Kreislaufwirtschaft und Elektro-Bioökonomie

Neue Ansätze in der Nachhaltigkeitsforschung

Abstract

In his presentation as a guest speaker for the bioeconomy online seminar at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg in June 2020, Professor Sundmacher introduced the contributions of bioeconomy, electro economy and circular economy as three complimentary pillars for a more sustainable economy toward the vision of a circular electrical economy and highlighted their respective potentials as well as their limitations. Professor Sundmacher claimed that bioeconomy is better suited to produce food, pharmaceutical compounds and chemicals than electricity and fuels. In his presentation, he explained the advantages of the electrical economy for the generation of electricity and production of hydrogen through wind and solar energy and the subsequent processing to e-fuels by combining hydrogen with carbon. The principal advantage of circular economy is the reduction in the use of raw materials, but it requires high recycling rates, according to Professor Sundmacher. He explained further the contribution of bio-based resources to the continuity of the loop and differentiates between technical recyclability and biodegradability. The presentation was transcribed and edited for this Working Paper issue by Astrid Butt.