Industrial Ecology Research Articles

The evolution of research at the intersection of industrial ecology and artificial intelligence

The evolution of research at the intersection of industrial ecology and artificial intelligence

Can environmental regulation improve the industrial ecology efficiency? Evidence from China's environmental protection tax reform.

Improving industrial ecology efficiency (IEE) is the key path to achieve green economic development. This paper calculates IEE of 273 Chinese cities a super slacks-based measurement (Super-SBM) model and examines the impact of environmental protection tax reform (EPTR) on IEE by the difference-in-difference (DID) model. The results show that the effect of EPTR on IEE is significantly positive. After a series of robustness tests, this conclusion still holds true. EPTR has a more obvious effect on IEE of coastal cities, Class 1 cities and non-resource-based cities. EPTR mainly enhances IEE through green technology innovation effect, industrial structure upgrading effect and public participation effect. This paper provides empirical evidence for improving China's environmental policies and promoting green transformation.

Research on Drying Technology for Pressing Landscaping Waste - A Case Study of Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flowers

With the gradual enhancement of people’s awareness of ecological environment and sustainable development, the concept of green and low-carbon development has received more and more attention. Building a waste recycling system has also become an important task for building a beautiful China. The art of pressed flowers is such an ecological industry for recycling abandoned landscaping plants. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a plant widely distributed and loved by the people in China. In order to explore the most suitable drying technology for pressing Hibiscus rosa-sinensis，we study the differences of petal color, anthocyanins content, pH value, enzyme activity, drying status, protecting color, flatness between no-pressed and two different drying methods. Compared with the fresh flowers, the L, a, and C values of dried petal were lower, the pH was higher, and the enzyme activity was lower. But the difference is not significant in anthocyanins content between them. Furthermore, the enzyme activity and pH value of pressed petal with microwave were lower than those with drying plate. On the contrary, the anthocyanins content of pressed petal with microwave was higher than that with drying plate. The final study data shows that microwave pressed flower with 80% microwave power and 60-second drying time, was better for drying Hibiscus rosa-sinensis than drying plate，this method leads to better pressed flower，so as to produce plant products that are more suitable for consumer’s needs

Implementing industrial and territorial ecology: The role of proximity and intermediaries in three French case studies

AbstractThis article explores the challenges companies face when establishing cooperative relationships to implement industrial ecology initiatives. It examines the effectiveness of methodological devices in fostering inter‐firm relations and creating a favorable environment for executing industrial ecology strategies. The theoretical framework of proximities is used to analyze the nature of the connections that form between firms based on these strategies. Based on interviews and social network analysis from three case studies in France, the study concludes that geographical proximity is important for cooperative relationships, but it is not enough on its own. The activation of organized proximities requires intermediary actors and methodological devices. In addition, these collaborations need consistent and effective support to ensure their long‐term sustainability; without such support, they tend to be short lived.

The Ecosystems Perspective in Energy Research: A New Field is Born?

The “ecosystem perspective” seems to be gaining importance in energy research. This paper offers a systematic review of 98 articles to shed light on the burgeoning interest in the “energy ecosystems” perspective. The growth in energy ecosystems research stems from several factors: the integration of approaches that connect energy flows with ecological concepts, the inclusion of emerging technologies and socio-technical nuances, and a significant uptick in academic publications over recent years. Our review identifies four pivotal trends shaping the energy ecosystems discourse: “industrial ecology and sustainable development,” “energy transition and socioeconomic evolution,” “business and innovation ecosystems in energy,” “distributed energy systems, smart grid innovations, and associated policy-regulation dynamics.” These trends underscore a pronounced emphasis on energy efficiency in the pertinent literature. Looking ahead, there’s a case for adopting a comprehensive macro-meso-micro framework, with a particular spotlight on the intricate roles of individual energy firms within these ecosystems.

