Waste Management rethought - Waste2Wealth relies on innovative technologies for the recovery of recyclable materials in Georgia

Technological progress in Waste Management

In times of growing scarcity of raw materials and increasing environmental pollution, the efficient utilisation of waste is a key issue. Prof. Dr habil. Christian Abendroth from the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus Senftenberg (BTU) says: "Germany is a pioneer in the development of sustainable technologies. This makes it all the more important for us at BTU to be involved in projects such as the W2W project in order to further advance these technologies." The BMUV's export initiative therefore specifically funds projects that stimulate the export of corresponding technologies. Waste2Wealth (W2W) aims to provide information on the circular economy, the market and ideas for the introduction of bioproduct lines that are combined with the technical and organisational requirements for recycling residual materials. With the help of innovative processes for material utilisation, a higher recovery rate is to be achieved and the carbon footprint reduced at the same time. The result should serve as a basis for technology transfer and future cooperation between German and Georgian companies and scientists in this field.

Sustainable value creation through innovative processes

"Waste2Wealth will provide us with valuable insights to improve bilateral cooperation in Waste Management," explains Dr Ali Asghar Besalatpour, Project Manager at inter 3 - Institute for Resource Management, who is coordinating the project. "Our aim is to analyse the potential of the Georgian agricultural sector for the production of organic products, to identify green Made in Germany technologies and to strengthen cooperation between Germany and Georgia in this area. Together with our partners - the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and the Georgian Farmers' Association (GFA) - we want to show that new wealth potential can be created from waste."

About Waste2Wealth

The project aims to tap into the previously underutilised potential of agricultural residues for the production of organic products in Georgia through an international transfer of knowledge and experience. The aim is to establish the introduction of innovative and green technologies from Germany in Georgia, which should enable the production of new recyclable materials from agricultural waste and thus strengthen the circular economy in this country. To this end, a digital platform will be established that includes attractive formats such as short films, 360-degree photos and quizzes. This platform will give Georgian partners permanent access to German expertise, innovative technologies and a list of relevant German companies. At the same time, German companies and scientific institutions are made aware of the potential of the Georgian market for biological products from agricultural residues.

In cooperation with local partners, up to four agricultural residues with the greatest potential for utilisation will initially be identified. In cooperation between German experts and the Georgian partners, suitable product-oriented utilisation chains will be outlined and their implementation described. In addition, the technical and organisational requirements of these recycling chains will be determined.

The transfer of knowledge will take place through digital training courses in which the train-of-trainer (ToT) approach will be pursued. The focus is in particular on the technical and organisational aspects of waste recycling. The aim of the knowledge transfer is to fund sustainable thinking in Georgia and establish green technologies from Germany there in order to enable long-term German-Georgian cooperation.

BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg is also coordinating the creation of a white book. This white book will contain market information and concepts for the implementation of organic product lines based on agricultural residues. It will also include potential studies on available agricultural residues and their utilisation, taking into account the technical and organisational requirements. The whitebook will also contain a roadmap for promoting Georgian-German technology transfer and will form the basis for the planned project investment, which will involve setting up a promotional container in Georgia. This container will exhibit key German technologies and is intended to offer "hands-on technology".

inter 3 - Institute for Resource Management

The Berlin-based research and consultancy institute inter 3 combines its scientific expertise in the fields of demographic change, infrastructure and regional development as well as resource and innovation management with specialised experience in science-related PR work. As a service partner, the institute supports research organisations, companies and ministries in communicating research results in an understandable, informative and convincing way.

Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg

At the BTU, under the direction of Prof. Dr habil. Christian Abendroth, the Chair of Circular Economy is involved. The department specialises in biological, thermal and mechanical waste treatment processes. These key topics are examined from both a technical and biological perspective in teaching. The focus is on sustainability and closed value chains. The chair will present important technologies in a whitebook, which will form the basis for a German-Georgian dialogue.

More information on the Waste2Wealth project:

https://www.b-tu.de/waste2wealth 

https://www.exportinitiative-umweltschutz.de/projekte/waste2wealth   

https://www.inter3.de/forschungsfelder/projekte/details/waste2wealth