IEA IETS Task 21: Decarbonizing industrial systems in a circular economy framework (working period 2022 - 2024)

Energy and CO₂ savings, in particular directly through circularity in the area of carbon (CCU), and resource and energy efficiency through industrial symbiosis are two essential approaches to decarbonizing industry. Two parallel subtasks have been defined for the now completed second period:

Subtask 2: CIRCULAR CARBON

1. LCA and energy system modeling
2. Integration of carbon capture into industry
3. Networking

Subtask 3: INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS

1. Definition and delimitation
2. Best practice examples
3. Business models
4. Networking

LCA analysis plays a relevant role in the recognition and realistic consideration of CO₂ avoidance. The paper by Zeilerbauer et al. (2024) analyzes the terminology around Circular Carbon in order to be clearer in the wording and thus be able to generate robust statements. BOKU and its Italian partners continued their work on LCA and its illustration using Carbon Sankey diagrams in the field of cement production and were also able to carry out a peer-reviewed publication with Ferrario et al. (2024) as part of IETS Task 21. In the final report, this is supplemented by a contribution from AIT on the representation of the steel sector.

It was defined as relevant to identify value chains in the CCU/CCS area and to carry out stakeholder mapping. The focus of most of the projects introduced is on capture and industrial system integration.

The topic of integrating carbon capture into industrial processes was continued. Two IETS Task 21 workshops addressed the topic of CCU/CCS. For the follow-up task, topics such as CO₂ purities, capture rates, etc. were defined as the main focus. The national stakeholder workshop and the survey conducted show a high level of interest in CO₂ management topics on the part of the hard-to-abate sectors and their stakeholders.

The Austrian group was actively involved in the Industrial Symbiosis subtask led by Sweden. The Energy Institute worked with RISE and SDU on the definition and working definition of Industrial Symbiosis, in particular to exclude those cases of cooperation that arose by chance and to focus on how they can be initiated. In addition, an Austrian survey was conducted to illustrate the importance of industrial symbiosis and best practices. The topic led by the SDU on existing tools to support industrial symbiosis was supported by the Energy Institute with the "Zukunftsbild Zentralraum OÖ".

The fact that the continuation of IETS Task 21 could be secured thematically and administratively can also be seen as a project success. These subtasks 4 and 5 have already been approved by the ExCo and started on January 1, 2025. The leading position in the form of task management continues to lie with Austria.

• Energieinstitut an der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (Lead)
• AEE INTEC
• AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
• University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
• University of Leoben

Austria (Task management), Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway, The Netherlands, Portugal, United States.

Simon Moser
Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University Linz
Altenberger Straße 69, 4040 Linz
moser@energieinstitut-linz.at