Adaptive circular model for residual biomass valorisation at the neighbourhood scale. A key stream for climate neutrality

The contribution illustrates the outcomes of an ongoing PNRR funded research investigating the concept of circularity applied to models for residual biomass (organic waste of various types and wastewater) management and valorization, in the context of urban neighborhoods/districts. The final objective of the research is to outline an adaptive circular model that is replicable and at the same time adaptable to different contexts and urban fabrics, where the technological and environmental potential, the types of biomasses available and the end uses of the recovered resources change. Thus, the research aims to highlight the potential of the residual biomass stream recovery and closed-loop treatment on a local scale, in view of neighborhoods/districts’ transition towards climate neutrality, through: the identification of international reference best practices of ecological and circular quartiers and their critical analysis and comparison, for the systematization of technological and spatial criteria; the definition of the adaptive model and of consistent guidelines for the design and integration of the necessary technological systems; the construction of a decision-support tool based on the calculation, in the different potential scenarios of circular optimization of residual biomass streams, of the CO2 emissions saved, compared to standard management models. Within the broader objectives of the research, this paper illustrates a specific and narrower first set of results at the ‘Mid-Term’ state of the research itself, relating specifically to the steps of the critical analysis and comparison of international best practices of circular neighborhoods, an innovative mapping of resource flows and an initial definition of an adaptive model, to be further developed in the next research phases.