Sustainability has recently been one of the main focuses of developments in society and industry. In port cities, sustainable relation between ports and ships is one of the emerging factors of developments. Under the city-port umbrella, there are rarely mechanisms for ports sustainability independent from their cities. In the last years, the increasing negative externalities of the ships, in particular waste and emissions, have been among the priorities of the European ports. To address these issues, solutions like the circular economy in EU port cities has gained significant attention. This paper investigates the application of a waste-to-clean energy model for the CopenhagenMalmö Port, as a case study. The innovative state-of-art model introduced in this research deals with the feasibility of a closed loop, based on the circular economy, to give added value to a large amount of the waste generated from shipping activities in the Copenhagen-Malmö Port. The proposed model includes key elements such as waste management, biogas plant and cold ironing. Two scenarios are compared, first is the current condition and the second one is assumed with the established circular economy model by the port authority. The scenarios are followed by cost-benefit analyses to show the feasibility of the proposed model

Here’s a snapshot of Dr. Fabio Ballini, one of the co-authors. Now, let’s dive into the author biographies:

Dr. Fabio Ballini

• Education & Background: He earned a MSc in Maritime Economics and Transport and a PhD in Electrical Engineering (awarded a European PhD label) from the University of Genova, Italy (wmu.se, conferences.wmu.se).

• Current Role: Associate Professor at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, specializing in Maritime Energy Management. He leads research on Smart Ports, Circular Economy in port cities, port energy management, port audits, and clean-tech solutions (wmu.se, conferences.wmu.se).

• Previous Experience: Held academic positions as Adjunct and Assistant Professor at the University of Genova teaching maritime economy subjects such as Social Cost-Benefit Analysis, Gaseous Ship Emissions, and Emission Evaluation Models (wmu.se, conferences.wmu.se).

• Research & Projects: Has conducted numerous EU and international projects—Horizon 2020 (CyberMar), Horizon Europe (SeaNergy), Nordic Innovation (On Shore Power Supply), TEN-T, ENPI CBC MED, and more (wmu.se).

• Publication Record: A prolific author with many peer-reviewed articles on port decarbonisation, sustainability, maritime emissions, and energy efficiency. His work is well-cited in journals such as Transportation Research Part D, Marine Pollution Bulletin, and Research in Transportation Business & Management (Google Scholar, Scinapse).

Reza Karimpour

• Academic Background: Authored the dissertation “Circular Economy modelling to accelerate the transition of ports into self-sustainable energy ports: a case study in Copenhagen-Malmö Port (CMP)” for his MSc in Maritime Affairs (Maritime Energy Management) at WMU, submitted in 2017 (Docslib, PDF Drive).

• Contributions: Co-authored the chapter “Port-City Redevelopment and the Circular Economy Agenda in Europe”, which examines sustainability transitions in European port cities by integrating circular economy frameworks (ResearchGate).

• Research Focus: His work investigates key elements of circular economy in ports—such as waste management, biogas production, and shore-to-ship energy supply—to model closed-loop systems that enhance energy self-sufficiency and sustainability of ports (ResearchGate, Docslib).

Summary Table

Let me know if you’d like deeper insights into their works, publication highlights, or career journeys!