Circularity Analysis Tool: Assessing Circularity of Biomass Utilisation by Valuing Composition, Efficiency, and Functionality

Samenvatting

Inefficient use of bioresources threatens food security and the production of other biobased products, which causes environmental issues as greenhouse gas emissions, increased use of arable land, and loss of soil organic carbon and minerals. Increasing the efficiency of the utilisation of bioresources by bioconversion will increase food security and reduce environmental impacts. To analyse the circularity of different bioconversion routes of a certain biomass stream, a tool is developed. The Circularity Analysis Tool (CAT) assesses the circularity of biomass utilization valuing individual components of the biomass, combined with processing efficiencies and the functionality of the products.
Biomass consists of different components, i.e. protein, fat, fibre, starch, sugar, ash, and minerals as N, P, and K. In the CAT, each component has an “appreciation” value, e.g. a weighing value to be able to distinguish between components in different biobased products. For example, the utilization of protein in a food product is considered more circular compared to the utilization of the same amount of sugar. The composition of the evaluated biomass stream is the basis of the circularity analysis. To facilitate the determination of the composition, the CAT is linked to a database containing the composition of bioresources and biomass residues.
The conversions and efficiencies of general bioconversion processes are determined on component level, resulting in a conversion matrix for each bioconversion process. The utilization of biomass often includes multiple bioconversion processes to multiple biobased products. In the CAT, the cascading use of biomass is included by defining default bioconversion routes with multiple processes and products.
Each biobased product has a “functionality” score, i.e. an indicative value to address the value of the application. For example, the utilization of biomass in a food product is considered to be more circular compared to generation of energy from the biomass (whit the same efficiency).
The CAT enables the comparison of different bioconversion routes of a biomass stream, using a weighted analysis of multiple aspects including the composition of the biomass, processing efficiencies, and product functionality. The CAT will be used, among others, to monitor the progress of the national biomass utilisation.