VHL University of Applied Sciences (VHL) is a sustainable University of AppliedSciences that trains students to be ambitious, innovative professionals andcarries out applied research to make a significant contribution to asustainable world. Together with partners from the field, they contribute to innovative and sustainable developments through research and knowledge valorisation. Their focus is on circular agriculture, water, healthy food & nutrition, soil and biodiversity – themes that are developed within research lines in the variousapplied research groups. These themes address the challenges that are part ofthe international sustainability agenda for 2030: the sustainable developmentgoals (SDGs). This booklet contains fascinating and representative examplesof projects – completed or ongoing, from home and abroad – that are linked tothe SDGs. The project results contribute not only to the SDGs but to their teaching as well.
MULTIFILE
Both research and practice acknowledge that an increasing number of business models are realized by multiple organizations in innovation ecosystems. Little research addresses how organizations develop these business models jointly over time and balance the tensions that occur from the divergent goals and interests of each actor. We propose that the concept of value valuation may be helpful in understanding this process. Value valuation is a balancing process that takes place between actors in an innovation ecosystem when collaborating around a business model for sustainability, making sure that the benefits of ecosystem membership outweighs its costs, leading to continuing support of the initiative. Based on four smart city projects for a circular economy we find that value is valuated along two dimensions: economic, environmental and social value; and mutual and individual value. Value valuation takes place in iterative cycles and is characterized by a number of mechanisms, including action-based experimenting. These findings open up a research agenda to study the dynamics of ecosystem-based business model development.
In June 2016, two Dutch SME companies which are active in the area of urban solid waste management approached the International Environmental Sciences department of Avans about the current R&D activities on urban solid waste management in cooperation with the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) Brazil. The companies had interest in developing activities in Brazil, since they are aware of the great potential for exporting both knowledge and technology. Solid waste poses a major problem in Brazil which affects 200 million residents. The Brazilian municipalities collect around 71 million tons solid municipal waste on a yearly basis and only a tiny percentage of this collected waste gets recycled. As such. the overwhelming majority of the collected urban solid waste goes to landfills. Within the State of Minas Gerais there are 850 towns of which 600 have less than 20.000 residents and are agriculturally oriented. Current organic waste composting practices take place under very poor conditions (pathogens and weeds still remain in the compost) and most often the resulting compost product is not well received by its residential and agricultural consumers. As such there is huge room for improvement. The SME companies work with Avans and UFMG to address these challenges. The joint research team consisting of the two Dutch SME companies and the two Research and educational institutes have defined the following research question: What is the current status of organic solid waste management in Minas Gerais and how can cooperation between Brazil and the Netherlands result in a win-win for both countries? Two individual KIEM VANG proposals have been defined in order to address these challenges. The planned activities are a joint effort with professor R. T. de Vasconcelos Barros of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) and are executed within the Living Lab Biobased Brazil program (www.biobasedbrazil.org).
Compostering van organische reststromen is een bekende technologie om organische afvalstro-men op duurzame manier te verwerken. Doel van deze KiemVang aanvraag is het verkennen van vermicomposting op het landgoed van VHL en bij koffiebranderij Peeze als mogelijkheid om orga-nisch afval duurzaam te verwerken. Vermicompostering onderscheidt zich van conventionele com-postering door de inzet van wormen, waardoor een product (wormenhumus) ontstaat met specifieke eigenschappen, die o.a. goed zouden zijn voor de bodemgezondheid. Dit project beoogt om op klei-ne schaal te pilotten met vermicomposting, waarbij studenten deelopdrachten uitvoeren bij VHL en/of Peeze. Startpunt van de verkenning is het in kaart brengen van de verschillende organische reststromen en het formuleren van verschillende recepturen opgesteld om wormenhumus te ma-ken. In testopstellingen wordt vervolgens het composteerproces getoetst. Monitoring vindt plaats van o.a. de reductie in afval en de kwaliteit van het eindproduct. Tot slot is de toepassing van de gevormde wormenhumus punt van onderzoek. Vraag hierbij is of de humus volledig door VHL en Peeze zelf kan worden benut, of dat afzet naar de lokale gemeenschap gewenst en mogelijk is. Ook is inzicht nodig in de geldende wet- en regelgeving om het proces in de toekomst op grotere schaal te kunnen implementeren. De achterliggende onderzoeksvraag is hoe vermicomposting een bijdrage kan leveren aan duurzame afvalverwerking en het sluiten van kringlopen. Het project draagt ook bij aan de actualisatie van praktijkonderwijs wat betreft circulaire economie.
The expanding world’s population challenges the way we produce and supply food. The ever-increasing production of food and its subsequent generated biomass forms immense risks to the environment and, eventually, public health. Aside from developing innovative food production methods (hydroponics, non-toxic pesticides, resistant species), the generation of waste biomass remains a challenge. Large volumes of food waste are processed in animal food, biofuel or used as a composting source, while these by-products are valuable sources of bioactive compounds (BACs). The processing of fruits and vegetables generates a variety of biomass such as peels, seeds and pulp that contain high-value compounds such as polyphenols. These BACs are implemented in pharmaceutical products or food supplements for their beneficial influence on human health, such as antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties. The valorization and extraction of these compounds originating from agricultural waste streams is a key strategy for recycling and reusing food waste and, subsequently, reducing the environmental impact caused by waste streams. Additionally, the ability to further process food waste into valuable compounds can provide an extra source of income for the agricultural sector, supporting local economies. Local pharmaceutical companies are interested in developing methods to extract BACs from local sources since the current market is strongly dependent on the Asian market. Phytopharma finds the production of local food supplements crucial for the local circular economy and their sustainable business. During this project, the consortium partners will investigate sustainable extraction methods of BACs from local waste streams (duurzame chemie: bronnen en grondstoffen). More specifically Zuyd, CHILL and Phytopharma will pursue the “green” extraction of quercetin (BACs) from locally sourced onion waste. The partners will explore various extraction and purification methods needed to evaluate a potentially sustainable business model. Furthermore, the bioavailability of quercetin will be enhanced by encapsulation.
