Bioeconomy Transition Research Articles

Brain health is essential for smooth economic transitions: towards socio-economic sustainability, productivity and well-being

Abstract Optimal brain health is essential to smoothing major global skill-intensive economic transitions, such as the bioeconomy, green, care economy and digital transitions. Good brain health is vital to socio-economic sustainability, productivity and well-being. The care transition focuses on recognizing and investing in care services and care work as essential for economic growth and social well-being. The green transition involves shifting towards environmentally sustainable and fairer societies to combat climate change and environmental degradation. The digital transition aims to unlock digital growth potential and deploy innovative solutions for businesses and citizens, and to improve the accessibility and efficiency of services. The bioeconomy transition refers to the shift towards an economy based on products, services and processes derived from biological resources, such as plants and microorganisms. Brain capital, which encompasses brain health and brain skills, is a critical economic asset for the success of economies of the future. The brain economy transition from a brain-negative (brain-unhealthy) economy, which depletes brain capital, to a brain-positive (brain-healthy) economy, which arrests and reverses the loss of brain capital, will be foundational to these major transitions. Increased brain capital is vital to educational attainment, upskilling and reskilling. In this paper, we provide a detailed roadmap for the brain economy transition.

Bioeconomy, Planning and Sustainable Development: A Theoretical Framework

The bioeconomy concept first emerged in the 1990s in the context of the sustainable development of European economies but in specific respect to the disciplines of biology and biotechnology. This has arguably obscured the concept’s theoretical development since the biotechnology term has a limited field of application. This has led to diverse perspectives on what the bioeconomy means and how it should function. This paper aims to contribute to the theoretical development of the bioeconomy concept by interpreting the concept as a component of sustainable development, and as a spatial planning concept. This is important since such theoretical development aims to address the complex challenges facing bioeconomy transition and the need to combat climate change in a socially equitable manner. It does this by interpreting the bioeconomy through the lens of the environmental, economic, social and governance pillars of sustainable development, which is important in understanding how bioeconomy systems can most effectively function in the transition towards a renewable-based economy.

Unlocking potential for a circular bioeconomy transition through digital innovation, lean manufacturing and green practices: a review

PurposeToday’s businesses are looking for a circular bioeconomy (CBE) to develop a sustainable manufacturing process as industrial operations result in significant amounts of waste materials and the depletion of natural sources. The industry commonly applies techniques such as lean manufacturing (LM), digital innovations (DI) and green practices (GP) for operational and quality improvement. However, publications explaining how these technologies enable the CBE transition are scarce. This study examines CBE components, common practices of each technology facilitating the CBE transition, problems of solitary technology deployment as well as coupling technologies for the CBE transition.Design/methodology/approachA scoping review was conducted to analyse previous studies in this new field. The data collection is in a quantitative manner, but the data synthesis process follows a similar method of synthesising data in the grounded theory method, which includes familiarisation with the data, open-coding and finalisation of the themes.FindingsCritical components of CBE were identified as biobased goods, industry symbiosis, material resource efficiency, renewable energy, product lifecycle and sharing economy. GP is the most prominent in moderating the CBE transition. We identify each technology has coupled relationships (Lean-4.0, Green-Lean and Green-4.0) technologies facilitated by the circularity concept, which form the core pillars of enablers and advance the CBE paradigm.Research limitations/implicationsThis study demonstrates that combining lean principles with green technology and digital technologies can effectively decrease waste and resource usage in biobased manufacturing processes, therefore endorsing the concept of resource efficiency in circular bioeconomy models.Practical implicationsThe results allow entrepreneurs to strategically incorporate different existing technologies to meet CBE fundamental objectives by initiating it with dual technologies and facilitate industry professionals and regulators to support the improvement of environmental sustainability performance in the manufacturing industry. The management will be able to focus on the common practices across the technologies, which have a dual benefit for both operational and environmental performance.Originality/valueThe paper makes the first attempt to present the synergic impact of the three quality management technologies on a new concept of sustainability, CBE.

