHOROUS, PHARMA….)

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Global emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) (t) - Edgar 2010

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Amounts of N contained in internationally traded products: (A) fertilizer (31 Tg N), (B) grain (12 Tg N), and (C) meat (0.8 Tg N) - UNEP, 2007; Galloway et al., 2008

A

B

C

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Net Anthropogenic Nitrogen Inputs (NANI) on earth

Huge spatial heterogeneity: excess and deficits

Source:Billen G, Garnier J, Lassaletta L. 2013

http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0123

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Most important adverse effects of reactive nitrogen (modified from Cowling et al., 1998 )

Direct effects on humans Nitrate contamination of drinking water Increase allergenic pollen production Blooms of toxic algae - seafood contamination

Direct effects on ecosystems Ozone damage to crops, forests, and natural ecosystems Acidification effects on forests, soils, ground waters and aquatic ecosystems Eutrophication of freshwater lakes and coastal ecosystems inducing hypoxia Nitrogen saturation of forest soils Biodiversity impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Effects on other societal values and indirect effects Acidification effects on monuments and engineering materials Regional hazes that decrease visibility climate change induced by emissions of N2O Acidification effects on monuments and engineering materials quality and access to water bodies for leisure

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Problem: how to remove diluted nitrogen in excess area (and move it to deficit areas) ?

Volume of the excess area = 5-50 M km3

Thus requiring 1E+12 TJ - 5E+13 TJ (World electric energy production 0,9E+7

TJ). This an unaffordable cost.

On the long term, we can think to modify production, consumption and trade systems. On a shorter term one (engineer) might think to apply clean technologies.

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Problems: how do you remove nitrogen in excess area and move that to deficit areas?

The green highlighted processes come for free both from anthropic and natural ecosystems

These functions are called ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Source (mod):Billen G, Garnier et. al. L. 2013

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WE ARE USING 5Gha OF LAND FOR CROPLANDS AND PASTURES - FAO FORESEE A GROWTH OF 200-500 Mha until 2020.

+ Increased biomass production potentially requires more fertilizer inputs, which will accelerate the nitrogen cycle. + An additional use of fertilizer is the production of crops and biomass for bioenergy and biofuels. Currently, bioenergy contributes 10% to the global energy use, while biofuels contribute 1.5% and the influence on global fertilizer use is still marginal.

- riparian wetlands, marginal grasslands and coastal ecosystem are degrading

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Lessons learned

1) we need bioeconomy to feed the planet 2) bioeconomy change the planet thus leading to heterogeneous

and severe impacts 3) we need ecosystems to maintain the balance: regulating

provision services (e.g food) and supporting them. Emphasis is on system (both natural and anthropic) capacity to absorb the wastes we generate.

Now, we can more properly answer the question: “Is bioeconomy necessary to mankind?” when considering biofuels, biomaterials (e.g. biochar, bioplastics, etc.). Answer is: yes if we operate in a framework which secure the capacity to absorb the wastes.

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“Why is then relevant to discuss bioeconomy in the framework of planetary emergencies?”

IT’S A GLOBAL RESOURCE EFFICIENCY AND PLANET MANAGEMENT ISSUE

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• to secure food, clean water and energy this century especially in Africa (thus reducing to reduce involuntary migration)

• to mitigate (greenhouse gas) emissions and wastes

• to increase soil quality • to preserve raw

materials

CONDITIONS TO PROMOTE BIOECONOMY

Sankey diagram of material flows through the global economy (world, 2005). Numbers show the size of flows in Gt/yr. Source [Haas et al., How Circular is the Global Economy? ]

energy provision through combustion or catabolic processes

lifetime longer than a year

(Gt/yr)

How circular is the global economy?

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global resource extraction

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Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy team , 2011

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Problems and challenges in the framework of bioeconomy and circular economy

1) feedstock and supply chains 2) efficient and cost effective technologies 3) sustainability 4) acceptance and coping with the resistance to

change

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1) feedstock is not concentrated (spatial heterogeneity) 2) energy density is low; water, bulky and irregular

material 3) seasonality and temporal heterogeneity 4) economy of scale vs. decentralised solutions 5) distribution networks (drop-in vs. novel products)

There is the need of infrastructures and technological platforms to separate and isolate streams at the highest energy and material efficiency and the lowest capital cost

feedstock and supply chains in the circular economy (biomass) - the challenges

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• Petrochemical crisis in non oil-producer countries: loss of workers, turnover, productivity, industrial desertification

• subject to volatility • 4% share of total GHG emission and

high environmental impact • concentration of built environment,

facilities, pipelines and transport infrastructures.

SOURCE: Grilli and Yang; Pfaffenzeller; World Bank; International Monetary Fund;

Petrochemicals and large abandoned infrastructures sites in the circular economy framework

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• green chemistry (biorefineries) treating biomass residues

• secondary raw material (residues, wastes) regeneration (e.g. end of life tyres, plastic, building wastes)

• retrofit processing line in order to allocate the 25% of renewable or secondary raw material feedstock

• use of contaminated or abandoned land for non-food purposes

• technological hub for novel clean technologies • improve local resilience

Petrochemicals and other industrial sites in the circular economy framework

EDUCATION TRAINING OF THE JOB FORCE LAND PLANNING

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Bioeconomy and in particular knowledge based bioeconomy trajectories and success will depend on the capacity to fit biogeochemical cycles; this meaning to follow a recycling pattern (circular economy).

Nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorous) recovery and soil preservation is a priority in order to ensure food production.

It is not (only) a technological problem, it is a system thinking one invoking in particular a shift of paradigm: e.g. education, acceptance and capacity to plan land use.

CONCLUSIONS