Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FISSAC (FOSTERING INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS FOR A SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE INTENSIVE INDUSTRY ACROSS THE EXTENDED CONSTRUCTION VALUE CHAIN)

Teaser

European resource intensive industries such as cement, ceramics, chemicals, minerals, non-ferrous metals, steel, engineering and construction, which generate more than 1,600 billion € turnover and have over 6.8 million employees, have a high dependence on resources of which...

Summary

European resource intensive industries such as cement, ceramics, chemicals, minerals, non-ferrous metals, steel, engineering and construction, which generate more than 1,600 billion € turnover and have over 6.8 million employees, have a high dependence on resources of which between 20 - 30 % of those are now imported. Therefore, there is a clear and urgent interest in sustainability improvements and competitiveness which decouples human wellbeing from resource consumption as the heart of the transition to a Green Economy.
Industrial symbiosis is a form of brokering to bring companies together in innovative collaborations, finding ways to use the waste from one as raw materials for another. Local or wider co-operation in industrial symbiosis can reduce the need for virgin raw material and waste disposal, thereby closing the material loop. It can also reduce emissions and energy use and create new revenue streams. Currently, Europe has some EU support networks for industrial symbiosis and European Innovation Partnerships such as National Programmes, regional initiatives and Local initiatives. However, in order to make industrial symbiosis a wide-spread commercial reality, more needs to be done to manage the flow of waste material from different sectors and industries.
The overall objective of FISSAC project is to develop and demonstrate a new paradigm built on an innovative industrial symbiosis model towards a zero waste approach in the resource intensive industries of the construction value chain, tackling harmonized technological and non technological requirements, leading to material closed-loop processes and moving to a circular economy.
A methodology and a software platform tool will be developed in order to implement the innovative industrial symbiosis model in a feasible scenario of industrial symbiosis synergies between industries and stakeholders in the extended construction value chain. It will guide how to overcome technical barriers and non-technical barriers as well as standardisation concerns to implement and replicate industrial symbiosis in a local/regional dimension. The innovative model will be applied based on the three sustainability pillars: environmental and economic and social.
FISSAC will demonstrate the applicability of the new industrial symbiosis model as well as the effectiveness of the innovative processes, services and products at different levels:
A. Manufacturing processes:
 Demonstration of closed loop recycling processes to transform waste into valuable acceptable secondary raw materials
 Demonstration of the manufacturing processes of the novel products at industrial scale
B. Product validation:
 Demonstration of the eco-design of eco-innovative construction in pre-industrial processes under a LCA
 Demonstration at real scale in different case studies of the application and technical performance of eco-innovative construction products
C. FISSAC model:
 Demonstration of the software platform
 Replicability assessment of the model through living lab concept

Work performed

During the first 18 months of FISSAC, the activity has been focused on the definition of the baseline for the new model of Industrial Symbiosis (IS) through the development of FISSAC methodology and FISSAC Software platform tool. The following objectives were achieved:
• Establishment of networks of stakeholders and evaluation of best practices carried out in other Industrial Symbiosis National Programmes and other Industrial Symbiosis experiences
• Establishment of the key process aspects hampering current IS through the assessment of processes and the flow values of the considered industrial sectors (Metallurgic, Ceramic, Glass, Chemical and Natural stone sectors)
• Identification of Best Available and emerging Techniques of the considered industrial sectors to stimulate cross sectoral Industrial Symbiosis
• Identification and development of Ecoinnovation, waste and IS indicators (environmental, economic and social dimension)
• Definition of target social groups and audience as beneficiaries of FISSAC model and to define strategies for social engagement and acceptance
• Implementation of the industrial symbiosis model among industrial sectors to move from a linear to a circular economy model by the improvement of material flows

In this first reporting period work has been also focused on innovative technological and non-technological processes to transform waste into valuable secondary raw materials. The following objectives were achieved in WP2:
• Definition of the technical requirements of the secondary raw materials used in the sectors where industrial tests will be carried out
• Determination of critic parameters of the current industrial waste streams through exhaustive physical-mechanical, chemical, mineralogical and morphological characterization
• Identification of non technological barriers for recycling processes

Work has been also performed in WP3 regarding product eco-design and certification. The evaluation of the proposed processes and value chains from a life cycle perspective in order to ensure their environmental and economic sustainability has been achieved in this reporting period.
In WP6 FISSAC is developing an integrated Industrial Symbiosis Management Software Tool (FISSAC ICT Platform) to be able to support decision making in material flow analyses and industrial clustering. During this first reporting period the system requirements of the FISSAC ICT Platform have been defined.
Regarding the exploitation of the project solutions, the “First version of the Exploitation Plan” was submitted on month 18 and outlines FISSAC envisioned Exploitation procedures, plans and strategies. The following objectives have been achieved:
• Development of a Data Management Plan
• Design of the IPR management
• Design of the First version of the exploitation plan

Dissemination and communication activities are supported by a “Dissemination Plan” that was submitted on month 6 and includes all elements required in a successful dissemination plan. During the first Reporting Period the work was focused to achieve the main objective: to make stakeholders aware of the project and to disseminate the project results towards its future exploitation. The following objectives have been achieved:
• Deployment of the Dissemination Plan
• To make stakeholders aware of the project
• To disseminate the project results towards its future exploitation.
• To create and to update a Dissemination Plan

Final results

FISSAC will develop a new concept of industrial symbiosis model through the cooperation of all stakeholders involved from extensive industries that are either by products providers and /or users.
The ambition is to develop:
- new business models that currently do not exist taking into account technical, environmental and socio-economic aspects.
- new constructive applications favouring the use of Secondary Raw Materials which are not already used as raw materials for high grade uses
FISSAC project will introduce societal aspects within the model as one of the main pieces for its successful results, and transition management will be used as a tool for facilitating knowledge diffusion, protection and upscaling of technological and social innovations. Due to the fact that IS is not understood without taking society into account, social aspects will be covered during the whole duration of the project and will take part of the management structure of the project.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.fissacproject.eu.