Hearing, listening, and learning: how bioeconomy triple helix clusters deal with uninvited societal input

Policymakers in the European Union embrace collaborations of businesses, governments, and academia to develop a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. These so-called Triple Helix clusters aim to stimulate innovation and learning. However, Triple Helix collaborators also face conflicting perspectives on the desirability and directionality of the bioeconomy transition, either within a cluster or with societal actors affected by a cluster’s innovations. While previous Triple Helix research focussed on how to broaden the cluster collaboration towards a more inclusive range of actors to handle such contestations, we study how cluster partners deal with uninvited input from societal actors that do not form part of a cluster. We conceptualize this input as societal back talk and distinguish organizational hearing, listening, and learning capabilities to explore how back talk contributes to innovation in three bioeconomy clusters in the Netherlands, Germany, and Ireland. Our qualitative case study analysis is based on interview transcripts, newspaper articles, and policy and planning documents. Results indicate that collaborating partners generally do not hear uninvited back talk that fundamentally challenges their tacit beliefs, because partners focus on informing the public about what they consider techno-economic benefits of their projects. As a consequence, collaborators become ‘insiders’, which hinders listening to divergent problem definitions and alternative solutions of ‘outsiders’. Learning from uninvited back talk is therefore restricted to minor adjustments. To avoid innovative solutions remaining unexplored as a result of this discursive lock-in, Triple Helix collaborators must engage in hearing and listening to critical societal actors by establishing a reflective, two-directional dialogue.

Valorisation of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) residues and cheese whey into volatile fatty acids for single cell protein production

The production of single cell protein (SCP) using lignocellulosic materials stands out as a promising route in the circular bioeconomy transition. However, multiple steps are necessary for lignocellulosics-to-SCP processes, involving chemical pretreatments and specific aerobic cultures. Whereas there are no studies that investigated the SCP production from lignocellulosics by using only biological processes and microbial biomass able to work both anaerobically and aerobically. In this view, the valorisation of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) biomass residues (HBRs), specifically hurds and a mix of leaves and inflorescences, combined with cheese whey (CW) was investigated through a semi-continuous acidogenic co-fermentation process (co-AF). The aim of this study was to maximise HBRs conversion into VFAs to be further used as carbon-rich substrates for SCP production. Different process conditions were tested by either removing CW or increasing the amount of HBRs in terms of VS (i.e., two and four times) to evaluate the performance of the co-AF process. Increasing HBRs resulted in a proportional increase in VFA production up to 3115 mg HAc L−1, with experimental production nearly 40% higher than theoretical predictions. The synergy between HBRs and CW was demonstrated, proving the latter as essential to improve the biodegradability of the former. The produced VFAs were subsequently tested as substrates for SCP synthesis in batch aerobic tests. A biomass concentration of 2.43 g TSS L−1 was achieved with a C/N ratio of 5.0 and a pH of 9.0 after two days of aerobic fermentation, reaching a protein content of 42% (g protein per g TSS). These results demonstrate the overall feasibility of the VFA-mediated HBR-to-SCP valorisation process.

Sustainability implications of the EU's bioeconomy transition along global supply chains

The EU has set ambiguous targets for the development of a bioeconomy (BE) that not only ensures sufficient production of high-quality foods but also contributes to decarbonization, green jobs and reducing import dependency through biofuels and bio-based chemical products. However, the various and complex interrelations between the BE, the natural environment as well as wider economy and society risk that the EU's targets might indirectly compromise achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally. Here, we assess the impacts of the EU's BE on the achievement of a broad range of SDG indicators using the hybrid econometric input-output model that covers 64 countries plus a region rest of world with 36 industries and 28 agricultural production sectors each. We compare the impacts of the EU's BE across three different scenarios based on SSP2 combined with corresponding IEA and FAO scenarios describing different futures of population and GDP growth, climate policy and structural changes in the energy and agriculture sector. Our results show that, especially without further measures focusing on the circular use of biomass, the EU's BE is likely not contributing to a general improvement in SDG indicators. Instead, there are major trade-offs between various SDGs. Firstly, between the goals of climate change mitigation, on the one hand, and preservation of ecosystems through the protection of natural land, especially forests, and water bodies on the other. The second major trade-off is between the EU's goals of fostering the economic competitiveness and lowering the import dependency of fossil energy and food security especially in low income countries outside Europe.