Symbiotic design and numerical methods of industrial architecture and urban landscape in the context of sustainable development

The status quo of low sustainability of urban landscape symbiosis design programme and low referability of the corresponding comprehensive evaluation method, the study will take the environmental and ecological value as the symbiosis goal to design the urban landscape. The study constructs a comprehensive evaluation model of industrial heritage urban landscape ecology, researches each index affecting landscape ecology, and determines the weight of each influence index by combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The maximum influence factors of the four criteria layers of emotion, culture, material and ecology are pleasure, obvious cultural symbols, appropriate scale and microclimate regulation, and the corresponding values are 0.313, 0.404, 0.315 and 0.495, respectively. Compared with that before the introduction of the self-organised neural network fusion K-Means clustering algorithm, the ecological evaluation scores of the urban landscape of the industrial heritage are much closer to the real situation, and the overall error is much higher. The ecological evaluation model of industrial heritage buildings is closer to the real situation, and the overall error fluctuation is 0.012–0.020. The precision-recall curve of the comprehensive evaluation model of industrial heritage buildings is more advantageous than that of other comprehensive evaluation models. The results of the study provide a scientific reference basis for the design of the external landscape environment of industrial heritage buildings, and provide a strong scientific support for the ecological symbiosis between old industrial buildings and the environment under the concept of sustainability.

An approach to the development of collaborative environmental networks in Colombia

Research on the creation of Collaborative Environmental Networks (CENs) — industrial ecology, industrial ecosystems and industrial symbiosis — is in the early stage of development in Colombia. This study explores the main elements of the CENs for the development of synergies between actors involved in the productive transformation. The possible benefits and limitations of developing organizational skills through the networks are identified by means of semi-structured interviews, based on a non-probabilistic sample of companies, associations and local governments. Results provide evidence aimed to acquire sustainable knowledge, strengthen skills and awareness of the benefits offered in different markets for participating in CENs. Findings indicate individual interest prevail over the collective wellbeing. The creation of networks of this type is uncommon due to distrust between the actors, which implies that most of them engage in environmental efforts in isolation. This limits the scope of their objectives and the achievement of territorial goals. Policymakers may find guidance on possible organizational links that may contribute to the creation of CENs in the country.

Weighing the global built environment: High‐resolution mapping and quantification of material stocks in buildings

AbstractBuildings provide indispensable services for human well‐being, but their construction and use are responsible for a substantial fraction of societies’ resource requirements and greenhouse gas emissions. Mapping and quantifying the material stocks in buildings is a key research frontier in industrial ecology. Reliable and spatially highly resolved maps of material stocks in buildings worldwide are so far not available. Existing approaches based on nighttime light data allow large‐scale coverage, but their spatial resolution is usually ∼0.5–1 km. Other methods using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and cadaster data achieve higher resolution and accuracy, but do not allow wall‐to‐wall mapping of large regions. Based on high‐resolution Earth Observation data combined with material intensity factors (kg per m3 of building volume), we quantify and map material stocks in buildings at the unprecedented resolution of 90 m globally. We distinguish 18 types of materials in five types of buildings. We find that global material stocks in buildings amount to 547 (391–672) Gt, approximately half of total global societal material stocks. We find highly unequal distributions of material stocks in buildings per capita and per unit area of each country. Our results agree well with previous detailed estimates of material stocks in buildings in dedicated regions or individual cities. Improved and harmonized material intensity factors emerge as a key research area for improving the accuracy of material stock maps. Our results are available as data products with high spatial and thematic resolution to facilitate future studies; for example, of secondary resource potentials. This article met the requirements for a gold‐gold JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges.

