Instant Insights: Developing a Circular Economy

Cristina Prieto (Dr.) graduated in Chemical Engineering (2010), at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), received a MSc in Industrial Processes Engineering, and a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University Complutense of Madrid (Spain). Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at the Novel Materials and Nanotechnology Group (Spanish Council of Scientific Research). She has received the Extraordinary Doctoral Thesis Award, the Flucomp Best Thesis Award, the UCM University Entrepreneurship Award, the V Cátedra Agrobank Award, as well as several awards for the quality of her scientific communications. She has published more than 45 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, 3 licensed patents, 3 utility models, 9 chapters, 1 book, and more than 50 abstracts in international conferences. Her expertise involves emerging and conventional encapsulation technologies with application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

• Chapter 1 - Circular, closed-loop agricultural systems: key principles and challenges: Rolf Meyer, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany; 1 Introduction2 Circular agriculture: principles and practice3 Circular biomass use4 Circular nutrition provision5 Circular energy provision6 Cascade use as a special form of circularity7 Conclusion and future trends8 Where to look for further information9 References Chapter 2 - Redirecting nutrients in urban waste to urban agriculture: Rosanne Wielemaker and Jan Weijma, Wageningen University, The Netherlands; 1 Introduction2 Urban agriculture and new sanitation3 Background information4 Case studies5 Challenges for integration: areas for future research6 Conclusion and future trends7 Where to look for further information8 References Chapter 3 - Developing bioplastics from agro-industrial wastes for applications in food packaging: Angela Marchetti, Gaia Salvatori and Lionel Tayou Nguemna, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; Mattia Grumi, Ahmet Ozan Basar, María Pardo-Figuerez, Jose Maria Lagaron and Cristina Prieto, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), Spain; Chiara Marcoaldi, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy and Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), Spain; Marianna Villano and Mauro Majone, Research Center for Applied Sciences to the Safeguard of Environment and Cultural Heritage (CIABC) and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; and David Bolzonella, University of Verona, Italy; 1 Introduction: the problem of plastic waste2 Bioplastics as a promising alternative3 Types of bio-based polymers4 Bioplastics from renewable feedstocks: the example of polyhydroxyalkanoates from agricultural waste5 Cost evaluation of biopolymers6 Applications of bioplastics in food packaging7 Innovative food packaging8 Packaging production techniques9 Case study: the Horizon 2020 Usable Packaging project10 Conclusion and future research needs11 References Chapter 4 - Closed plant production systems in vertical farms for a circular economy: Yoshiaki Kitaya, Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan; 1 Introduction2 Environmental control in facility-based plant production systems as semi-closed systems3 Facility-based plant production systems with efficient circulation of materials4 Sustainable balance of human activities and environmental conservation in urban ecosystems5 Conclusion6 References Chapter 5 - Building natural resource networks: urban agriculture and the circular economy: Stefano Pascucci, Exeter University, UK; 1 Introduction2 Rethinking urban agriculture and food provisioning beyond a linear economy3 Designing regenerative urban agri-food systems through a circular economy approach4 Strategies for building natural resource networks in circular urban agriculture5 Key bottlenecks to transition into circular urban agriculture and food provisioning6 Conclusions7 References