Dear Readers,
As we move through an ambitious first half of the year, the IS2H4C project has been busy turning ideas into action. Here’s a quick roundup of recent achievements across work packages.
DigitalH4C Alpha Version Is Ready!
We’re excited to announce that the alpha version of DigitalH4C has been successfully launched. DigitalH4C is a flexible, scalable, and interoperable digital ecosystem designed to serve as the backbone of our Hubs for Circularity (H4Cs). This ecosystem facilitates seamless data sharing, coordinated infrastructure use, and efficient resource flow management across diverse digitalh4c tools.
At its core is the Ecosystem Map, a dynamic tool that not only visualises and positions IS2H4C hubs but also enables the representation of any H4C. It fosters a focused community space for multi-user interaction and activates opportunities for industrial symbiosis.
Several key components are currently under development:
- The Matchmaking tool will act as a catalyst for bottom-up industrial symbiosis across Europe.
- The Hub Manager will provide a secure environment for managing top-down industrial symbiosis initiatives via H4Cs.
New Research Publication Alert
Engaging Stakeholders for H4C
IS2H4C researchers at the University of Twente have just published a scientific paper introducing the FRONTIER framework — a structured model to engage key actors from industry, academia, society, and policy in Hubs4Circularity design.
The paper supports IS2H4C’s systemic approach by providing a tested framework that enhances stakeholder engagement and evaluation. It also paves the way for future research on Societal Readiness Levels, social network analysis, and input–output modelling, all part of our methodological toolkit.
A Smarter Approach to Managing Circular Resource Flows
A new study from the University of Twente team within IS2H4C presents a data-driven framework to help hub managers optimise resource flows in Hubs for Circularity (H4Cs), balancing sustainability, efficiency, and resilience.
The paper outlines a two-phase approach: first, identifying synergies based on real-world data from hubs in Spain and Türkiye; second, applying predictive and prescriptive analytics to support daily decisions under uncertainty. The framework offers practical tools for handling cross-company coordination, fluctuating markets, and sustainability trade-offs — key challenges in operating circular hubs.
This research supports IS2H4C’s mission to turn circularity into a real-world, scalable solution.
IS2H4C Holds First Advisory Board Meeting
On March 31st, 2025, IS2H4C held its first Advisory Board meeting, bringing together international experts to provide strategic guidance for the project.
With backgrounds in industry, finance, logistics, technology, and academia, the Advisory Board offered valuable insights to ensure IS2H4C remains aligned with both real-world needs and emerging global trends in industrial symbiosis and circularity. Their input confirmed the project’s direction, highlighted new opportunities, and will strengthen the development of Hubs for Circularity across all demonstration sites.
We thank our Advisory Board members for their expertise and contribution to shaping IS2H4C’s work.
New Carbon Capture Pilot Launched at German Hub
The German Hub at Industriepark Höchst has reached a new milestone: a pilot carbon capture plant is now operational at the site’s sewage sludge incineration facility. Developed by Infraserv Höchst in collaboration with GEA Group, the system is designed to capture CO₂ even from complex flue gas streams — generating valuable data on separation performance, purity levels, energy consumption, and process efficiency.
A key feature of the pilot is its ability to capture CO₂ from both fossil and biogenic sources, making the recovered CO₂ highly suitable for downstream synthesis processes. The captured carbon can serve as feedstock for innovative start-ups working with green hydrogen and renewable electricity to produce sustainable chemicals and materials — fully in line with IS2H4C’s vision of industrial symbiosis and circularity.
Internal Carbon Capture Workshop
On May 14th, IS2H4C partners gathered for the first internal technology workshop under Work Package 6 focused on “Carbon Capture Applications”. The meeting brought together the Basque, German, and Turkish hubs to compare progress, align on methodologies, and exchange early results from their pilot activities.
