Living Lab for Circular Economy in Amsterdam

Buiksloterham district of Amsterdam has been designated to become a living lab for circular economy. Explored aspects include the concept of living with water and the reclaiming residual materials from sewage

The Buiksloterham district of Amsterdam is being transformed from an unsightly industrial area into a model showcase for circular area development. Wageningen UR is one of the signatories of a manifesto drawn up to emphasise the biobased ambitions of the project. Over the coming years, Buiksloterham will be transformed into a neighbourhood in which products and raw materials are reused as much as possible.

The 20 signatories of the manifesto have developed an action plan with several priorities. Wageningen UR focuses on the areas of waste and water. "This is a hotbed of ideas right now," says scientist Wim de Haas of Alterra Wageningen UR. "There are ideas from people who wish to build their sustainable home in Buiksloterham, for example. But there are also businesses that see great potential in the circular biobased economy. As a research institute, Wageningen UR is happy to be among the promoters as there are many exciting opportunities in this project. And we are joined in this by scientists from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the Delft University of Technology, Deltares and the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN)."

Extracting value from water

In the water panel, Wageningen UR joins promoters who wish to get more value out of water-related activities. "For instance, we are examining the possibilities for reclaiming residual materials from sewage," De Haas explains. "The technology we aim to use to recover phosphates from wastewater, can be very valuable in applications on a larger scale. The looming shortage of phosphate may be a threat to world food security; without phosphate, there will be no food."

From waste to raw material

The waste panel is the place for planners looking to recover useful raw materials from waste. For example, a group of homebuilders hope to apply circular building principles in the construction of their homes. The application of smart waste collection technology gives used renewable materials a new lease on life. Organic waste streams can be turned into new biobased materials in a small biorefinery in Buiksloterham, then used as building blocks for biobased chemicals or biobased plastics.

Source: WageningenUR

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Taxonomy

• Water Recycling
• Reuse
• Water Management