A decision support procedure for the bioeconomy transition: A Colombian case study

An increasing number of countries and regions consider the bioeconomy transition a strategic policy priority. When approached through the lens of a circular economy perspective, investments in bioeconomy have the potential to enhance resource utilisation efficiency, preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, and foster sustainable development with low emissions. At the same time, if requirements and contextual factors of bioeconomy strategies are not formally analysed, bioeconomic investments might lead to unintended negative consequences. This paper proposes a decision support procedure to design, assess, prioritise, and monitor bioeconomy investments and policies. The flexibility and scalability of our decision support procedure is tested in Colombia to foster a regional and local transition to bioeconomy initiatives that consider the local capital assets and the stakeholders' views. The heterogeneous character of the Colombian environment, economy, society and culture represents an ideal condition to test the strength of the decision support procedure to promote bioeconomy in low and middle-income countries. Our empirical results highlight the benefit of adopting a formal assessment framework that includes strategic national indicators, regional features and stakeholders’ views. In terms of the Colombian regional bioeconomy ambitions, we highlight the need for expanding knowledge hubs and participatory stakeholder networks and buttressing appropriate financial mechanisms.

Bioeconomy Transition Pathways – Potential Impacts for the EU Bio‐based Chemicals Sector

SummaryThe European Commission's Green Deal sets out a bold vision to meet the challenges of biodiversity protection and net‐zero emissions, whilst forging a pathway for a circular model of competitive growth and job creation. To achieve these multiple challenges, the bioeconomy has a key role to play, particularly in the deployment of biomass in higher value‐added industrial applications. To support evidence‐based policy modelling, the EU H2020 funded project BioMonitor represents a first step toward both improving data transparency, particularly in bio‐industrial activities, and the creation of a single toolbox for the purpose of performing integrated modelling assessments of the bioeconomy. Comparing with a baseline, this study presents results from a series of medium to long‐term bio‐based industry focused transition narratives. In particular, the focus is on the EU bio‐based chemicals sector employing results from an economy‐wide simulation model from the toolbox, called MAGNET.Publicly backed fiscal support policies, costing between 0.22–0.25% of EU GDP by 2050, generate notable improvements in EU bio‐based chemical sector production and employment generation, as well as synergetic production increases in advanced generation biofuels. There is evidence of decarbonisation in the EU bio‐based chemicals sector, although more tangible improvements are achieved with the implementation of accompanying climate‐ and sustainable bio‐energy policies.

The green to circular bioeconomy transition: Innovation and resilience among Italian enterprises

AbstractThe bioeconomy is an essential part of the transition from a linear to a circular production model, which repositions production systems to favour sustainability and innovation. There are two main contributors to the development of this process: the choices made by public decision‐makers (national and European), and the strategies adopted by companies and the recent increased diffusion of new business networks and clusters in Europe, which favour industrial and technological transformation processes. We move from analysis of the international context and how Italy's positioning in the new circular bioeconomy is evolving to focus on the diffusion of business clusters and networks in Europe linked to the circular bioeconomy to propose a preliminary empirical study of corporate behaviour. For this we use survey data on Italian bio‐industries that are part of the cluster SPRING (Sustainable Processes and Resources for Innovation and National Growth). The results show how SPRING cluster firms are pushed to improve their positioning in numerous fields characterizing the most innovative business models.

