SUMMARY: Technology for a Circular Economy
Prof. Dr. Tom van de Wiele – Prof. Dr. Ramon Ganigué 2023-2024
PART I. POLICY AND REGULATION
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this course focuses on
o Good Health and Well-Being
o Clean Water and Sanitation
o Affordable and Clean Energy
o Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
o Sustainable Cities and Communities
o Responsible Consumption and Production
o Climate Action
o Life Below Water
o Life on Land
Challenges
1. Water pollution (contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater
by harmful substances → unsuitable, harmful to ecosystem and human health)
o Causes: can come from industrial waste, agricultural runoff, sewage, disposal of
chemicals, waste products, …
2. Ocean water quality
o What: low and declining oxygen levels in open ocean and coastal waters → affect
processes (biogeochemistry, food security, …)
o Causes: due to anthropogenic nutrients (antropogene voedingsstoffen)
▪ Hypoxic areas (very low oxygen availability)
3. Access to safe drinking water
o What: leave many people without reliable access to clean and safe water for drinking and
sanitation purposes
4. Air pollution
o What: negative impact on human health, ecosystems, environment
▪ Respiratory problems (ademhalingsproblemen), environmental degradation,
climate change
o Causes: due to vehicle emissions, industrial activities, burning of fossil fuels
5. Ecosystem pollution: soil
o What: contamination (besmetting) of soil
▪ Affect fertility, biodiversity, ability to support plant growth
o Causes: due to industrial waste, chemicals, improper waste management
6. Solid waste
o What: household garbage, industrial waste, …, mostly generated by human activities
o Causes: due to inadequate infrastructure for proper disposal and recycling
7. E-waste (Electronic Waste)
o What: discarded electronic devices (computers, smartphones, televisions, …)
▪ Short product lifespans, improper disposal
▪ Hazardous substances: lead (lood), mercury (kwik), cadmium
o Need for effective recycling programs to minimize environmental and health impacts
8. Biodiversity loss
o What: decline in variety, abundance of living organisms within a given ecosystem
o Causes : habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, overuse of natural resources, …
o Consequences : clean and air water reduction, decreased agricultural productivity,
increased vulnerability to natural disasters, …
1
, 9. Nitrogen excess, impact on environment and biodiversity
o What: accumulation of excessive amounts of nitrogen (N) in the environment
o Causes: human activities (agriculture, such as fertilizers, industrial processes,
combustion of fossil fuels)
o Consequences:
▪ Water pollution: contamination of water, leading to eutrophication
• Rapid growth of algae → oxygen levels depletion → harm to aquatic life
▪ Air pollution: can react with other compounds in atmosphere
• Causes smog, acid rain, …
▪ Soil degradation: excess nitrogen can disrupt soil pH
• Loss of fertility: impact on plant growth, biodiversity
▪ Biodiversity impact: altering soil microbial communities, which affects nutrient
cycling and ecosystem functioning
10. Energy addiction
o Per capita energy consumption (in tonnes of oil equivalent)
▪ Belgium third highest European country (2016): > 5
o Reliance on fossil fuels (burning)
▪ Greenhouse gas emissions
▪ Non-renewable sources (coal, oil, natural gas), resource depletion can lead to
higher energy prices…
o Need for more sustainable infrastructure and technologies (renewable energy sources)
11. CO2 emissions and climate change
o Release of CO2 when burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, natural gas for energy
▪ Traps heat in the atmosphere: global warming and climate change
o Rising temperatures:
▪ More severe weather events, rise of sea levels, loss of biodiversity, disruptions to
ecosystems
o Need for shift towards renewable energy sources and optimize energy efficiency usage
12. Earth overshoot day
o Date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what the
Earth can regenerate in a given year
o 1.7 times earth’s capacity needed as of 2023 (used 1.7 times more than available
resources)
▪ Along with excessive waste production
Opportunities and Solutions
1. Consider the energy content of wastewater
o Wastewater contains organic matter that can be used to produce renewable energy
through processes like (an)aerobic digestion
▪ Able to generate biogas, electricity, reduction of fossil fuel demand, CO 2
emissions, …
2. Rethinking the way we make things
o Focus on recycling resources
▪ Maximize reuse of (non-)renewable resources
▪ Minimize disposal and incineration of resources
3. Regulatory focus based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
o Evaluate the environmental impacts of a product or activity throughout its entire life cycle
o Regulations that prioritize sustainability and minimize environmental impacts
▪ Cleaner production processes, renewable energy, reduction of waste and
emissions, …
4. Rare metals
o Development of recycling programs to recover: Indium, aluminiumsilicate, lithium,
graphite, magnesium, copper, nickel, silicon, tin & lead
2
,5. The EU Green Deal 2020
o A) Climate neutral by 2050:
▪ Cut on greenhouse gas emissions: 50-55% in 2030 (vs. 40% previously)
o B) Circular economy
▪ Prescriptions on how to make and produce resources/materials
▪ Less materials, product reuse: e.g. clean steel using hydrogen
o C) Zero pollution
o D) Ecosystems and biodiversity
6. General framework
o Sustainability from an economical point of view:
▪ Unaffordable?
