Paper by AEE Intec and akaryon featured at e·nova 2025 on June 26

Following a recent paper related to URBAN MENUS presented at ICERI2024, one of Europe’s largest education conferences, another scientific publication is now being introduced.

From June 25 to 26, 2025, the e·nova conference will take place. This international scientific conference focuses on smart energy and climate strategies, with emphasis on energy, buildings, and the environment. It is held at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland in Pinkafeld, Austria.

On June 26, at this conference a paper will be presented that was jointly developed by akaryon and AEE INTEC as part of the project CircularityOptimizer (URBAN MENUS Circularity China: Resilient Circularity Optimizer for Urban Systems):

Gruber, P. | Weiß. W. (AEE Intec) & Bußwald, P. | Besse, V. (akaryon GmbH): Integrationsmethodik für kreislaufermöglichende Technologien in IUS

Technology integration aligned with principles of circular economy

Peter Gruber from the Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC) will present the research findings on behalf of all co-authors during the e·nova conference:

• Date and time: Thursday, June 26, 2025 | Session 5b Circular Economy | 10:45–11:10 AM | Campus Pinkafeld HS 3
• Presentation title: “Development of a methodology for the integration of key circular economy technologies in industrial-urban symbioses”
• Speaker: Peter Gruber (Institute for Sustainable Technologies, AEE INTEC)

Identifying, evaluating, and symbiotically integrating circular technologies

When industrial and urban actors intentionally connect their material, energy, and water flows, they can benefit from synergies, avoid waste, and close loops. To support this, appropriate action-oriented tools are needed—ideally in digital form to ensure practical and efficient implementation.

The presented paper addresses such a tool: As part of the “CircularityOptimizer” project, a modular methodology including a technology catalogue is being developed to systematically identify, assess, and integrate circular technologies into industrial-urban symbioses and embed them into broader urban and regional planning contexts. In the long term, the framework can serve as a decision-making basis in digital planning environments.

The applicability of the framework is being demonstrated in Austria using a wastewater treatment plant in the Styrian city of Gleisdorf as a starting point for technology integration.

Digital tools as support for matchmaking

A functioning circular economy benefits from a comprehensive assessment of technology matches based on ESG principles, which go beyond environmental and economic considerations to include social and governance aspects. Here, the linkage of the methodology with the digital ESG data management system ESG-Cockpit plays a key role.

The integration of the methodology into the URBAN MENUS tool further supports participatory urban and regional design—because decision-making in this context is a collective act.

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The CircularityOptimizer project, led by Laura P. Spinadel (BUSarchitektur) and funded by FFG under a bilateral TECXPORT call, is dedicated to developing an interactive technology catalogue for designing resilient regional processes based on symbiosis principles. The tool is being prototypically applied in both Austria and China. Project partners include akaryon and AEE INTEC, along with research and architectural partners from China.