The linear economy we are so used to is quickly depleting natural resources. The circular economy is a solution to this conundrum, as it encourages resource recycling and sustainability. Several central government agencies have joined forces in promoting the circular economy to stop pollution and waste at source, and ITRI has been working on biomass recycling technology and creating a “scrap economy” model in which discarded resources such as bamboo scraps, lemon rinds, soybean dregs, and oyster shells can be transformed into high-value innovative products through agricultural and industrial technologies.

In 1999, ITRI collaborated with the Forestry Bureau to utilize pyrolysis technology and successfully introduced Taiwan’s first mass-produced charcoal pile, reviving and stimulating the development of Taiwan’s charcoal industry. In 2012, the Institute developed Lignoxy™, a lignin-based polymer technology that uses discarded agriculture biomass as a raw material. This led to the development of Taiwan’s first biomass epoxy resin and removed the health and environmental hazards caused by the Bisphenol A (BPA) found in traditional epoxy resins. In 2017, ITRI collaborated with Yongda Food Company to work on waste from citrus fruits. High-value materials such as small-molecule pectin and limonene were extracted using green procedures and then processed with steady-state mass-production fermentation technology set up with patented bacteria. The waste fruit peels are transformed into high-quality silage for cattle, reducing the methane generated by cows by nearly 20%. In 2018, the Institute actively promoted agriculture and industry partnerships and developed the world’s first mass-produced low energy consumption eco-friendly biochar equipment. This brought forth new ways to recycle large volumes of agricultural waste. Four years later, ITRI introduced bacteria-inoculated function biochar, a next-gen soil carbon fixation material with great potential.

To mitigate global warming, ITRI initiated a partnership with Taiwan Cement in 2011 to focus on carbon capture technologies. This collaboration bore fruit in 2013 with the establishment of Taiwan’s first calcium looping carbon capture pilot testing plant. In 2018, the two parties developed a low-carbon green methanol production technology that combines CO₂ and hydrogen to generate high-value chemicals, thereby reducing costs and creating additional economic benefits. In 2020, ITRI introduced a new flue gas carbon capture and application process technology, which significantly decreased carbon capture expenses. The subsequent year witnessed the establishment of the Advanced Catalysis Center (ACC) by ITRI in collaboration with CPC Corporation. In 2022, ITRI partnered with Formosa Plastics Group, National Cheng Kung University, and Tainan University of Technology to establish Taiwan’s first carbon capture and recycle pilot demonstration site. Additionally, the Institute collaborated with China Steel Corporation (CSC) and CPC Corporation to promote steel and chemicals co-production, leading to the establishment of a steel and chemicals co-production experimental pilot line. These developments allow the petrochemical industry to convert captured CO₂ into chemicals, creating additional economic value.