In this project, the promoters’ proposal is to advance from the current state of the art in the following areas:
● Address the existing knowledge gap regarding technical information on waste management technologies with the development of a database of waste processing technologies (WASTESdb), in such a way that it can be updated and consolidated in a decentralized manner. The proposed database will include not only mature and large-scale technologies, which are the basis of the current waste management technology landscape, but also small-scale technologies that are currently being developed and entering the market and that will enable the transition towards a circular economy. This is completely innovative and can become a standard for future applications focused on waste management technology.
● Develop a information-based systems modelling approach representing the constraints in waste processing technologies, namely considering the possible inputs-outputs of each process given the characteristics of each waste stream. This will allow for the automatic identification of different waste processing pathways that are to be considered.
● Create new ways to visualize material and elemental flows throughout the waste processing chain based only on the information compiled in the proposed database, enabling integrated and holistic views on recycling and circularity.