Development of the scientific project “mendeleev classes” at the research base of the department of industrial ecology and life safety of the Irkutsk national research technical university

The article examines the results of implementing a new direction in education: the scientific project “Mendeleev Classes.” It outlines the project’s primary goal and objectives, along with participating regions, stakeholders, and executors. The project program has been implemented at Irkutsk National Research Technical University since 2021, utilizing the research facilities of the Department of Industrial Ecology and Life Safety. Students and staff from the department guide the project activities of the “Mendeleev” 8th-grade students from Lyceum No. 1 in Usolye-Sibirskoye. The article provides a detailed overview of the topics, objectives, and key findings of these projects. The article highlights how active engagement of lyceum students allows them to gain experience in scientific research, while university students broaden and acquire new theoretical knowledge, alongside practical skills in environmental safety. The article provides a description and brief report of four expeditions conducted across Russia in 2021 (“Baikal”), 2022 (“Finnish Gulf”), 2023 (“Southern Ural”), and 2024 (“Kamchatka”). The article notes the pressing ecological problems in Russia’s regions that students from various institutions, including Irkutsk National Research Technical University, encountered. It lists publications showcasing the research findings of participants and their supervisors. The article concludes that the implementation of the “Mendeleev Classes” project contributes to the improvement of the ecological education and upbringing system in Russia, fostering environmental culture and ecological literacy among young people.

Concurrent validity and test reliability of the deep learning markerless motion capture system during the overhead squat

Marker-based optical motion capture systems have been used as a cardinal vehicle to probe and understand the underpinning mechanism of human posture and movement, but it is time-consuming for complex and delicate data acquisition and analysis, labor-intensive with highly trained operators. To mitigate such inherent issues, we developed an accurate and usable (5-min data collection and processing) deep-learning-based 3-Dimensional markerless motion capture system called “Ergo”, designed for use in ecological digital healthcare environments. We investigated the concurrent validity and the test–retest reliability of the Ergo system measurement’s whole body joint kinematics (time series joint angles and peak joint angles) data by comparing it with a standard marker-based motion capture system recorded during an overhead squat movement. The Ergo system demonstrated excellent agreement for time series joint angles (R2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$R^{2}$$\\end{document} = 0.88–0.99) and for peak joint angles (ICC2,1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ICC_{2,1}$$\\end{document} = 0.75–1.0) when compared with the gold standard marker-based motion capture system. Additionally, we observed high test-retest reliability (ICC3,1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ICC_{3,1}$$\\end{document} = 0.92–0.99). In conclusion, the deep learning-based markerless Ergo motion capture system considerably shows comparable performance with the Gold Standard marker-based motion capture system measurements in the concurrent accuracy, reliability, thereby making it a highly accessible choice for diverse universal users and ecological industries or environments.

Aqueous Processing of Ni-Rich Layered Oxide-Based Cathodes: Evaluating Strategies Via Additives, Binders and Coatings

The growing demand of batteries for electric mobility enhances the overall environmental impact of battery production. Among the different cathode cell chemistries, the Ni-rich layered oxide LiNi x Co y Mn z O2 (NCM)-based cathode active material (CAM) is regarded to have the lowest global warming potential of around 75.5 kg CO2-Eq/kWh1, whereas ≈25 % is attributed to cell manufacturing. The global warming potential could be reduced by 16 % via aqueous cathode electrode production2, as water instead of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as processing solvent is generally advantageous in several aspects e.g., not necessitating solvent recovery. However, Ni-rich NCMs are water sensitive and prone to structural degradation, leading to e.g., particle cracking and surface layer reconstructions. Consequently, lithium and transition metals dissolve in the aqueous media forming soluble (such as LiOH and Li2CO3) and insoluble (such as NiOOH) species.3 The formation of LiOH leads to an increase in pH and can cause corrosion of the aluminium current collector.Promising strategies for aqueous processing are either based on CAM coating, processing aspects (e.g., functionalized binders, electrode paste additives) or electrolyte additives. A common processing additive is phosphoric acid, which is aimed to lower the pH, protect the aluminium current collector, and form a protective Li3PO4 layer on the NCM particle surface. However, further investigations are required to gain a full understanding of the NCM interphase changes and to evaluate other interphase engineering strategies to overcome the remaining obstacles.In this study, the well-known strategies are evaluated with respect to electrochemical performance of LiNi83Co12Mn05O2||Graphite cells. Each strategy is applied within a characteristic time scale of NCM path, i.e., from synthesis to end-of-life (see scheme 1), and reveal characteristic advantages and disadvantages on cathode particle degradation and interphase formation.References M. Mohr, J. F. Peters, M. Baumann and M. Weil, Journal of Industrial Ecology, 24(6), 1310–1322 (2020).K. Shen, Q. Zhai, Y. Gu, W. Wang, H. Cao, M. Hauschild and C. Yuan, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 198, 107152 (2023).M. Hofmann, M. Kapuschinski, U. Guntow and G. A. Giffin, J. Electrochem. Soc., 167(14), 140535 (2020). Figure 1