Socio-cultural conditions for social acceptance of bioeconomy transitions: the case of Norway

Socio-cultural conditions for social acceptance of bioeconomy transitions: the case of Norway

Application of Anaerobic Co-digestion of Brewery by-Products for Biomethane and Bioenergy Production in a Biorefinery Concept

This study investigated the anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) of brewery by-products for biomethane and bioenergy recovery, focusing on operational performance evaluation, kinetic analysis, microbial metataxonomic, and metabolic function prediction. The biochemical methane potential was conducted under mesophilic (35 °C) and methanogenic conditions (pH 7.5) by mixing brewery wastewater and sludge from the brewery wastewater treatment plant (1:1, v/v), following the addition (2.5 – 12.5 %, w/v) of brewer’s spent grains (BSG). The results demonstrate that the highest methane yield (88.02 mL CH4/g TVS) was obtained with 12.5 % BSG, which was 20.66-fold higher than the control reactor operated with wastewater and sludge (4.26 mL CH4/g TVS). The bioenergy recovery from biomethane could generate electricity (0.348 kWh/kg TVS) and heat (1556 MJ/kg TVS), avoiding greenhouse gas emissions (0.114 kg CO2-eq/kg TVS). The microbial community dynamics revealed a predominance of Halobacterota, Chloroflexi, and Euryarchaeota phylum. The genera Methanosaeta and Methanobacterium, and the Anaerolineaceae family predominated in the AcoD process. The metabolic function prediction showed the presence of genes (K01895, K00193, K00625, and K00925) associated with the direct activation of acetate in the acetoclastic pathway and methane production. Finally, the data obtained provide a perspective on using brewery by-products for bioenergy production in a biorefinery concept, reducing the environmental impacts and contributing to the circular bioeconomy transition of the beer industry.Graphical abstract

Techno-Economic Assessment of On-Site Production of Biomethane, Bioenergy, and Fertilizer from Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion of Jabuticaba By-Product

Bioenergy recovery from biomass by-products is a promising approach for the circular bioeconomy transition. However, the management of agri-food by-products in stand-alone treatment facilities is a challenge for the low-capacity food processing industry. In this study, the techno-economic assessment of a small-scale anaerobic digestion process was evaluated for the management of jabuticaba by-product and the production of biomethane, electricity, heat, and fertilizer. The process was simulated for a treatment capacity of 782.2 m3 y−1 jabuticaba peel, considering the experimental methane production of 42.31 L CH4 kg−1 TVS. The results of the scaled-up simulated process demonstrated the production of biomethane (13,960.17 m3 y−1), electricity (61.76 MWh y−1), heat (197.62 GJ y−1), and fertilizer (211.47 t y−1). Economic analysis revealed that the process for biomethane recovery from biogas is not profitable, with a net margin of −19.58% and an internal rate of return of −1.77%. However, biogas application in a heat and power unit can improve project feasibility, with a net margin of 33.03%, an internal rate of return of 13.14%, and a payback of 5.03 years. In conclusion, the application of small-scale anaerobic digestion can prevent the wrongful open-air disposal of jabuticaba by-products, with the generation of renewable energy and biofertilizer supporting the green economy toward the transition to a circular economy.

Integrating Multi-Criteria Techniques in Life-Cycle Tools for the Circular Bioeconomy Transition of Agri-Food Waste Biomass: A Systematic Review

Agri-food waste biomass (AWB) is consolidating as a relevant bioresource for supplying material products and energy in a circular bioeconomy. However, its recovery and sustainable processing present trade-offs that must be understood. The integration of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) into life-cycle assessment (LCA) tools has emerged as a novel way to address this challenge. This paper aims to conduct a systematic literature review to critically synthesize how MCDA has been integrated into LCA in an assessment framework and how helpful it is in AWB’s circular bioeconomy transition. The literature shows that the most studied AWBs are rice husk, sugarcane bagasse, and household food waste. These are processed through the technologies of composting, anaerobic digestion, and pyrolysis for applications such as biofuels, bioenergy, and soil amendment. Environmental LCA (E-LCA) is the most widely used LCA tool, while both the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the technique for ordering preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) are the most applied techniques for MCDA. The current trend of integrating MCDA into LCA does not fully cover the LCA phases, favoring solely the impact assessment phase and indicating that the other phases are overlooked. The potential and involvement of the stakeholders are partially explored. Although there are holistic sustainability assessments, the social implications are rarely considered. The number of MCDA/LCA studies is expected to increase, assessments at the micro-, meso-, and macro-scales to become more articulated, and the impact of the results to become more aligned with government and company goals.

