All BME faculties can boost the circular economy

Sustainability is indeed a topic that is relevant across all faculties, appearing in education, research, and operations alike, and it is our duty to devote as much attention to it as possible, said Hassan Charaf at the opening of the second event of this year's Business Breakfast series at BME.

The Rector introduced the new format of the event, which focuses not on the activities of a single faculty, but rather on the competences that the faculties possess in a given area, allowing invited company leaders to then explore these in smaller groups.

This time, the focus was on the circular economy. At the beginning of the programme, György Keglevich, university professor at the Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology and the professional executive of the BME for Sustainability Panel, delivered a brief lecture on the operation of the working group and the University's sustainability efforts.

When the team was established, its objectives included raising awareness, the monitoring of measures, the integration of sustainability as a horizontal approach into the core activities of the university, as well as the development of BME’s Sustainability Strategy, Keglevich explained.

Among the main activities, he mentioned the organisation of Sustainability Workshops, as well as the annual Bike & Breakfast event and the participation in the work of the Sustainability Platform of Hungarian Universities, which operates with 16 member institutions. At BME, numerous selective waste collection points have been installed, composting has been introduced, the University’s decarbonisation plan has been prepared, and the campus has been made more bird-friendly, the professor listed among the achievements. (The presentation can be downloaded here in Hungarian.)

Dr Mária Szalma, née Csete, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, delivered the second plenary lecture of the day under the title "Circular Economy at BME – from Technology to Business Models." In her introduction, she placed the functioning of the circular economy in context, mentioning that, 

contrary to popular belief, the global rate of circularity is steadily declining, as economic growth is outpacing the expansion of material circulation.

The economic, social, technological, and institutional challenges – ranging from the dominance of linear business models to the limitations of material recovery and the fragmentation of regulation – are so multifaceted that they 

require systemic innovation. 

BME can contribute to this through its own research, for instance in the following areas:

• · recycling of critical raw materials;
• · life-cycle assessment;
• · integrated energy systems and energy efficiency;
• · digital industrial systems;
• · sustainable infrastructure;
• · digital and AI-based resource and energy management and decision support systems;
• · circular business models;
• · sustainability management.

(The presentation can be downloaded here in Hungarian.)

Subsequently, the faculties gave brief presentations in a rotating format.

Topics included, among others, hydraulic and thermodynamic modelling of large energy systems (Faculty of Natural Sciences), life cycle assessment of energy production systems (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering), development of fermentation technologies (Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology), low-carbon construction materials (Faculty of Civil Engineering), environmentally sound building design methods (Faculty of Architecture), biodegradable circuit substrates (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics), intelligent mobility services (Faculty of Transportation Engineering and Vehicle Engineering) and improving corporate climate resilience (Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences).

Rector's Office, Directorate of Communications