Towards biofuel generation III+: A sustainable industrial symbiosis design of co-producing algal and cellulosic biofuels

Sharing carbon permits in industrial symbiosis: A game theory-based optimisation model

Industrial symbiosis (IS) is an important tool to achieve green development for industrial parks. It is necessary to evaluate the IS performance for monitoring and managing the development of IS system. This study proposed an integrated framework to assess the IS performance based on the energy-intensive industrial park. Firstly, we established a Conceptual model of symbiotic coupling of three industries (iron and steel, thermal power, and cement). Then, the conceptual model was applied to extend the existing IS system in the energy-intensive industrial park. Finally, the IS performance of the extended IS system was evaluated. We verified this framework in Red flag cannel park (RFCP). The IS performance assessment in RFCP found that the existing IS activities produced significant multiple benefits and environmental impact reduction. For example, the existing IS activities produced 970.20 kt of low-carbon benefits, which accounted for 19% of the CO2 emissions in RFCP. However, after extending the existing symbiotic system combined with the conceptual model proposed in this study, we found that there still was a large amount of symbiotic potential (the reuse of waste heat, BF slag, gypsum) waiting to be developed in RFCP. In addition, we also found that the resilience of existing IS network in RFCP was weak and need to be further perfected. In general, in the further development and perfection of IS system in RFCP, the manager should not only focus on the development of IS activities among energy-intensive enterprises but also strive to foster more influential enterprises to enhance the anti-risk ability of IS network. The result indicates the integrated framework can provide support for the development and perfection of IS system in energy-intensive industrial parks.

Waste is increasingly used as a renewable resource. Industrial symbiosis is an innovative concept for more efficient use of waste streams within industrial complexes, with the aim of reducing the overall environmental impact of the complex. Industrial symbiosis plays a more important role in promoting green economic growth and building low-carbon cities. Based on the ecological theoretical framework, combined with Waste Flow Analysis (WFA), the material flow analysis (MFA) and production matrix methods were used as the core to construct the Industrial Symbiosis System Waste Flow Metabolism Analysis (ISSWFMA) model. In addition, taking the “Jinchang Model” as an example, a typical case selected by the National Development and Reform Commission of China’s regional circular economy development model, we conducted a refined quantitative study on the flow and metabolism of waste flow in the regional industrial symbiosis system at the City-Region level using the circulation degree index. The following conclusions were obtained from the study: The ISSWFMA model can better describe the flow and metabolism of waste streams in the industrial symbiosis system at the City-Region Level and can provide data and methods for storage management. As the internal industrial chain and the correlation between various departments continuously improved, the Circulation Index (CI) of solid waste, wastewater, and exhaust gas in the industrial symbiosis system of Jinchang City showed an overall increasing trend, the degree of recycling was continuously increasing, the industrial symbiosis ability was continuously enhanced, and the system structure was more complete. At the same time, based on the analysis of different wastes, the industrial symbiosis is developed at different stages; based on the analysis of solid wastes, the industrial symbiosis ability of Jinchang’s Industrial Symbiosis System has strengthened and accelerated the fastest from 2005 to 2010; based on the analysis of wastewater, the industrial symbiosis ability of the system strengthened slowly during the whole study period; and based on the analysis of exhaust gas, the industrial symbiosis ability of the system continued to strengthen rapidly during the whole study period. Finally, on the basis of further discussion on the selection of waste recycling paths, we proposed to give full play to the role of market mechanisms, and to build recycling areas and ecological areas by strengthening industrial symbiosis and its derived urban symbiosis to achieve the goals of natural resource conservation, ecological environment protection, and harmonious coexistence between human and nature.

Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a systematic and collective (business) approach to optimizing the use of materials and energy among cross-sectoral industries in order to initiate and exhaust extended cascading systems; it is associated with (synergistic) environmental, technical, social, and economic benefits. For monitoring and controlling the development and progress of an IS system, an indicator system must be set up to standardize and assess the IS (sustainability) performance. This study aims to present a quantitative indicator system to enable the tracking of set sustainability targets of an IS system in Industrial Parks (IPs) for goal-directed IS management. The presented guiding framework encourages IP members in IS systems to set sustainability objectives and to evaluate and track their performance over time with a quantitative indicator system. In particular, established and (partly) internationally standardized methods—such as Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA), Social Network Analysis (SNA), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)—are used in order to place the indicator system on a solid and robust foundation and to adequately meet the multi-faceted sustainability perspectives in the form of a combinatorial application for deriving suitable quantitative indicators for all three (environmental, economic, social) dimensions of sustainability. The indicator system, once embedded in an Information Technology (IT)-supported IS tool, contributes crucially to the technology-enabled environment of IS systems, driving sustainability trajectories.

