Circular economy and waste: a bibliometric analysis of global scientific production

The Circular Economy (CE) has emerged as an alternative to combat the linear production model, which significantly contributes to the environmental impacts faced today, such as depletion of natural resources, energy scarcity, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. Introduced in 1989, CE is a burgeoning research area, highlighting the need for a more in-depth analysis of its development. This research aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of publications in CE related to waste, using the Web of Science database. Between 2007 and 2022, the study identified the countries and authors with the highest production, the most cited journals and articles, and thematic analysis through keyword co-occurrence. The research demonstrated the evolution of studies, particularly from 2020 to 2022, revealing Europe as a leader in publications and indicating the need for encouragement in the African continent. Studies on plastic recycling and energy recovery proved to be extensively explored areas, unlike electronic and construction waste recycling, which emerged as promising fields.