A database of existing solid industrial waste reuse schemes as the basis for an industry matching algorithm

For the purposes of the SWAN Project, an integrated suite of on-line resources and tools has been developed aiming to assess novel industrial business models based on solid industrial waste reuse. One of the major components of this platform is an inventory of commercially implemented best practices. This inventory will both inform all registered users about the current opportunities for waste reuse and also serve as the basis for the SWAN matching algorithm. For all the practices or technologies included in the database, the following characteristics have been collected: • The type of the industrial plant supplying the waste stream; • The type of the industrial plant receiving the waste stream; • The type of the waste stream exchanged between source and sink; • The technology readiness level of this option. The Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community has been used for the categorization of the industrial plant types whereas for the waste streams both the European Waste Catalogue and the European Waste Classification for Statistics have been applied. The database has been populated with more than 100 entries and has led to the identification of the most common symbiotic opportunities based on solid waste reuse.