Researchers on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a Circularity Index that they are saying gives a complete technique to quantify circularity in bioeconomic methods. In a new paperthey define the strategy and apply it to 2 case research – a corn/soybean farming operation and your entire US meals and agriculture system.
“The traditional economic system is linear – we produce, distribute, use, and dispose of products. To increase sustainability, we need to develop a circular economy. Rather than just using natural resources, we must recover, reuse, and recycle waste materials,” stated lead writer Yuanhui Zhanga professor within the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE).
“Circular bioeconomy has become a hot topic in research, but most studies are merely descriptive and there’s no way to measure impacts. To move the technology forward, we need measurements to quantify effects, establish benchmarks, compare approaches, and identify weak spots,” he stated.
Within the paper, the researchers present a step-by-step define of the Circularity Index (CI), which measures circularity on a scale from 0 to 1. Zero means the system is totally linear, and 1 means it’s fully round. The index contains eight classes: take, make, distribute, use, dispose, recuperate, remake, and reuse. The CI is computed by getting into accessible information into every of those classes.
Zhang and his colleagues exhibit use the CI in two case research. The primary examines nitrogen biking in a corn-soybean farm within the Midwestern United States. The researchers enter manufacturing and output information for a interval of 8 years, and examine the impact of two totally different fertilizer remedies: urea versus manure. They calculate the CI to be 0.687 for urea and 0.86 for manure, indicating using manure fertilizer gives a extra round financial system.
Within the second case examine, Zhang and his colleagues take a look at the U.S. meals and agriculture system, specializing in power use. Drawing on nationwide information from the USDA, EPA, and DOE, they examine the present system with an method primarily based on the Environment-Enhancing Food Energy and Water System framework, which entails restoration, remake, and reuse of natural waste. They discover the prevailing system has a CI of 0.179, whereas the EE-FEWS method would result in a CI of 0.84.
“Our current production system relies primarily on fossil fuel, with some use of solar and wind energy. But there is very little recovery of biowaste. If we recover food waste and manure and turn it into energy and fertilizer, we can recycle it back to the agricultural systems it originates from. Employing the EE-FEWS framework would greatly improve circularity of the U.S. bioeconomy,” Zhang defined.
The CI is a scalable technique that can be utilized on totally different useful resource varieties and methods, relying on the main target of curiosity. Sources might be minerals, similar to carbon or nitrogen, or non-mineral, similar to water or power. Methods can vary from a course of or a farm to an trade sector, a nationwide financial system, and even the worldwide financial system.
“We know it’s important to reduce fossil fuel use, increase renewable resources, and minimize our water consumption. But to do so effectively, we need to know how much, and what the weak links and tradeoffs are. The CI provides a single number that allows you to establish a baseline, compare systems, and determine best strategies for action,” Zhang stated.
The CI can function an indicator to help coverage initiatives such because the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. It additionally has potential business worth; for instance, meals corporations can exhibit their manufacturing circularity to shoppers.
The paper“A scalable index for quantifying circularity of bioeconomy systems,” is printed in Sources, Conservation and Recycling (DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107821).
