Biofuel’s Role in the Circular Economy: Key Lessons and Actions for the Industry

By Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) When it comes to reducing, reusing and recycling our goods most people associate consuming less of what we already have with a ‘circular economy’. What is rarely, if ever discussed at conferences concerning changing behaviors in resource management is finding a sustainable alternative to the very sources of energy that have kept us locked into the wasteful transformation of resources. Curious to seek out more clarity I traveled to Bergamo, Italy to attend SUM 2018 the 4^th Symposium on Urban Mining and Circular Economy where I asked delegates what role biofuels will play in supporting the circular economy. The following article will summarize the conclusions of my conversations in detail.

When it comes to talking about carbon, many people outside the biofuels industry associate the word with being the root cause of all our problems; however, what they may overlook is the fundamental role this element plays in our ecosystems.

For Stefan Petters, Founder and Serial Qualitative Growth Entrepreneur for Carbotopia, carbon is the most common denominator of all waste that cannot be further broken down into its core building blocks. Presenting on how to build a world in carbon balance, Petters argued that discussing carbon neutrality moves the conversation away from the opportunity to transform the biggest consumable waste into high valued products.

For the biofuels industry, the capture and use of fossil carbon will play a key role in supporting the circular economy.

Europe relies heavily on imported commodities such as animal feed and fuels to power their economic growth.

In the case of Italy, Marco Frey, Research Director at the Centre for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy at Bocconi University (IEFE) disclosed to conference participants that his research team identified a direct correlation between investments in a “green” economy and competitive economic performance in terms of export capacity and innovation. Companies are very interested in investing in this type of innovation he said, but policies are lacking that encourage a circular system, stated Frey.

If biofuels are to improve their status in the public eye then they must sell themselves as the homegrown solution to promoting export capacity and innovation. Only then will ‘’political capital’’ be awarded to the industry and progress be made towards contributing to the circular economy.

The toughest issue that Europe faces regarding mitigating the effects of climate change is negotiating a solution among its member states. With a lack of research and development, and with harmonization and disagreements among industries on technological capabilities, the region remains highly divided on what a possible solution might look like.

According to Raffaele Cattaneo Councilor for the Environment and Climate of Lombardy, cooperation and experience sharing will be a key driver of the circular economy. Cattaneo stated that this will be achieved at the local level which focuses on behavioral change by promoting understanding and action via education and the creation of jobs.

For the biofuels industry, efforts in activism must strive to become harmonized to promote the sharing of knowledge and lessons learned to be effective in educating the public. Regarding the promotion of domestic jobs, the biofuels industry in principle is an advocate for “green” jobs which promote the wellbeing of the local economy and environment.

Outside of agriculture, biofuels are hardly rarely discussed at conferences concerning the “bigger picture” of supporting the circular economy. From the landfill to recycling streams, biofuels will play an integral part in sustainable resource management through the creation of biodegradable products and consumption of recycled fossil carbon.

To resolve this issue, three points of action were identified at this year’s Symposium on Urban Mining and Circular Economy which include:

* Michael Eggleston is an aspiring policymaker studying interdisciplinary & intercultural communication with the University of Rhode Island’s International Engineering Program. He is spending a semester abroad at the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Germany and will be reporting on and representing Advanced Biofuels USA at international conferences surrounding Europe’s energy transition.