Kansas State University
Hydrothermal pretreatment turns wet acidic peel into 2,3-butanediol.
In developmentUniversity
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Updated Sept 30, 2026
Circular economy solutions covers keeping a material in use, and not discarding it. On Halo, the solutions cover side streams into chemicals and fuel, side streams into biology and ingredients, side streams into materials, and recovering from a waste stream. Sign up to search the full network and post your specific need.
Side streams into chemicals and fuel
MM
University of California, Davis
A biphasic acid reactor makes CMF and furfural, with no drying and no biology.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Monash University, Melbourne
A water-based biorefinery route to furfural, keeping the cellulose too.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Colorado State University
Arrested anaerobic digestion at low pH yields butyric and caproic acids.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Rhodotorula toruloides converts the stream into oleochemicals and yeast biomass.
In developmentUniversity
JK
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Catalytic hydrothermal processing straight to hydrogen and methane-rich gas.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
One-pot hydrolytic hydrogenation gives polyols for rigid polyurethane foam.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Side streams into biology and ingredients
FK
Satbayev University
A cascade that grades fiber and recovers residual pectin, sugars and minerals.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
KH
Mild fractionation aimed at cosmetic-grade pectin and hemicellulose.
Sponsored researchIn developmentStartup
Auckland University of Technology
Microbial xylanase applied to the cellulose and hemicellulose fraction.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Xyloglucan oligosaccharides that trigger plant immunity against pathogens.
Sponsored researchIn developmentUniversity
Enriches a site-adapted microbial consortium on the peel where it sits.
Sponsored researchIn developmentStartup
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Who is working on circular economy solutions
Organizations in circular economy solutions
Universities, startups, and suppliers with solutions in circular economy solutions.
Circular economy organizations
Innovators in circular economy solutions
Researchers and inventors advancing circular economy solutions.
Circular economy expertsAbout circular economy solutions
One feedstock accounts for half the work on Halo: the wet, acidic peel and pomace left after pectin extraction, which nineteen entries attack and which splits entirely by what they make from it. Around that sit insects and fungi grown on residues, biomass fractionation, and the services that account for any of it. On Halo it spans 8 groups, including side streams into chemicals and fuel, side streams into biology and ingredients, and side streams into materials.
Stage of development. Work on circular economy solutions on Halo is split between university programs and companies. 39% of the solutions are in market. Co-development and sponsored research are the usual partnering routes, and about 53% of the solutions that state terms offer licensing.
Three trends in circular economy solutions on Halo
Nineteen entries, one peel. Wet acidic peel and pomace from pectin extraction is the subject of nineteen entries, nearly all at TRL 5. They divide entirely by output: butyric acid, furfural, fuel gas, polyurethane polyols, PHA polymers, carbon quantum dots, mealworm protein, cosmetic polysaccharides. A single request has produced the most concentrated cluster anywhere in the taxonomy.
Circularity as an accounting problem. Four entries are not conversions at all. Waste traceability sold as software for ESG reporting, a refill platform that replaces a single-use bottle, hygienic collection for a stream nobody wants to handle, and staged sorting with AI deciding the route. Keeping a material in use requires knowing where it is, and that is a systems purchase.
Biology eats what chemistry will not. Black soldier fly larvae on citrus peel, twice; yellow mealworms on fibrous residue; a living bioreactor of detritivorous cockroaches; solid-state fungal fermentation; a microbial consortium enriched on the peel where it already sits. When a feedstock is wet, acidic and variable, an organism handles it more cheaply than a reactor.
1,966organizations
2,244solutions listed
58%from startups and companies
39%in market
Frequently asked questions
What are circular economy solutions?
Circular economy solutions covers keeping a material in use, and not discarding it. It spans the conversion of agricultural and food side streams into chemicals, materials and biology, insects and fermentation grown on a residue, biomass and wood fractionation, recovery from mining and cooking oil waste, plastics kept in a loop, and the systems and services that track circularity. Processors, manufacturers and brand owners are the buyers.
What are examples of circular economy solutions?
Five examples of circular economy solutions on Halo include:
- Hydrothermal pretreatment turns wet acidic peel into 2,3-butanediol. (Kansas State University)
- A cascade that grades fiber and recovers residual pectin, sugars and minerals. (Satbayev University)
- A catalytic route to compostable PFAS-free cellulose composites. (Innotech Materials, LLC)
- Modular recovery aimed at what is already sitting in mining waste. (Avasa Regen)
- Black soldier fly larvae convert citrus peel and apple pomace into meal and oil. (InsectBiotech)
What are the latest circular economy innovations?
Over the past 90 days, researchers and innovators on Halo have added these circular economy solutions:
Which companies and suppliers are developing circular economy solutions?
There are 1,966 organizations with circular economy solutions on Halo, 283 of them universities and research institutions. Among them are Kansas State University, University of California, Davis, and Monash University, Melbourne. Most offer co-development or sponsored research. Sign up to see every organization working in the area and to send them your specific need.
How do I find circular economy research partners?
Browsing circular economy solutions on Halo is free. Sign up to search the full network and save the ones you want. Post your specific need to get exact matches. Organizations reply directly on the platform.
What are R&D teams looking for in circular economy solutions?
Over the past 12 months, R&D teams on Halo have posted these circular economy solutions needs:
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