Center of Excellence in Cleaner Production Technologies-TUT-MM

The Environment and Cleaner Production Institute has been serving as the National Cleaner Production Center since 2013.

The goal of the project is to establish a "Center of Excellence Infrastructure" for "Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production Technologies" under TÜBİTAK MRC Environment and Cleaner Production Institute, which serves as a "National Cleaner Production Center”, to help us fulfill our tasks and goals effectively, contribute to the realization of the strategy and objectives in Turkey by addressing the applied R&D and Product Development requirements and resolve problems of resource efficiency (energy, water, raw materials, etc.) and cleaner production activities of the enterprises and public institutions operating in the manufacturing industries.

The basic activities of the planned Center of Excellence in Cleaner Production Technologies include:

• Contributing to increased resource efficiency in industrial sectors, especially SMEs, to support Turkey's efficiency strategies.
• Providing technical support to manufacturing sectors, especially SMEs, with a pool of consultants
• Providing technical support to SMEs for greenhouse gas reduction and contributing to Turkey so that it can meet its emission commitment
• Contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases through greenhouse gas assessment, verification, reporting and carbon footprint calculation
• Undertaking cleaner production audits for manufacturing industrial sectors
• Providing theoretical and applied training to relevant institutions and organizations regarding cleaner production/resource efficiency in manufacturing sectors
• Obtaining new value-added products from solid wastes and wastewater
• Raising awareness by organizing various events for the dissemination of efficiency practices
• responding to the needs of applied R&D and P&D studies of the enterprises

The planned Center of Excellence will produce scientific and technological information in resource efficiency and cleaner production areas. Being highly important for Turkey, such technological know-how will be expanded with the collaboration of the public and private sectors and universities. As part of the Center's activities, there are plans to develop joint projects with the Turkish universities and to produce solutions to the industry's R&D and product development requirements. Cooperation established with the protocols to be made with the universities will enable graduate and Ph.D. students to work on their theses by using the infrastructure of the Center of Excellence. Such infrastructure aims to develop new technologies with added value as well as commercial and scientific one and to establish pilot systems. Investments to be made in cleaner production technologies by both the public and private sector with the establishment of the Center will not only increase the environmental performances of the enterprises but also positively affect their economic performances and corporate prestiges contributing to their growth and efficiency.

This center infrastructure aims to achieve the following unique objectives throughout and at the end of the project:

• To improve the existing laboratory infrastructure amenities of TÜBİTAK's Marmara Research Center Environment and Cleaner Production Institute, and to put this infrastructure into service at the national level
• Increasing theoretical and applied scientific knowledge and experience potential gained from many national and international projects attended by TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center’s Environment and Cleaner Production Institute so far
• Contributing to increased resource efficiency in industrial sectors, especially SMEs with theoretical and applied training to support Turkey's efficiency strategies
• Increasing the center’s scientific capacity visibility on national and international platforms with internal and external training, technical visits, seminars, workshops, and similar activities
• Ensuring information transfer and a collaborative work environment thanks to domestic and international activities together with researchers working in similar research centers
• Taking part in new joint projects by participating in activities undertaken on a cooperation platform
• Employment of experienced researchers, at least at the doctoral level, especially in advanced technological fields
• Increasing the number of job opportunities for young researchers, strengthening their motivation in relevant technology fields, and ensuring that they the vision to contribute relevant literature
• Encouraging the return of Turkish researchers working abroad in related technology fields to benefit from their experience and to work together on new project initiatives

The following activities will be carried out by the Center of Excellence in Cleaner Production Technologies which will be established in line with the aims stated under the project:

• Establishing an infrastructure for resource efficiency and cleaner production audits and conducting on-site cleaner production audits
  o Establishing infrastructure for energy efficiency surveys and conducting on-site surveys
  o Establishing infrastructure for water efficiency surveys and water footprint calculation and conducting on-site surveys
  o Establishing infrastructure for waste minimization and recovery and exploring industrial symbiosis possibilities

• Providing laboratory services for energy consumption, water consumption, water and wastewater quality measurements
• Establishing infrastructure to obtain new value-added products from solid wastes and wastewater
• Providing technical support to the manufacturing sectors, especially SMEs with this infrastructure and a pool of consultants, and contributing to technology transfer
• Organizing theoretical and applied training for relevant institutions and organizations regarding cleaner production/resource efficiency in manufacturing sectors
• Raising awareness by organizing various events for the dissemination of efficiency practices
• Providing necessary training programs to expand the technical capacity
• Greenhouse gas assessment, verification, reporting and carbon footprint calculation
• Establishing infrastructure and conducting analysis for Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and eco-efficiency
• Web site design and publication of all kinds of information
• Preparing the center’s web site and brochures
• Organizing sector workshops an participating in an expo every year to enhance cooperation and introduce the center to a wider audience
• Submission of the activities carried out under the project in semi-annual reports
• Encouraging the investment of cleaner production technologies

Therefore, the Center of Excellence" to be established under this scope will provide sector-based R&D services, product development services through the modification of existing systems and joint project development with support for experimental research activities on resource efficiency and cleaner production in universities. Also, there is a goal of extending the infrastructure and perspectives for technical services.

Turkey is dependent on the others in energy generation both in terms of energy resources and the energy technologies employed. Considering Turkey's harmonization process regarding the European Union, the infrastructure of such a Center of Excellence and activities to be carried out will enable us to reach a very significant know-how and infrastructure in cleaner production technologies, contribute to efficiency increase in the related sectors and serve as important steps for Turkey to reach its strategic goals.

As is known, similar centers and institutes abroad (national cleaner production centers within RECPnet, etc.) carry out R&D studies on resource efficiency and cleaner production and provide industrial services. The establishment of such an excellence center infrastructure in Turkey will lead to parallel research activities with international research centers and organizations. Joint projects with these organizations will enable the products and services based on the project output to be used in the provision of domestic needs and on international platforms.

Thanks to this infrastructure, all sorts of energy, water, raw materials, and wastes will be evaluated as a whole in terms of resource efficiency and cleaner production. In addition, the analysis of environmental impacts will contribute to the effective and efficient management of public and enterprise resources. This structure will form a very important basis for the fulfillment of the strategies of Turkey and the National Cleaner Production Center.

The center will have continuity and contribute to the sustainable development and preservation of natural resources in Turkey with the new projects executed here as well as the technical support (energy, water, raw materials, etc.), consultancy, training, and testing services for the public and industrial sectors. This infrastructure project will contribute to the implementation of Turkey's strategic goals and plans. In addition, it will serve as an important center for resource efficiency and waste management areas across Turkey and especially Marmara Region, where industrial enterprises and intense level of related environmental pollution are concentrated. It will also lead to the development and dissemination of relevant cleaner production technologies in order to achieve the identified quantitative and monetary resource efficiency potential in the Turkish manufacturing industry. The activities of the planned Cleaner Production Excellence Center are given in Figure 1.

Figure 1 activities of Center of Excellence in Cleaner Production Technologies