Linkedin X-twitter Instagram Envelope

Hubs4Circularity

HUBS

Salamanca Hub

Urban Waste Water (UWW)

Advance the Water-Energy-Resource nexus towards optimal secondary raw material recovery, improved energy efficiency and closed water loops, fostering the implementation of a circular economy at regional scale

The UNITED CIRCLES Spanish H4C promotes the circular economy in Salamanca, transforming waste into valuable resources. Four value chains are established: energy, water, nutrients, and materials. Energy circularity is achieved with Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) and biological methanation, generating renewable energy by biomethane and biocrude generation.

Water circularity is optimized with coupled Forward Osmosis (FO)-Capacitive DeIonization (CDI) desalting and novel membrane applications, reusing water from the industry and urban to new uses.

Nutrients circularity is attained with Coupled Anammox-FBR (ELAN® and Aquavite® reactors), recovering essential elements for agriculture. Materials circularity is closed with recovery of cellulose after WWTP pretreatment by RBF filter, generating new raw materials for paper industry.

The goal is to create a sustainable development model, where waste becomes resources, and the environmental impact is minimized in Salamanca.

The Spanish H4C will boost the implementation of a circular economy at local and regional scale, supporting the Circular Economy plan of Castilla y León as CCRI pilot region, and contributing to the development of the regional Circular Systemic Solution for the Food-Water-Nutrients value chain.

Ankhara Hub

Urban Construction & Demolition Waste (C&DW)

Ankara H4C Technology Innovation Ecosystem: Industry Urban Symbiosis for C&DW Upcycling in Construction Value Chain

Within the scope of Industry Urban Symbiosis, processes Urban Construction and Demolition Waste and aims to create a 100% Upcycled Building Construction Value Chain. Upcycled C&DW will be used by Cement, Chemical/Isolation and Construction Materials sectors. EKODENGE is the hub leader.

The demonstrator will carry out 5 steps: (1) X-Ray Transmission (XRT) driven Multi-Sensor separation of C&DW; (2) sorting of concrete waste into HCP, sand and aggregate; (3) first of a kind carbonation of HCP and production of blended cement using upcycled carbonated HCP as mineral additive; (4) first production of PUR/PIR foam with recycled aniline; and (5) First of a kind creation of CBPB with 40% upcycled materials. Finally, all the steps will launch the products’ use in constructing a two-storey 3D-printed building.

Veneto Hub

Urban Food Waste - Used Cooking Oil (UCO)

Transforming used cooking oils into bioplastics and bio-based materials: advanced biorefining and urban-industrial symbiosis, developing products relevant to urban environments and agriculture

The Italian Hub for Circularity (ItH4C) will demonstrate how waste can be reintegrated into production cycles through biorefining technologies. Focusing on used cooking oils and second-generation sugars, ItH4C will support the transformation of organic waste into bioplastics and bio-based materials, developing products relevant to urban environments and agriculture.

A key element of this process is the efficient collection, storage, and distribution of used cooking oils, ensuring a stable, traceable, and high-quality input for circular production. The potential to valorise by-products and secondary flows into valuable resources will also be explored. Through real-world implementation and impact assessment, ItH4C will adopt cooperative circular economy models, creating scalable and replicable solutions for a sustainable bioeconomy.

MIRRORING HUBS

Each of the Demonstrator H4C will be followed by four Mirroring Hubs for replication

Greece Hub

LOREM IPSUM 

Read more

Hungary Hub

Wastewater treatment solutions for circular urban-Industry symbiosis in urban and rural environments

Read more

South Africa Hub

Transformation for South Africa’s industrial and urban waste systems into circular waste value chains

Read more

UK Hub

Tech-Takeback (lead) Kent County Council and Claire Potter Design will be setting up a mirroring hub of the Veneto demonstrator across Kent, Brighton & Hove and Sussex with an added focus on other priority urban material streams in the region.

Read more

SEED HUBS

The concept of ‘Seed Hubs’ for H4C will be tested by four beneficiaries

Slovenia Hub

Fostering collaboration to support region’s transition away from coal industry, leveraging available funds to address challenges and explore new opportunities in (W)EEE sector.

Read more

Lebanon Hub

Lebanon’s Living Material and Recycled Concrete Seed Hubs unite stakeholders to transform biomaterials and post-war construction rubble into circular value chains, advancing regional industrial symbiosis.

Read more

France Hub

The acceleration development by facilitating the distribution and sale of reclaimed building products in a highly dynamic emerging market.

Read more

Austria Hub

Innovation for a sustainable future.

Read more

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under grant agreement No 101178798.