CIRCEE, the CIRCular Energy Economy model: Bridging the gap between economic and industrial ecology concepts

AbstractTransitioning to a circular economy (CE) can contribute to the achievement of long‐term climate targets. A comprehensive evaluation of CE strategies requires a macro‐level approach that integrates environmental, social, and economic goals. Policy support, behavioral changes, innovation, and new business models play key roles in this transition. Additionally, understanding the potential synergies, benefits, and trade‐offs associated with these strategies is essential for their effective implementation. This paper proposes a novel approach, using macroeconomic modeling, industrial ecology, and behavioral concepts to evaluate the impacts of CE strategies on socioeconomic and climate systems. As an application, the paper investigates the environmental and economic effects in Japan of increasing the extended producer responsibility (EPR) fee on energy‐using durable goods. We show that increasing the fee makes households substitute conventional goods for circular services. Also, while increasing EPR fees for energy‐using durable goods may decrease the materials needed to produce and operate these goods, the overall impact on sustainability goals is rather low.

Electrochemically Switchable Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile for Controllable Recovery of Copper in Wastewater Based on Reversible Adsorption/Desorption Regulation.

Within the context of circular economy and industrial ecology, adsorption offers an effective manner for recycling resources from wastewater, but controllable desorption remains a challenge. Inspired by metal-thiol binding and reversible thiol-disulfide redox transformation in biological systems, this study reports the development of a reversible adsorption/desorption (RAD) system for controllable recovery of copper based on electrochemically switchable sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN). Density functional theory calculations offered theoretical prediction for the formation of S-Cu bonds and reversible weak interaction between S-S bonds and Cu2+. The SPAN anchored onto titanium suboxide ceramic foam (SPAN@TiSO) could regulate Cu2+ adsorption/desorption stimulated by the electrode potential, indicated by the adsorption capacity of 243.3 mg g-1 (30 min) at 0.2 V vs SHE and a desorption efficiency of 98.4% (5 min) at 0.8 V vs SHE. Electrochemical analysis revealed that the reversible redox transformation of S-S/-S- groups in SPAN was responsible for selective adsorption and rapid desorption in response to the electrode potential. This study provides a proof-of-concept demonstration of an electrochemically switchable polymer to build up a reversible RAD system for controllable recovery of heavy metals in wastewater, making value-added resource recovery more efficient, more intelligent, and more sustainable.

The Digitalization Imperative: Unveiling the Impacts of Eco-Industry Integration on Sectoral Growth and Transformation

In the context of the global shift toward sustainable development, ecosystem-based ecological industries have become a critical area of focus for achieving green economic transformation and promoting the harmonious development of both society and the environment. This paper aims to explore the impact of industrial integration on the progression of ecological production within the framework of digitalization, with a particular emphasis on key sectors such as agriculture, forestry, and tourism. Utilizing multi-group data from 284 cities spanning the period 2011 to 2020, the study establishes a relationship between industrial integration and the growth of ecological industries, employing a two-way fixed effects model for analysis. The results demonstrate that industrial integration within ecological sectors significantly fosters sectoral development through two main mechanisms: the extension of industrial value chains and cross-sectoral synergies. Moreover, in the era of the digital economy, digitalization plays a pivotal role in facilitating the integrated development of ecological industries. The study further identifies that digital technology, digital finance, and digital expertise serve as mediating factors in this integration process. It is recommended that future initiatives focus on leveraging digital tools to enhance the integration of ecological industries, thereby advancing industrial growth. Furthermore, China is encouraged to continue promoting the integrated development of ecological industries by supporting the expansion of industrial value chains and fostering intersectoral cooperation. Simultaneously, the role of digitalization should be emphasized, with particular attention to the incorporation of relevant digital components into the industrial integration process moving forward.

