October_2021_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 2 9 the formation of highly skilled occupa- tion development. A 2015 McKinsey and Ellen Mac- Arthur Foundation joint investigation, “Growth Within: A Circular Economy Vision for a Competitive Europe,” esti- mates that for the European Union (EU) alone, progressing to a circular econo- my could include $1.8 trillion in value by 2030, reduce essential material uti- lization by 53% by 2050, and lower CO 2 emissions by 83% by 2050. The CE pres- ents a truly win-win circumstance for the planet and individuals to benefit [5] . SIGNIFICANT RESULTS The CE has received expanded consideration in academic research and industrial manufacturing, with a focus on closed-loop value and supply chains, including circular business models and product design. The Circular Economy and Sustainability meeting highlighted the unique added values of green nano- structured materials and products in reducing waste materials throughout product and material life cycles, from production to post-consumption. Re- searchers illustrated the utility of such nano-micro materials through the use of material byproducts or recycled materials as starting materials. Beyond addressing zero waste/waste neutrality objectives, researchers also illustrated green materials and practices to reduce energy requirements. Academic and in- dustrial specialists alike energetically shared a common set of grand challeng- es in the development of a successful circular economy, including: needed advancements in nano-micro materi- al choice and product-process design; the use of computational methods in optimizing industrial methods to join the ends of a product’s life cycle; and enabling products and materials to be used for longer periods. The technological advances in re- source recovery and recycling for mate- rials sustainability have been discussed by several researchers. Specifically, the National Science Foundation’s Indus- try/University Collaborative Research Center on Resource Recovery & Recy- cling described the technological de- velopments made to convert valuable production wastes into functional man- ufactured materials for industrial ap- plications. For example, a gas-based reduction process can be used to re- cover < 60% of high-value magnetite from metallic iron waste [6] . Researchers have also highlighted the education- al and entrepreneurial dimensions of chemical sustainability by broadly de- veloping the fundamental science and applications of green oxidation catal- ysis to advance water purification and the environmental, materials, and syn- thetic spaces [7] . Furthermore, it was emphasized that the details of recent and upcoming subcommittee projects will mainstream sustainability among materials researchers. This will include strategies to enhance awareness and understanding of sustainability among materials researchers and training the next generation of materials scientists to incorporate sustainability in their work [8] . The merits of product life cycle assessment (LCA) were discussed in relation to true sustainability or the cir- cularity of various nano-products. For example, a life cycle assessment study by the Danish Environmental Protec- tion Agency advised that a polypro- pylene bag, a paper bag, and a cotton bag ought to be utilized 37, 43, and 7100 times, respectively [9] . Natural bio- mass-sourced biodegradable polymers provide an innovative option in contrast to single-use plastic sacks. Industry and Fig. 2 — Schematic diagram of a circular economic model for sustainable materials development.