Research and innovation challenges for better policies in food systems and bioeconomy transitions – evidence from Poland

Climate changes and depleting natural resources call for the urgent sustainability transition of the economy. This also refers to food systems, which are a vital part of the economy directly linked to the nature. The first step in creating better forward-looking policies for the transition of food systems is identification of knowledge gaps to target R&D spending. In the paper we focus on the presentation and analysis of research directions that constitute future challenges for the transformation of research and development in Poland. The methodology of research applied in the study is based on participatory action research philosophy. The approach to determine the research challenges and needs included round tables and focus groups under the BIOEAST initiative. The results show that the most important weakness is low level of R&D expenditure in bioeconomy sectors, while the strength is a large number of new active entities for implementation of innovations, supporting bioeconomy and science-practice cooperation. The key recommendation is increasing the R&D spending and prepare national bioeconomy strategy to make use of the large potential of the Polish bioeconomy sector.

Sustainability trade-offs in the steel industry – A MRIO-based social impact assessment of bio-economy innovations in a belgian steel mill

Current developments show that the true magnitude of global sustainability problems is often underestimated. In order to tackle these global problems, fundamental changes in consumption and production processes are needed. The steel industry is one of the main emitters of CO 2 and changes in production processes bear a potential for climate change mitigation. Sustainability assessments often focus on the environmental dimension, while social impacts associated with such changes remain under-researched. The present study examines potential social impacts of production changes (bio-economy transition) in a steel mill in Belgium using a multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis. Within this paper three indicators are presented: workers' compensation, employment and vulnerable employment. The results show that the demand for labour in Belgium increases in the scenario studied, while reductions in employment and compensation are to be expected for the majority of other regions. This emphasizes that such transitions can have both positive and negative impacts and that a ‘big picture’ is needed. Improvements in one aspect (e.g., environment) can lead to negative impacts in another (e.g., social), resulting in so-called sustainability trade-offs. It is crucial to consider impact dimensions in an integrated manner to enable the identification and discussion of sustainability trade-offs of transition pathways.

Transition of bioeconomy as a key concept for the agriculture and agribusiness development: An extensive review on ASEAN countries

Transition of bioeconomy plays an important role in the development of any economy. Therefore, the purpose of the current paper is to review the key concept of transition of the bioeconomy in the ASEAN economies that is considered to be an innovative collective method for observing the operation of national economies' numerous sectors that produce and process biological wealth. Based on current literature, it has been reviewed that the transition of bioeconomy is being presented with respect to the theoretical concept, and their essence and bioeconomy size, and the challenges and risks which are related to the bioeconomy transition. The various ways and the area of action along with present strategies which are supporting the development of bio economies and their relationship with the circular economies model had been presented. It was seen in the literature that ASEAN agricultures sectors had been contributing their major part in the development of value-added products and employment, except for Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos. Moreover, the analysis results had also shown that the transition of bioeconomy is considered to be an important concept in the growth of agriculture, forestry, agribusiness, and various sectors that produce and use bio-based raw materials. It was further found that for real bio-economy opportunities, it is essential that there should be a proper national and regional strategy for the bioeconomy development in place and for the development of a proper design and proper management coordination at every level of sectors, enterprises, and provincial systems.

