**5. Bioeconomy in the circular economy cycle**

In terms of the concept of economic development of highly industrialized countries, in order to meet the requirements related to sustainable development taking into account environmental requirements, it is proposed to create an economy with the so-called circular economy, which is to complete the life cycle of the product characterized by "life cycle assessment" (LCA) for this product. In short, you can define this cycle as a succession of processes: obtaining raw materials; production; operation; and utilization of post-mining waste, i.e., from cradle to grave (CtG). The closed cycle economy proposes the "cradle to cradle" (CtC) cycle, reusing postmining waste to produce new (new products). This approach will result in reducing raw material consumption, reducing the amount of waste deposited and increasing the waste stream used for recovery and recycling. The course of such a cycle has been illustrated in several contemporary publications, while the economic closed loop can be considered interesting. In this perspective, the bioeconomy can mean much more than the circular economy, because agriculture, forestry, and fisheries or the primary sectors of the economy are the source of production of the raw material, i.e., biomass. In accordance with the anticipated value chains of bioeconomic

processes, waste biomass should be processed primarily for value-added products such as food and feed, chemicals, and materials from which bioproducts are produced, and biofuels and bioenergy should be obtained from the untraceable residue at today's level of technological profitability. However, it is not entitled that the bioeconomy means more than a circular economy, as shown in **Figure 4**.

As shown in **Figure 2**, all value chains lead to high value-added products through the so-called biorefinery processes. These processes lead to obtaining, through various technological variants, substitutes for hydrocarbon mixtures, which can be used to synthesize or compose the desired products using various technological processes. The analysis shows that it is possible to obtain many products with the desired and high added value, as shown in **Figure 5**. However, obtaining these products from waste biomass, coming from various industrial processes, may still generate waste substances, whose further processing is required. It will be the development of new technologies; in each case the processing of energy carriers causes emissions to the atmosphere, which in the full and real technical life cycle are usually greater than the absorption of carbon dioxide in photosynthesis processes. Regardless of the emission of carbon dioxide, it is also possible to emit other gases depending on the type of technological processes. Practically, a fully closed-loop economy lasted until the primitive human used natural stone or wooden branches as tools. From the stage of wood and stone processing, the era of waste generation began, and, therefore, the circular economy has ended. While the waste from woodworking was subject to natural biodegradation, wastes from stone processing and later from the manufacture and treatment of metals increased the effect of charging the environment with wastes resulting from the needs of humanity, up to the industrial era, which lasts until now. For these reasons, a fully circular economy seems to be impossible to achieve, because each new type of technology creates a new group of waste, for which another new technology is required for processing,

**9**

**Figure 6.**

**Figure 5.**

*Currently possible directions of biomass conversion in bioeconomic processes [14].*

*Technological paths for obtaining products from biorefinery processes [11].*

*Introductory Chapter: Objectives and Scope of Bioeconomy*

LCA analysis carried out, as shown in **Figure 5**.

including waste, etc. It is only possible to reduce the amount of waste by increasing efficiency of processes or modifications of technological processes toward the production of semi-products that can be directly used. One should therefore strive for an economy with a closed circulation so that the waste migration gap is as small as possible. For the above reasons, it can be concluded that the biorefinery processes presented in **Figure 5** are aimed at the so-called bioeconomy with a closing circle. Biorefinery processes in terms of adherence to the principle of optimal use of resources from the so-called renewable sources have been widely discussed in [12]. In the current state of progress in the field of technology, assessed on the basis of bibliography [12, 13], the item [12] also includes thermodynamic aspects of biomass transformation as a natural source, and own works allow to determine the basic and desirable directions of technological use of biomass (waste) according to the initial

As can be seen in **Figure 6**, there are currently three paths for using waste biomass. The first of these paths proposes the transformation of biomass into

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88966*

#### **Figure 4.**

*Bioeconomy in the circular economy system [10].*

including waste, etc. It is only possible to reduce the amount of waste by increasing efficiency of processes or modifications of technological processes toward the production of semi-products that can be directly used. One should therefore strive for an economy with a closed circulation so that the waste migration gap is as small as possible. For the above reasons, it can be concluded that the biorefinery processes presented in **Figure 5** are aimed at the so-called bioeconomy with a closing circle.

Biorefinery processes in terms of adherence to the principle of optimal use of resources from the so-called renewable sources have been widely discussed in [12]. In the current state of progress in the field of technology, assessed on the basis of bibliography [12, 13], the item [12] also includes thermodynamic aspects of biomass transformation as a natural source, and own works allow to determine the basic and desirable directions of technological use of biomass (waste) according to the initial LCA analysis carried out, as shown in **Figure 5**.

As can be seen in **Figure 6**, there are currently three paths for using waste biomass. The first of these paths proposes the transformation of biomass into

*Elements of Bioeconomy*

processes, waste biomass should be processed primarily for value-added products such as food and feed, chemicals, and materials from which bioproducts are produced, and biofuels and bioenergy should be obtained from the untraceable residue at today's level of technological profitability. However, it is not entitled that the bioeconomy means more than a circular economy, as shown in **Figure 4**.

the so-called biorefinery processes. These processes lead to obtaining, through various technological variants, substitutes for hydrocarbon mixtures, which can be used to synthesize or compose the desired products using various technological processes. The analysis shows that it is possible to obtain many products with the desired and high added value, as shown in **Figure 5**. However, obtaining these products from waste biomass, coming from various industrial processes, may still generate waste substances, whose further processing is required. It will be the development of new technologies; in each case the processing of energy carriers causes emissions to the atmosphere, which in the full and real technical life cycle are usually greater than the absorption of carbon dioxide in photosynthesis processes. Regardless of the emission of carbon dioxide, it is also possible to emit other gases depending on the type of technological processes. Practically, a fully closed-loop economy lasted until the primitive human used natural stone or wooden branches as tools. From the stage of wood and stone processing, the era of waste generation began, and, therefore, the circular economy has ended. While the waste from woodworking was subject to natural biodegradation, wastes from stone processing and later from the manufacture and treatment of metals increased the effect of charging the environment with wastes resulting from the needs of humanity, up to the industrial era, which lasts until now. For these reasons, a fully circular economy seems to be impossible to achieve, because each new type of technology creates a new group of waste, for which another new technology is required for processing,

As shown in **Figure 2**, all value chains lead to high value-added products through

**8**

**Figure 4.**

*Bioeconomy in the circular economy system [10].*

*Technological paths for obtaining products from biorefinery processes [11].*
