On 25 and 26 February 2019, the ACR+ team joined the World Resource Forum 2019, which was organised by ACR+ member OVAM, to showcase the ongoing activities of FISSAC and URBANREC. The team did so by participating in an expo booth that served as an umbrella host for Sustainable Process Industry (SPIRE) projects. FISSAC and URBANREC were also featured in a two-day conference on industrial symbiosis.
 
FISSAC project partner RINA presented the demo version of an IT Platform that is still in the works, explaining the main functionality it affords to support the decision-making process. The software tool is comprised of two main areas. The first one implements a life cycle approach to the flows of a potential symbiosis, while the second one is a GIS-based tool that enables users to identify symbiotic partners in a given region and trade with them through a built-in marketplace. The integration of the two areas generates an important added value when it comes to supporting the stakeholders. The platform has been developed to cover the construction and demolition value chain, but it could be also adapted to other sectors.
 
Meanwhile, URBANREC project partner Blue Plasma Power gave an overview of the project activities, focusing on a promising technology to treat the residual (non-reusable and recyclable as material) part of bulky waste. The Catalytic Hydrogasification with Plasma (CHGP) of such waste results in the production of Methylal, a chemical product that can be used as a solvent or additive in biodiesel. The technology has been tested for several months in a pilot-scale plant to monitor the efficiency parameters and evaluate the scale-up potential. The opportunities, challenges and barriers to develop such a technology were also discussed.
 
In addition, ACR+ participated in a panel discussion organised after the screening of the ‘System Reset’ documentary on innovation in cities. The panel also included representatives from UN Habitat, K.U. Leuven and Jinja municipality (Uganda). Discussions focused in particular on the place of digitalisation, the use of commons, and urban management and production in cities. ACR+ stressed the importance of the fact that the circular economy be inclusive in order to involve all the citizens and forces in the transition to it. It also highlighted the key role of public authorities in the transition to a circular economy, in particular from the territorial, human and sectorial perspectives, as well as in terms of support and leadership in the process.

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