51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ

Eric Beckman and Melissa Bilec, professors in 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ’s Swanson School of Engineering, will be co-principal investigators on a study of circular economies that earned a $750,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.

±·³§¹ó’s is funding projects to advance the circular economy, a model which keeps products and materials in continual use by design. Beckman and Bilec, along with project lead and University of Georgia Professor Jenna Jambeck, will analyze data from 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵsburgh and Atlanta. The project, "," aims to build a more circular economy in the cities — and beyond.

"We’re connecting and converging a path forward toward a circular economy across multiple materials and scales, and we’re doing it in two large metropolitan areas in geographically different regions," said Bilec, who is also a co-director of Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. "If we are successful, this model could be translated to other locations through the U.S. and globally, and maybe eventually scaling to thousands of cities." 

The success of a circular economy depends on collaboration between government, businesses, local stakeholders and many more individuals and organizations. The team will examine circularity at all levels, from molecular optimization for recycling to reusing deconstructed building materials.