The Impact of E-commerce Live Streaming on Consumer Decision-Making: A Case Study of Taobao

This study examines the impact of e-commerce live streaming on consumer decision-making, focusing on the role of head anchors, represented by Taobao anchor Li Jiaqi. Driven by external factors such as technological innovation, market competition, and epidemics, live e-commerce broadcasting has rapidly risen and changed traditional shopping. This study first describes the technological basis of e-commerce live streaming, including the support of real-time interaction and personalized recommendation by 5G network and artificial intelligence. Subsequently, it analyzes how consumer engagement, interactivity, and anchor influence in e-commerce live streaming affect consumer behavior in the stages of awareness, consideration, purchase decision, and experience. Taking Li Jiaqi as an example, the role of anchors in enhancing users’ trust, accelerating purchase decisions, and fostering consumer loyalty is investigated. This study summarizes the future trends of e-commerce live streaming, including the impact of multi-platform layout and improved content quality on the industry ecology.

Ecological Turn of Humanities, Science, and Technology with examples from Mexico's Conahcyt and China's Global Influence

This article emphasizes the importance of integrating humanistic knowledge into the ecological transformation within the fields of humanities, science, and technology, with a particular focus on how these ideas align with China's green development initiatives. The article critically explores the role of humanistic knowledge in fostering a sustainable relationship between humanity and nature, challenging the capitalist economic model that has historically alienated nature through the relentless exploitation of natural resources. This exploitation has prompted the development of new paradigms centered on sustainable growth, which prioritize environmental protection, the development of ecological industries, and the preservation of biodiversity. By using a comparative case study approach, the article analyzes the practices of Mexico's Conahcyt and China in global ecological governance, demonstrating how the adoption of these sustainable paradigms promotes a more inclusive approach to development. The ecological Marxism movement finds particular resonance in China's concept of Ecological Civilization, i.e., Eco-Marxism being Chinese in orientation. Additionally, the article examines how Mexico has integrated the humanities with science and technology through its Research and Development (R&D) initiatives, led by Conahcyt, to restore the balance between nature and society. The article further reviews the implications of these paradigms for global cooperation, highlighting China's Ecological Civilization Thinking as a guiding framework for global environmental governance, particularly during the 2021 Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). This work underscores the need for innovative strategies that combine human knowledge with scientific and technological advancements to achieve sustainable development goals.

Handbook of the circular economy: Transitions and transformation : Book review

[Alexander, A., Pascucci, S. & Charnley, F. (eds., 2023). Handbook of the circular economy: Transitions and transformation. De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston. 504 pp. ISBN 978-3-11-072322-9] Since the term “circular economy” emerged in the economic and environ-mental literature at the beginning of the 2010’s, an ever-growing number of articles, papers, reports and books have been published on this new concept that aims at the ending of the so-called linear economy and ushering into a new economic paradigm. The circular economy’s foundations lay on several schools of thought of the past almost sixty years which pro-mote closed-loop systems and nature-inspired metabolisms in the econ-omy, starting from Boulding’s seminal work “The Economics of the Com-ing Spaceship Earth” (1966) through Stahel’s “Product-Life Factor” (1982) and Pearce and Turner’s “Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment” (1994), until McDonough and Braungart’s „Cradle to Cradle” (2002) or Gradel and Allenby’s “Industrial Ecology” (2003) – just to name a few. Since the term “circular economy” was born in the past dec-ade, this concept has been a popular subject of the economic, business, environmental, technical and even popular literature (Freed & Ritchie, 2021).