Water footprint assessment in an industrial symbiosis system based on environmental, economic, and social sustainability indices

Can industrial symbiosis policies be effective? Evidence from the nationwide industrial symbiosis system in China

Industrial Symbiosis (IS) deals with the set-up of advanced circular/cascading systems, in which the energy and material flows are prolonged for multiple material and energetic (re-)utilization within industrial systems. To facilitate the technology-enabling environment of IS systems, this work deals with the identification of recurring patterns in IS systems of specific IS case studies and deduction of elementary blueprints and structural units, setting an initial cornerstone to pool and synthesize existing IS knowledge and to deploy this knowledge base in an Information Technology (IT)-supported IS tool, which would remarkably advance the scope of action and development of IS systems. An explorative cross-case analysis was conducted by investigating 80 IS case studies in depth in order to illuminate recurring (key) patterns in IS systems by generalizing and abstracting IS main structures, compositions, resource exchange activities and measures. It has been shown that similar IS sectoral partnerships and resource exchanges have recurrently formed in different regions and hence, generalizable patterns can be deduced. This study identified common IS compositions, sector clusters and key/core/anchor entities and synthesized a content basis for a database of an IS resource exchange catalog based on existing/available IS information, which can be used in an IT-supported IS tool. It contains information of specific IS resource exchanges, broken down by industrial sectors, differentiating providing and receiving sectors and which respective exchanged waste flows were processed into which secondary material/product. Once this fundamental information/data base is incorporated and applied in an IT-supported IS tool, it enables the facilitated recommendation of potential IS partners and IS actions to optimize existing IS cases or to initiate IS development. Especially, first IS germ cells of (key) entities can be derived and connected to each other considering individual circumstances and (geographical) business environments.

The development of regional collaboration for resource efficiency: A network perspective on industrial symbiosis

Australia: Tronox & Exxaro – TiO 2

Many-objective optimization of technology implementation in the industrial symbiosis system based on a modified NSGA-III

The vulnerability of industrial symbiosis: A case study of Qijiang Industrial Park, China

In this work, a novel stability analysis for symbiotic bioenergy park is introduced. The concept of incremental investment return (IIR) analysis is adapted to determine the distribution of the savings associated with the additional investment required for implementation of industrial symbiosis (IS) scheme. Deviation from the ideal status of IS system can be obtained by determining the asymmetric distribution coefficient of each processing plant. An IS system is stable for as long as no partner bears a disproportionate share of additional investment costs relative to benefits gained from cooperation. To ensure a stable IS system, the asymmetric distribution coefficient must be bounded within maximum and minimum limits that can be determined based on the individual plants’ requirements or company policies. In case where the asymmetric distribution coefficient of one of the processing plants falls outside of the predefined limits, the symbiotic bioenergy park is not stable, and the proposed IS scheme cannot be implemented. A palm-based symbiotic bioenergy park case study is solved to illustrate the proposed approach.

Investigating the use of network analysis metrics to benchmark Industrial Symbiosis development

Multi-objective Design of Industrial Symbiosis in Palm Oil Industry

Industrial symbiosis (IS) can facilitate resource efficiency but requires a complex, dynamic process of sharing tangible and intangible resources between multiple private and public actors. Although IS studies have acknowledged the importance of these actors, they are studied as isolated and static streams. This study examines how public and private agency together contribute to the emergence and development of IS—i.e., the public–private interplay for promoting IS in a longitudinal manner. The study follows narrative and temporal bracketing process research strategies and relies on an in-depth and longitudinal qualitative multiple-case study design. Two IS cases were examined in terms of their actors (public, private), IS level (individual person, organization, network, national), and IS process phases (emergence, probation, development & expansion) within a Finnish context. Comparison of these two cases, which represent the main archetypes of IS models (i.e., IS planned by public actors and IS self-emerging among private actors), showed that the public–private interplay for promoting IS shares many similar features and paths within the cases. Thus, the main contribution of this study's qualitative processual approach toward public–private interplay for promoting IS is the modeling and definition of the IS process as an inherently dynamic interplay of intertwining public and private agency within each process phase and involving several actors on different IS levels. This finding challenges the current, somewhat dichotomic view in IS process studies that consider public and private actors as isolated and static. The findings of this study provide new insights into and practical guidelines for initiating, developing, and participating in IS activities for public and private actors.