In the Basque hub, work focuses on capturing and purifying CO₂ from CALCINOR’s flue gases. The aim is to reach over 95% CO₂ purity, which will feed a methanation process to produce synthetic natural gas (SNG) with over 90% methane content. A dedicated pilot plant is being installed, combining PSA technology, membrane separation, and a millichannel reactor for methanation.
The Turkish hub targets refinery emissions from TUPRAS. Captured CO₂ is processed using membrane separation and cryogenic distillation, then combined with green hydrogen from electrolysis to produce methanol and carbamates. Downstream, Fraunhofer’s technology enables the production of non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU), which Arçelik integrates into refrigerator manufacturing, closing the loop between carbon capture and industrial application.
In Germany, carbon capture infrastructure is being set up to serve the chemical industry. The captured CO₂ feeds methanol synthesis on-site, with the first pilot campaigns running through mid-August. Partners are evaluating heat integration, process optimization, and full-chain cost assessments—including purification, liquefaction, compression, and transport. Alternative capture routes, like membrane technologies, are also under investigation.
The workshop marks an important step in synchronizing efforts across hubs and accelerating IS2H4C’s mission to turn carbon capture into an industrial reality.
ECoP Webinar Series Launched — IS2H4C Opens the Floor
The Hubs4Circularity Community of Practice webinar series began on March 19th with a spotlight on the IS2H4C project. Thubs for circularity In the webinar presentation for the IS2H4C project, project coordinator Devrim Murat Yazan outlined how the initiative aims to establish Hubs for Circularity (H4Cs) as models for sustainable regional development in Europe. The presentation detailed the project’s integrated approach, combining technological innovation (e.g., carbon capture, energy recovery), societal engagement, governance models, data-driven decision-support tools, financial valuation methods, and digital collaboration platforms. It highlighted the deployment of technologies in four regional hubs—Dutch, German, Basque, and Turkish—while emphasizing the complexity of H4Cs and the need for advanced analytics and stakeholder engagement to achieve long-term environmental, economic, and societal impact.
This marked the beginning of a knowledge-sharing journey across Europe’s H4C community.
3rd and 4th General Assembly Meetings in Istanbul & Alexandroupolis
In the first half of 2025, we held two General Assembly meetings that brought together partners from across Europe — a true showcase of our commitment and collective energy. In 18-20-20th February, our third GA was warmly hosted by IMMIB in Istanbul, Türkiye, setting the tone for strong collaboration. Just recently, on June 19-20, we held our 4th GA meeting, which is also the 1st Review Meeting of the IS2H4C Project, in Alexandroupolis, Greece, immediately following the 6th Circular Economy Symposium, reinforcing our momentum and shared mission. These gatherings were working sessions filled with reflection, joint problem-solving, and forward planning. As we are now in the periodic reporting phase, the insights exchanged will help ensure that IS2H4C stays cohesive, ambitious, and on course.
3rd and 4th General Assembly Meetings in Istanbul & Alexandroupolis
At the 6th Symposium on Circular Economy and Sustainability in Alexandroupolis (June 16–18), the IS2H4C consortium actively contributed to two sessions dedicated to Hubs4Circularity and data-driven circular ecosystems. Devrim Murat Yazan (University of Twente) presented a comprehensive project update in the plenary, highlighting recent advancements across the demo hubs and work packages.
The first special session focused on data-driven approaches to design, model, and manage circular hubs. Presentations covered operations research for hub optimization, agent-based and social network modelling of stakeholder interactions, technology foresight for carbon-based symbiosis, and digital twins for performance monitoring—together highlighting how analytical and digital tools can enable the systemic transition to circular economy hubs. The second session highlighted digital and financial tools for enabling circularity. One presentation introduced a machine learning approach to value circular strategies and support scalable hubs. Another showcased a decision-support tool for cloud service selection in industrial symbiosis, emphasizing the role of digital infrastructure in resource-sharing in a cyber-safe setting.
Thank you for being part of our journey!
Don’t forget to follow us on social media, and visit our website to stay up to date with our progress!
Warm regards,
The IS2H4C Team