▪ Unrealistic?
o Circularity concept:
▪ Economic losses?
• Recycling/reuse instead of new production
• Higher costs associated with redesigning products, implementing new
processes and investing in recycling infrastructure
▪ Economic gains?
• Less waste, technology innovation, job creation
• Promote resource efficiency, lower production costs, increase
productivity
o How much are we willing to pay for “our” environment?
▪ % of GDP? (10%, 1%, 0.1%, …?)
▪ 2020: 3.2% of GDP Belgium, 2.1% in EU-27
▪ Different nations have varying levels of willingness to invest in environmental
sustainability
o Expenditures on environmental protection
▪ Belgium: 2nd highest spender in terms of % GDP, right after Austria
▪ Mean of EU: 2%
3
, CHAPTER 1. COURSE POSITIONING
Climate change
o Strive for global temperature increase < 1.5°C
o Increase the capacity to adapt to climate change
o Transition to carbon-neutral and carbon-poor society
o Make finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions
and climate-resilient development
o Paris accord:
▪ First comprehensive climate agreement
Climate change: COP conferences
o International gatherings where countries come together to discuss and negotiate actions
to address climate change, organized under UNFCCC
▪ Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate impacts
Climate change: effort sharing regulation
o Allocates greenhouse gas emission reduction targets to individual countries
o Aimed at contributing to overall emission and reduction goals
o Distributing responsibilities among member countries
o Collectively achieve climate objectives
Global CO2 emissions
o Where are the greenhouse gas emissions coming from? (2014)
▪ China 30%, US 15%, EU-28 9%, India 7%, Russia 5%, Japan 4%, Others 30%
Climate action tracker
o https://climateactiontracker.org/
> 4 °C Critically Insufficient
< 4 °C, > 3 °C Highly Insufficient (China)
< 3 °C, > 2 °C Insuffient (United States, EU)
< 2 °C, > 1 °C Compatible
< 1.5 °C Paris Agreement Compatible
o Global update: Glasgow’s 2030 credibility gap
o Climate tracker US
▪ Increase in wind, solar share in electicity mix
▪ Increased tariffs on imported solar cells
▪ EPA: proposal of replacing Clean Power Plan,
lowering emission reductions to actions at
individual power plants instead of state-
based objectives
▪ EPA will weaken fuel efficiency standards for
cars and trucks
▪ Bureau of Land Management: delays in reduced methane waste from oil and gas
production
▪ Department of the Interior: expansion of off-shore oil and gas exploration
→ Everything depends on cities, states, businesses: individual pledges
→ Biden administration commmits to increasing the climate finance
o Climate tracker China
▪ 2017: new peak in CO2 emissions since 2013
▪ On track to meet 2030 objectives
▪ Yet: still insufficient to contribute to limiting global warming below 2°C, let alone
1.5°C as required under Paris agreement
o Climate tracker EU
▪ Insufficient, still global leader on climate policy
▪ Significant progress: yet insufficient to respond to 1.5°C limit
▪ Green deal (point 5 of opportunities & solutions)
• 100% cut in greenhouse gas emission by 2050 (vs. 1990)
• 55% cut by 2030
▪ 2030 target will not be reached
▪ Coal heavy energy production, Germany on top
4
