Award Abstract # 2236080
NSF Convergence Accelerator Track I: A Tale of Two Cities Optimizing Circularity from Molecules to the Built Environment

NSF Org: ITE
Innovation and Technology Ecosystems
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
Initial Amendment Date: December 14, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: December 14, 2022
Award Number: 2236080
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Richard Farnsworth
rlfarnsw@nsf.gov
 (703)292-5029
ITE
 Innovation and Technology Ecosystems
TIP
 Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
Start Date: December 15, 2022
End Date: November 30, 2024 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $749,997.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $749,997.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2023 = $749,997.00
History of Investigator:
  • Jenna Jambeck (Principal Investigator)
    jjambeck@uga.edu
  • Eric Beckman (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Jason Locklin (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Melissa Bilec (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
310 E CAMPUS RD RM 409
ATHENS
GA  US  30602-1589
(706)542-5939
Sponsor Congressional District: 10
Primary Place of Performance: University of Georgia
310 EAST CAMPUS RD TUCKER HALL ROOM 409
ATHENS
GA  US  30602-1589
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
10
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): NMJHD63STRC5
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Convergence Accelerator Resrch
Primary Program Source: 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s): 131Y00
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.084

ABSTRACT

The current linear consumption model of raw material extraction, production, use, and disposal has led to serious consequences, from resource depletion to global waste, spanning all industrial sectors from plastics to the built environment. In its place, a new circular model can be created by transforming how the end-of-life and/or re-use of materials are envisioned, using systems tools to guide the design. This project will advance the national economic development and national security goals by using the team?s Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP) to develop interconnected circular models for waste avoidance and material reuse across four different categories: molecules, plastics, organic materials, and the built environment. By creating a path to circularity across multiple materials and scales in two large metropolitan areas in geographically disparate regions (Pittsburgh, PA, and Atlanta, GA), their knowledge and improved practices can translate to other locations throughout the US, eventually scaling to other cities. This work crosses the boundaries of community engagement, financial systems, and education and curriculum development. Project data will be made freely and publicly available on the internet using the open access, open data tool Debris Tracker, adding to the over 6 million other data points for leakage of materials and materials management in nearly 100 countries around the world. Circularity city data will be compared not only between Pittsburgh and Atlanta but with other CAP cities worldwide like Manila, Philippines; Semarang, Indonesia; and Can Tho, Vietnam. This project will profoundly enhance and amplify the waste reduction and management programs of the team?s local, government, and industry partners. Partner and stakeholder meetings will seek ways to ameliorate lack of infrastructure, and access to services for everyone.

In contrast to linear models, circular economy (CE) decouples economic growth from resource consumption -- for example, meeting people?s needs without producing waste in the first place. CE principles are based on the efficient use of resources and eliminating waste from product life cycles; a truly circular economy keeps material in continuous use in the economy, by design. By deeply integrating diverse disciplines through the process of the team?s previously developed, proven holistic systems framework, the Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP), the project can tackle the complex challenges that currently inhibit the growth of the circular economy. This work will utilize the CAP framework to converge circularity across multiple scales for the first time: from molecules (e.g., function-property and ecotoxicity), to materials (e.g., polymers, electronics, paper products), and the built environment (e.g., design for value and reversible building design). Working with well-positioned collaborators from government, and industry, the project team will converge and connect these siloed research topics to create a path to optimizing
circularity in two major metropolitan areas, Atlanta, GA, and Pittsburgh, PA. The two cities will be involved throughout the project and will have access to data facilitating the use of science and technology to inform public policy and support decision-making. This project will increase participation of everyone and increase public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology through the use of open data and free mobile citizen science apps; improve the well-being of individuals in society by reducing waste and improving the built environment; develop a globally competitive STEM workforce through the current education center at UPitt and students working on this project at each university; and deepen partnerships between academia and others.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Brooks, Amy and Bell, Nicole and Jambeck, Jenna and Werner, Madison and Bilec, Melissa "TOWARDS EVALUATING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: INSIGHTS FROM THE CIRCULARITY ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL (CAP)" Detritus , 2024 https://doi.org/10.31025/2611-4135/2024.19444 Citation Details
Masalegooyan, Z and Jambeck, JR and Werner, M and Mozo-Reyes, E and Maddalene, T and Breen, M and Mathis, J and Brooks, A "SpheriCity, Circularity Assessment Protocol in Cities: A Systematic Tool for Managing Plastic Pollution: Insights from Atlanta." , 2024 Citation Details
Bozeman, III, Joe_F and Hollauer, Catharina and Ramshankar, Arjun_Thangaraj and Nakkasunchi, Shalini and Jambeck, Jenna and Hicks, Andrea and Bilec, Melissa and McCauley, Darren and Heidrich, Oliver "Embed systemic equity throughout industrial ecology applications: How to address machine learning unfairness and bias" Journal of Industrial Ecology , v.28 , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13509 Citation Details

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

In contrast to linear models, circular economy (CE) decouples economic growth from resource consumption -- for example, meeting societal needs without producing waste in the first place. CE principles are based on the efficient use of resources and eliminating waste from product life cycles; a truly circular economy keeps material in continuous use by design. By deeply integrating diverse disciplines through the process of a proven holistic systems framework we developed, the Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP), this project tackled the complex challenges that currently inhibit the growth of the circular economy, especially at the city level. This work utilized the CAP framework to converge circularity across multiple scales for the first time: from the building blocks of new materials (molecules, focusing on alternatives to traditional single-use plastics), through material use cycles (e.g., plastics, organic materials/food waste), to the built environment. We worked with well- positioned collaborators from NGOs, government, and industry, to converge and connect these siloed research topics to create a path to optimizing circularity in two metropolitan cities, Atlanta, GA and Pittsburgh, PA. 

The broader impacts of this work cross the boundaries of our environment, society, community engagement, financial systems, and education and curriculum development. We used the open access, open data tool Debris Tracker to make project data freely available on the internet, adding to the over 9 million other data points for leakage of materials and materials management in nearly 100 countries around the world. The Circularity Informatics Lab (CIL) facilitated the comparison of city circularity data not only between Pittsburgh and Atlanta, but with other CAP cities worldwide like Manila, Philippines; Semarang, Indonesia; and Can Tho, Vietnam. This project enhanced and amplified the work of our local, government, and industry partners working on circularity with recycling hard-to-recycle materials, composting, and deconstruction and reuse. In our partner and stakeholder meetings, we discussed cross-cutting issues, economics, infrastructure, and services in cities that can optimize circularity. 

This project contributed to public engagement with science and technology through use of open data and free mobile citizen science apps; supported society and security by working to reduce waste, increase access to materials through circularity, and improve the built environment; and develop and expand our STEM workforce through the education center at UPitt, engineering classes taught at UGA, and students working on this project at each university. Atlanta and Pittsburgh were involved throughout the CAP and have access to data as final reports, presentations and in a database facilitating the use of science and technology to inform public policy and support decision-making. Results and lessons learned from the CAPs in Atlanta and Pittsburgh have been shared with both the scholarly community, and also with other cities and organizations working to address circularity in the USA and across the globe. This project led to the circular economy application of plastics and construction and demolition (C&D) materials to be translated and scaled to other cities throughout the US in collaboration with more local partners.


Last Modified: 03/25/2025
Modified by: Jenna Jambeck

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