EUBCE 2026 - Sivaramakrishnan CHANDRASEKARAN - Sustainable and Inclusive by Design (SIbD): A Trans-disciplinary Framework for a Socially just and Sustainable Development of Bio-based Value Chains

Sustainable and Inclusive by Design (SIbD): A Trans-disciplinary Framework for a Socially just and Sustainable Development of Bio-based Value Chains

Short Introductive summary

Biobased solutions are seen as short- to mid-term solutions in defossilizing of carbon intensive sectors such as transportation. Despite potential environmental benefits, opportunities for social development, and decades of research, biobased value chains (BBVCs) still face significant challenges for large-scale commercial implementation. One of the biggest challenges of large-scale deployment of bioenergy projects is the scale of biomass mobilization. Biohubs, suggested by the International Energy Agency, are seen as the new key enablers for an economically feasible and environmentally friendly large-scale mobilization of biomass feedstocks. However, biohubs (or any BBVCs) are socio-technical systems where technical elements and social arrangements are intertwined, which complicate their establishment. In the conventional development of BBVCs, the local stakeholders’ perspectives, especially the biomass producers, are often overlooked. This creates a blind spot in the conceptual designs for real world implementation of potential promising solutions developed at lab-scale. Therefore, there is a need for a novel approach to overcome the current challenges of BBVCs.

S. Chandrasekaran, Delft University of Technology, THE NETHERLANDS
S. van der Veen, Delft University of Technology, THE NETHERLANDS
L. Asveld, Delft University of Technology, THE NETHERLANDS
P. Osseweijer, Delft University of Technology, THE NETHERLANDS
J. Posada, Universidad ECCI, Bogotá, COLOMBIA