Solving the threats of e-waste by generating a symbiosis between circular economy and the built environment: Developing a lithium-ion-batteries recycling (LIB-R) business model based on industry 4.0 and marketseeking strategies
Abstract:
According to the World Bank, with the dramatic increase of the world´s population in the last decade, the generation of solid waste has reached 2.01 billion tonnes/annually (almost a kilogram per person daily). Bearing into mind that urban centres concentrate almost 70% of the world´s inhabitants and are the most technologically developed areas, the necessity to run them as Sustainable and Smart cities is vital for the planet´s health. One of the main and most threatening sources of waste are lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), due to the lack of logistics and technology to handle them properly, despite the increasing popularity of their usage. Besides mobile devices (phones and laptops), LIBs feed several public transportation networks, self-owned vehicles (cars, bicycles, and scooters) and mobility shared services. In fact, 140-million new electric vehicles are expected to replace internal combustion engines in the following decade worldwide, which will reduce the carbon footprint of cities, but can become a potential source of environmental, social and economic challenges if the 11-million metric tons of E-waste are not addressed from a Whole-Lifecycle perspective. This trend has been accelerated by the changing commuting dynamics and increasing social fragility triggered by COVID-19. Therefore, researchers, policy- and decision-makers are struggling to find environmentally safe disposal strategies to reach the balance between development and sustainability within the built environment.
Taking this into account, the thesis presents an approach related to the most efficient solution of integrating a closed-loop reverse-logistics Circular Economy into the batterie´s supply chain. Throughout the document, the authors developed a feasible business model dedicated to collect and process LIBs to generate high-purity components to produce new batteries. The business conceptualization implied an extensive understanding of the stateof-the-art of the sector (SWOT and PESTLE analysis), an analytic benchmarking process, and the implementation of Industry-4.0 and Lifecycle Market Seeking. The result was a detailed business plan that maximised the organizational and financial aspects in order to optimize processes and resources, the strategic location of the pilot factory based on a Multicriteria Analysis, and a 3-levelled hierarchical organizational planning. The final part of the document deepened into the pilot phase by developing the architectural masterplan of the spokes (collection points) and hubs (factory). Furthermore, some expansion plans were discussed at a strategic level to propose future research topics.
Citación recomendada (normas APA)
Christiam Camilo; Laouani Ángel Navarrete, "Solving the threats of e-waste by generating a symbiosis between circular economy and the built environment: Developing a lithium-ion-batteries recycling (LIB-R) business model based on industry 4.0 and marketseeking strategies", Colombia:-, 2021. Consultado en línea en la Biblioteca Digital de Bogotá (https://www.bibliotecadigitaldebogota.gov.co/resources/3711426/), el día 2025-05-11.
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Solving the threats of e-waste by generating a symbiosis between circular economy and the built environment: Developing a lithium-ion-batteries recycling (LIB-R) business model based on industry 4.0 and marketseeking strategies
