circular economy learning lab (CELL)
about
What Is the Circular Economy Learning Lab (CELL)?
The Circular Economy Learning Lab (CELL) is a proposed research, education, and extension platform designed to study circular food and agricultural systems as integrated, engineered systems, rather than as isolated components.
core question
How do we design scalable circular bioeconomy processes and demonstrate this circularity at a realistic, manageable scale?
To address this, CELL brings together food waste recovery, biological and chemical conversion, energy generation, controlled‑environment agriculture, processing, packaging, and markets into a single, connected system. The goal is not simply to demonstrate circularity, but to measure, model, and understand how circular systems function when their components are deliberately designed and linked together.
Why doesn’t CELL exist yet?
CELL does not yet exist because this kind of system‑level, integrated circular bioeconomy work has not been studied in this way.
Most existing efforts optimize individual components of the food system—such as waste processing, energy recovery, crop production, or packaging—independently.
CELL instead focuses on operationalizing a complex circular system and studying how material, energy, and information flows interact across the entire system. This makes CELL a first‑of‑its‑kind experimental and learning platform, rather than a traditional lab or demonstration project.
phase 1
What are we doing now and who should be involved?
CELL is currently in Phase I, focused on team formation and problem definition
CELL is built around four tightly connected goals:
goal 1
Develop a Shared Circular Bioeconomy Framework
CELL aims to develop a common understanding of what a circular bioeconomy looks like in practice, while also examining the social and behavioral factors that influence adoption and acceptance.
goal 2
Create a Platform for Transdisciplinary Experimentation
CELL is envisioned as a shared space for transdisciplinary experimentation, enabling researchers to develop and evaluate integrated processes with real‑world relevance.
goal 3
Use Data and Artificial Intelligence to Understand System Behavior
Data and artificial intelligence are central to CELL’s design.
goal 4
Support Education, Workforce Development, and Extension
Education and outreach are foundational to CELL.
The CELL System Concept
The CELL system integrates:
- Food and organic waste streams
- Processing and fermentation
- Anaerobic digestion and energy generation
- Controlled‑environment agriculture
- Consumer markets and reuse
- Material recovery and composting
The emphasis is on flows, feedbacks, and system behavior, supported by data and modeling, rather than on individual technologies alone.