Closing the gap between EU-wide national bioeconomy monitoring frameworks and urban circular bioeconomy development

The 2018 European bioeconomy strategy sets a new vision for Europe's sustainable development: a transition to regenerative resource usage that embraces circular principles. Similarly, various member states have developed national bioeconomy strategies. To be effective, such strategies require methodologically sound monitoring tools that support the alignment of national and urban policies. Indeed, cities are central to the bioeconomy, mobilizing ever increasing amounts of biogenic materials. To better understand the suitability of national bioeconomy strategies for guiding urban circular bioeconomy transitions, this paper examines the composition, features, and topical coverage of national bioeconomy indicator sets with a threefold analysis: (1) assessment of the integration of circularity principles in the sets and their alignment with existing policy frameworks; (2) appraisal of quality and the fulfillment of the sets' functional purposes; (3) evaluation of the breadth and depth of tackled issues. Of the 27 EU member states, only nine have a dedicated bioeconomy strategy, of which four propose an indicator set. While there is a general lack of sophisticated monitoring, the tools proposed after the publication of the 2018 bioeconomy strategy (Germany and Italy) follow indicator development standards rigorously. They include circularity in their notion of bioeconomy and combine indicators for a comprehensive, substantial, informative and politically relevant analysis. These characteristics strongly improve the potential for alignment and coherence with urban-level bioeconomy monitoring efforts. Although national measuring tools are not intended to cover all urban needs, the findings of this paper give insight into their remaining gaps and highlight improvement pathways for an efficient EU-wide circular bioeconomy transition.

The role of sustainability in the emergence and evolution of bioeconomy clusters: An application of a multiscalar framework

Bioeconomy clusters, besides stimulating economic and innovative performance, are expected to promote sustainable regional development. Despite their growing popularity, there is still a lack of awareness about how these clusters contribute to sustainability. This paper aims at increasing our understanding of the processes through which bioeconomy clusters generate sustainability effects and promote the bioeconomy transition. We analyze the event-history of the French Bazancourt-Pomacle cluster and interpret its development as a continuous interplay among its geographical, institutional, and structural scales to capture how these dynamics eventually affect specific sustainability scales. The results of the scale analysis reveal that the actors of the biocluster maintain a certain mode of action by organizing their activities along scales related to the valorization of local natural resources, whereas improvements of sustainability appear as a posteriori result of these activities rather than an aim in itself. Our study contributes with novel insights to the literature on sustainability transitions and clusters as well as demonstrates the potential of the scale-perspective for identification and measurement of sustainability trade-offs in a way accessible to policy makers.

German citizens’ perception of the transition towards a sustainable bioeconomy: A glimpse into the Rheinische Revier

The German government is promoting the transition into a sustainable bioeconomy. While the discussions in politics and industry mainly focus on developing bio-based innovations, the role of citizens in this transition has received little attention. However, it is crucial to the transition process. The study explores how citizens perceive the transition process toward a bioeconomy and which factors influence their perceptions in the specific context of the phasing out of lignite mining in the Rheinische Revier. The Rheinische Revier serves as a pilot region for a bioeconomy transition. We used projective techniques to conduct eight focus groups of six participants each. Using qualitative content analysis, we found that the bioeconomy concept triggers different contrasting reactions and trade-offs. The findings show that the perception of a bioeconomy transition depends on the specific technologies that will be implemented and on the way that these technologies are communicated to the general public. Implications are that successful information campaigns should not only highlight benefits but should also discuss the challenges and possible conflicts before they can be trusted by the citizens.

Proposing a Cultural Evolutionary Perspective for Dedicated Innovation Systems: Bioeconomy Transitions and Beyond

While the Earth system is in overshoot mode with an imminent threat to our social, ecological, and economic systems, cultural evolutionary theory may hold the key to more successfully addressing many of our sustainability challenges. With the aim of illuminating the potential of studying the evolution of a sustainable bioeconomy through a cultural evolutionary lens, this article outlines the contours of a novel research avenue in the form of five propositions. It contributes to current conversations in the literature at the intersection of sustainability transitions, dedicated or mission-oriented innovation systems, and the bioeconomy by raising awareness of the warranted value that a cultural evolutionary perspective has in tackling these grand challenges and addressing how this yet unclaimed potential could be materialized.JEL Codes: B59, E14, E71, H12, O13, O35, Q01, Q50, Z13