Zero techniques and systems – ZETS strength and weakness

Abstract

Nature does not know the term “harmony”. Only humans should be in harmony with nature and artificial production system, particularly industry, should not destroy natural planetary cycles. It is clear that the world's industry and agriculture based on fossil resources exploitation are not sustainable. Harmony means complementary of natural and man-made cycles. However, there is a fundamental difference between industrial chains and biological chains. We can't use absolute analogy between biological chains and industrial chains. Industrial production chains are artificial created by humans. Zero Emissions concept accented that all industrial inputs can be completely converted into a variety of final products and that waste products can be converted into value added inputs for another chain of production or energy supply. In principle ZETS concept eliminates waste problem completely. The manufacturing line can be viewed as integrated technologies and series of production cycles and recycling systems. What is our opportunity to substitute renewable resources for fossil ones? The international climate conference in Kyoto (1997) and others can be regarded as tests for human capacity to cooperate and creatively manage two dominating carbon-rich solar energy conversion products: fossil organic materials and biomass. The former is found in rich deposits and is physically rather homogeneous (oil, gas and coal), whereas the latter is widely dispersed and highly diversified (microorganisms, plants and animals). Those aspects give oil refineries the character of compact cluster of chemical plants, whereas biomass refineries (biorefineries) are just as diverse as their feedstocks (mills for grain- and oilseeds, the food industry, fermentation plants, pulp and paper mills, etc.) This situation can inspire two questions. The first question is how the fossil carbon sources can be utilized without releasing greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In contrast to products from non-renewable resources, wood materials do not influence the atmospheric CO 2 balance. The second question is, when the oil production finally drops, whether clusters of processing units, designed for the upgrading of specific bioresources, can turn out a similar multitude of products as oil refineries do. The answers on these and other questions will be discussed in the context of ZETS using many case studies examples. Integrated ZETS have many advantages and disadvantages, too.