Carbon disclosures and information asymmetry: Empirical evidence on the importance of text in understanding numerical emission allowance disclosures

AbstractCarbon disclosures are essential for investors to evaluate firms’ efforts to combat climate change. In this study, we focus on a specific type of carbon disclosures—namely, emission allowance disclosures—that capture how firms implement emission reductions under the European Union emission trading system (EU ETS). Given the continuously changing institutional features of the EU ETS and the lack of authoritative guidance on how firms should account for emission allowances in their financial statements, it is exceedingly difficult for investors to understand numerical emission allowance disclosures and to compare them across—and even within—firms. Motivated by this criticism, we hypothesize and find that textual disclosures complementing numerical emission allowance disclosures are associated with lower information asymmetries between firms and their investors. Further analyses show that textual disclosures that: (i) describe the accounting approach, and (ii) contain institutional information on the EU ETS, respectively, are particularly important for improving the information environment of numerical emission allowance disclosures. Overall, our findings suggest that text can improve the understanding of numbers in a carbon disclosure context. Therefore, our study not only contributes to the (industrial ecology) literature but also has important implications for regulators, policymakers, investors, financial analysts, and firms.

Sustainability and Systems Thinking: a Case Study on HP Inc

Objective: The objective of this study is to describe the sustainable impact actions of HP Inc. and relate them to General Systems Theory, emphasizing a viable systemic and circular production ideal that generates socioeconomic and environmental benefits from a minimal impact perspective. Theoretical Framework: The foundation of this research essentially consists of the General Systems Theory proposed by Bertalanffy, which, combined with complementary concepts and literature such as Industrial Ecology and Systemic Thinking, serves as a basis for analyzing HP Inc.'s production process. Method: This is an exploratory study, for which bibliographic research was conducted to provide a theoretical basis on the topics of sustainability and General Systems Theory. Subsequently, based on the knowledge acquired and official documents made available by the company, HP's production process and its relationship with the previously examined literature were analyzed. Results and Discussion: The results show that HP is a multinational corporation with a sustainable and social impact policy aimed at goals such as zero carbon emissions, a fully regenerative economy, a primarily renewable energy matrix, digital equity, and the effective practice of the circular economy, which ensures ease of repairs, maintenance, and product longevity. Therefore, it is concluded that the company has a feedback system, which not only ensures minimal socio-environmental impact but also demonstrates alignment with systems theory, supporting the implementation of social and sustainable measures. Research Implications: The research demonstrates, from a systemic perspective, how a circular production system, together with other sustainable impact actions, is a viable reality already being applied today, potentially serving as an example for other companies in operation. Originality/Value: The study is relevant as it not only exposes the feasibility of a circular and regenerative economy, such as that of HP Inc., but also reflects how General Systems Theory and systems thinking can be key perspectives for analyzing this scenario.

Immersion in open-world games based on Grounded theory -- A case study of Genshin Impact

In recent years, with the expansion of the game market and the rapid growth of game users, the game market has great potential. At the same time, open world games are loved by the vast majority of users. [Purpose/Significance] Explore the factors that affect the immersion of players in open world games, drive the improvement of the quality of open world games, help improve the industrial ecology, and achieve richer functional values. [Research design/Methods] Taking the open world adventure role-playing game "Genshin Impact" as a case study, semi-structured interview was used to obtain first-hand interview data, and coded research was conducted using grounded theory. Through several processes such as open coding, spindle coding, selective coding and theoretical saturation testing, the corresponding theoretical model is finally formed. [Conclusion/Finding] The results show that the basic feature of immersion performance is concentration. The two factors, the in-game condition and the out-of-game condition, together constitute the pre-factors that produce immersion. After entering the state of immersion, the main performance is to produce tension and emotional resonance. [Innovation/Value] builds a theoretical model for the generation of immersion in open world games, which lays a theoretical foundation for future theoretical model testing and empirical research.