Cookies
We serve cookies. If you think that's ok, just click "Accept all". You can also choose what kind of cookies you want by clicking "Settings". Read our cookie policy
Settings Refuse all Accept all
Cookies
Choose what kind of cookies to accept. Your choice will be saved for one year. Read our cookie policy
Save Refuse all Accept all

Greece Hub

LOREM IPSUM
LOREM IPSUM

Hungary Hub

Wastewater treatment solutions for circular urban-Industry symbiosis in urban and rural environments

The Hungarian H4C, located in the Southern Transdanubian region, connects all the local stakeholders, in the recycling and valorisation of the urban wastewater from the local municipalities, to be use in industrial green processes, in a dynamic Urban-Industry symbiosis. The H4C designed solutions are based on international best practices, and are aimed to achieve sustainability, while enhancing knowledge exchange and international networks.

South Africa Hub

Transformation for South Africa’s industrial and urban waste systems into circular waste value chains

The hub focuses on three main actions. On the one hand, it will develop a closed-loop system to convert used cooking oil into biodegradable bioplastics to enable resource efficiency, waste reduction, and decarbonisation of industrial feedstock. Moreover, it will establish a circular process to recover cellulose from wastewater.

This effort aims to reduce waste, reuse wastewater, and create sustainable raw materials for industrial use. Finally, it will focus on digitalisation and system integration.

Our SFA H4C works as an initiator, bringing together industry, regional governments, SMEs, and other stakeholders. It also acts as a facilitator, conducting feasibility studies, seeking investments, and driving dissemination. SFA H4C connects with a global network of 4 Circularity Hubs to share knowledge, innovation insights, and collaboration opportunities.

UK Hub

Tech-Takeback (lead) Kent County Council and Claire Potter Design will be setting up a mirroring hub of the Veneto demonstrator across Kent, Brighton & Hove and Sussex with an added focus on other priority urban material streams in the region.

This Hub will facilitate urban industrial symbiosis of stranded materials currently designated as waste in the region. The SEEH4C will be led by Tech-Takeback, ably supported by partners Kent County Council and Claire Potter Design and an emerging stakeholder group including Brighton & Hove City Council, East and West Sussex County Councils, Southern Water and Gatwick Airport. The Circular hub will focus on waste streams that have the best potential to reduce carbon emissions or are deemed a priority regional challenge. It will mirror the Italian demonstrator hub who are focusing on cooking oil capture and bio refining. Other themes such as electronics, construction & demolition, textiles and food will also be explored.

Slovenia Hub

Fostering collaboration to support region’s transition away from coal industry, leveraging available funds to address challenges and explore new opportunities in (W)EEE sector.

The HUB in Velenje, led by ZEOS, aspires to become a focal point, connecting new and existing regional stakeholders to consolidate their experiences and knowledge, supporting the region’s transition away from a coal-based economy.

The HUB will leverage available Just Transition Funds to develop a collaborative region and strengthen its existing electric and electronic manufacturing industry. Collaborating within the Velenje seed HUB framework will enable stakeholders to jointly address existing challenges and explore new opportunities.

Lebanon Hub

Lebanon’s Living Material and Recycled Concrete Seed Hubs unite stakeholders to transform biomaterials and post-war construction rubble into circular value chains, advancing regional industrial symbiosis.

Launched in 2025, Recycle Lebanon’s Seed Hubs accelerate regenerative system change by connecting networks of industry, government, SMEs, researchers, and designers to scale biomaterials and recycled concrete innovation. 

From transforming biomaterials of fibres, cellulose, algae, mycelium and agri-waste to leveraging recoverable concrete from post-war C&DW, we map urban-industrial resource flows, foster knowledge exchange, connect regional efforts to global circularity networks and drive financing and technological collaboration to unlock circular value chains and improve industrial symbiosis.

France Hub

The acceleration development by facilitating the distribution and sale of reclaimed building products in a highly dynamic emerging market.

The French Hub will build an administrative, economic, and technical framework (chosen material flows and technical aspects) to create a partnership between a building materials retailer, one (or more) suppliers of reused materials, and an RTO (pour Research and Technology Organization) (Nobatek).

In this circular economy system, where construction wastes become resources, each partner has a key role in making it work. Another objective is to successfully establish a strong partnership between the social and solidarity economic sector and the conventional business sector to scale up the model.

Austria Hub

Innovation for a sustainable future.

The circularity hub in Graz and Styria will drive the transition to a circular economy. Bringing together businesses, researchers, and policymakers, it fosters sustainable innovation, resource efficiency, and waste reduction.

With cutting-edge solutions for material reuse, recycling, and eco-design, the hub empowers companies to implement circular strategies while promoting regional sustainability. The goal is a greener future—where resources stay in use for longer, and waste becomes a thing of the past!