Biorefinery and chains (KB-25-003-003)

MS1 ‘Clustered Metropolitan Biorefinery Concepts’

Flexible and efficient (circular) metropolitan biomass and food supply, collection and processing networks are needed to create Resource Efficient Cities. In the increasingly expanding metropoles sufficient food and resource efficiency converge into concepts that address the zero-waste approach of efficient use of resources in metropolitan areas. Concepts like urban metabolism connect with the circularity of chains within the metropolitan boundaries in general, and with urban (food) waste and agricultural production in particular. Here transition towards a bio-economy is connected with the decrease of the vulnerability of the urban environment by strengthening circular chain networks of local processing and production units.

Delivered products reach a consumer (households, industry) in individual or bulk orders to a variety of places, where orders are decided on in the last possible moment. Food waste and biomass waste should be reduced or used as a feedstock for new products or for other purposes (e.g. bioenergy).

Research questions

1. How can the future ordering process of customers and enterprises in a city increase the efficient use of resources when strategies for the reduction of food and biomass waste and circular economy are incorporated to the metropolitan food system?
2. Can this decoupling ordering process from centralized locations (processing, packaging or even production) increase the flexibility of metropolitan food systems?
3. What kind of food and (intermediate) biobased products and materials through what type of (biorefinery) processes can be produced on these centralized locations
4. How should an integrated logistical centre that deals with both food and non-food streams  be organized and how does it fit into the network?
5. When looking at e-commerce and home deliveries, what logistics concepts in living areas are the most suited to increase flexibility and reduce i.e. transport movements?