Academic lends expertise to European project to create more sustainable economy
Cooperation, development and cross-border transfer of Industrial Symbiosis among industry and stakeholders project experts meet in Brussels to kick off the European Cooperation in Science and Technology action (Photo credit: LIAISE)
A University of Huddersfield academic is lending his expertise on industrial symbiosis to a four-year European-wide research network to advance economic and business sustainability.
Dr Athanasios Angelis-Dimakis, a Reader in Chemical Engineering from the University’s School of Applied Sciences, is one of two UK academics involved in the Cooperation, development and cross-border transfer of Industrial Symbiosis among industry and stakeholders (LIAISE) management committee.
The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action aims to exchange knowledge and find innovative strategies and tools to promote sustainable industrial symbiosis practices.
A COST Action is effectively a European-wide interdisciplinary research network that brings researchers and innovators together to investigate a particular topic lasting four years.
This particular Action sees Dr Angelis-Dimakis participating in a working group looking specifically at analysing any barriers to the proper implementation of an industrial symbiosis business model.
Dr Athanasios Angelis-Dimakis
READER IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action is an interdisciplinary research network known as LIAISE. It aims to exchange knowledge and find innovative strategies and tools to promote sustainable industrial symbiosis practices and will last for four years.
Industrial symbiosis is the process by which waste or by-products of an industry or industrial process become the raw materials for another, creating a circular and more sustainable economy.
By harnessing the potential of industrial symbiosis, LIAISE aims to enhance resource efficiency, reduce waste generation, and stimulate economic growth while minimising the environmental impact of industrial activities.
Dr Angelis-Dimakis said that the LIAISE working group he is involved in aims to analyse the barriers to effective industrial symbiosis and how to overcome them.
“There are a number of different barriers - it could be a lack of trust between industries or lack of knowledge, or in some cases a lack of technical means, and lack of public acceptance.
“Throughout this project, we don't aim to find new technological means because these have been researched widely.
“The main idea is to find ways to identify those barriers, overcome those barriers, and train all the involved stakeholders.”
Discover more about studying Chemical Engineering at Huddersfield
He took part in the kick-off meeting in Brussels in October which saw experts, industry professionals, researchers and policymakers come together from across Europe.
The action follows on from a research project the Huddersfield academic has been involved in since 2020 titled AquaSPICE – a €12.8 million project involving 29 partners across Europe around innovations in circular water use in process industries, supporting them to reduce their use of freshwater resources.
As part of this Dr Angelis-Dimakis has been instrumental in creating a platform that enables industries to be matched with one another to enable better industrial symbiosis to take place.