The role of new technologies such as additive manufacturing and blockchain technology in designing and
implementing circular economy ecosystems is not a trivial issue. This study aimed to understand if blockchain
technology can be an enabler tool for developing additive symbiotic networks. A real case study was developed
regarding a circular economy ecosystem in which a fused granular fabrication 3D printer is used to valorize
polycarbonate waste. The industrial symbiosis network comprised four stakeholders: a manufacturing company
that produces polycarbonate waste, a municipality service responsible for the city waste management, a start-up
holding the 3D printer, and a non-profit store. It was identified a set of six requirements to adopt the blockchain
technology in an additive symbiotic network, bearing in mind the need to have a database to keep track of the
properties of the input material for the 3D printer during the exchanges, in addition to the inexistence of
mechanisms of trust or cooperation between well-established industries and the additive manufacturing industry.
The findings suggested a permissioned blockchain to support the implementation of the additive symbiotic
network, namely, to enable the physical transactions (quantity and quality of waste material PC sheets) and
monitoring and reporting (additive manufacturing technology knowledge and final product’s quantity and
price).
Future research venues include developing blockchain-based systems that enhance the development of additive
symbiotic networks.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
