Industrial ecology

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Industrial ecology (IE) is the study of material and energy flows through industrial systems. The global industrial economy can be modelled as a network of industrial processes that extract resources from the Earth and transform those resources into by-products, products and services which can be bought and sold to meet the needs of humanity. Industrial ecology seeks to quantify the material flows and document the industrial processes that make modern society function. Industrial ecologists are often concerned with the impacts that industrial activities have on the environment, with use of the planet's supply of natural resources, and with problems of waste disposal. Industrial ecology is a young but growing multidisciplinary field of research which combines aspects of engineering, economics, sociology, toxicology and the natural sciences.

Contents

Industrial ecology has been defined as a "systems-based, multidisciplinary discourse that seeks to understand emergent behavior of complex integrated human/natural systems". [1] The field approaches issues of sustainability by examining problems from multiple perspectives, usually involving aspects of sociology, the environment, economy and technology. [2] [3] The name comes from the idea that the analogy of natural systems should be used as an aid in understanding how to design sustainable industrial systems. [4]

Overview

Example of industrial symbiosis. Waste steam from a waste incinerator (right) is piped to an ethanol plant (left) where it is used as in input to their production process. IndustrialSymbiosisWasteHeatExchange.png
Example of industrial symbiosis. Waste steam from a waste incinerator (right) is piped to an ethanol plant (left) where it is used as in input to their production process.

Industrial ecology is concerned with the shifting of industrial process from linear (open loop) systems, in which resource and capital investments move through the system to become waste, to a closed loop system where wastes can become inputs for new processes.

Much of the research focuses on the following areas: [5]

Industrial ecology seeks to understand the way in which industrial systems (for example a factory, an ecoregion, or national or global economy) interact with the biosphere. Natural ecosystems provide a metaphor for understanding how different parts of industrial systems interact with one another, in an "ecosystem" based on resources and infrastructural capital rather than on natural capital. It seeks to exploit the idea that natural systems do not have waste in them to inspire sustainable design.

Along with more general energy conservation and material conservation goals, and redefining related international trade markets and product stewardship relations strictly as a service economy, industrial ecology is one of the four objectives of Natural Capitalism. This strategy discourages forms of amoral purchasing arising from ignorance of what goes on at a distance and implies a political economy that values natural capital highly and relies on more instructional capital to design and maintain each unique industrial ecology.

History

View of Kalundborg Eco-industrial Park View from Asnaes power station Kalundborg Denmark.jpg
View of Kalundborg Eco-industrial Park

Industrial ecology was popularized in 1989 in a Scientific American article by Robert Frosch and Nicholas E. Gallopoulos. [6] Frosch and Gallopoulos' vision was "why would not our industrial system behave like an ecosystem, where the wastes of a species may be resource to another species? Why would not the outputs of an industry be the inputs of another, thus reducing use of raw materials, pollution, and saving on waste treatment?" [4] A notable example resides in a Danish industrial park in the city of Kalundborg. Here several linkages of byproducts and waste heat can be found between numerous entities such as a large power plant, an oil refinery, a pharmaceutical plant, a plasterboard factory, an enzyme manufacturer, a waste company and the city itself. [7] Another example is the Rantasalmi EIP in Rantasalmi, Finland. While this country has had previous organically formed EIP's, the park at Rantasalmi is Finland's first planned EIP.

The scientific field of industrial ecology has grown quickly. The Journal of Industrial Ecology (since 1997), the International Society for Industrial Ecology (since 2001), and the journal Progress in Industrial Ecology (since 2004) give Industrial Ecology a strong and dynamic position in the international scientific community. Industrial ecology principles are also emerging in various policy realms such as the idea of the circular economy. Although the definition of the circular economy has yet to be formalized, generally the focus is on strategies such as creating a circular flow of materials, and cascading energy flows. An example of this would be using waste heat from one process to run another process that requires a lower temperature. The hope is that strategies such as this will create a more efficient economy with fewer pollutants and other unwanted by-products. [8]

Examples

The Kalundborg industrial park is located in Denmark. This industrial park is special because companies reuse each other's waste (which then becomes by-products). For example, the Energy E2 Asnæs Power Station produces gypsum as a by-product of the electricity generation process; this gypsum becomes a resource for the BPB Gyproc A/S which produces plasterboards. [7] This is one example of a system inspired by the biosphere-technosphere metaphor: in ecosystems, the waste from one organism is used as inputs to other organisms; in industrial systems, waste from a company is used as a resource by others.

Apart from the direct benefit of incorporating waste into the loop, the use of an eco-industrial park can be a means of making renewable energy generating plants, like Solar PV, more economical and environmentally friendly. In essence, this assists the growth of the renewable energy industry and the environmental benefits that come with replacing fossil-fuels. [9]

Additional examples of industrial ecology include:

Future directions

The ecosystem metaphor popularized by Frosch and Gallopoulos [4] has been a valuable creative tool for helping researchers look for novel solutions to difficult problems. Recently, it has been pointed out that this metaphor is based largely on a model of classical ecology, and that advancements in understanding ecology based on complexity science have been made by researchers such as C. S. Holling, James J. Kay, [24] and further advanced in terms of contemporary ecology by others. [25] [26] [27] [28] For industrial ecology, this may mean a shift from a more mechanistic view of systems, to one where sustainability is viewed as an emergent property of a complex system. [29] [30] To explore this further, several researchers are working with agent based modeling techniques. [31] [32]

Exergy analysis is performed in the field of industrial ecology to use energy more efficiently. [33] The term exergy was coined by Zoran Rant in 1956, but the concept was developed by J. Willard Gibbs. In recent decades, utilization of exergy has spread outside physics and engineering to the fields of industrial ecology, ecological economics, systems ecology, and energetics.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Material efficiency</span>

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Material flow analysis (MFA), also referred to as substance flow analysis (SFA), is an analytical method to quantify flows and stocks of materials or substances in a well-defined system. MFA is an important tool to study the bio-physical aspects of human activity on different spatial and temporal scales. It is considered a core method of industrial ecology or anthropogenic, urban, social and industrial metabolism. MFA is used to study material, substance, or product flows across different industrial sectors or within ecosystems. MFA can also be applied to a single industrial installation, for example, for tracking nutrient flows through a waste water treatment plant. When combined with an assessment of the costs associated with material flows this business-oriented application of MFA is called material flow cost accounting. MFA is an important tool to study the circular economy and to devise material flow management. Since the 1990s, the number of publications related to material flow analysis has grown steadily. Peer-reviewed journals that publish MFA-related work include the Journal of Industrial Ecology, Ecological Economics, Environmental Science and Technology, and Resources, Conservation, and Recycling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Material flow management</span>

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References

  1. ↑ Allenby, Brad (2006). "The ontologies of industrial ecology" (PDF). Progress in Industrial Ecology. 3 (1/2): 28–40. doi:10.1504/PIE.2006.010039.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ Wietschel, Lars; Messmann, Lukas; Thorenz, Andrea; Tuma, Axel (2021). "Environmental benefits of large-scale second-generation bioethanol production in the EU: An integrated supply chain network optimization and life cycle assessment approach". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 25 (3): 677–692. doi: 10.1111/jiec.13083 . S2CID   228930566.
  3. ↑ Messmann, Lukas; Wietschel, Lars; Thorenz, Andrea; Tuma, Axel (2022). "Assessing the social dimension in strategic network optimization for a sustainable development: The case of bioethanol production in the EU". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 27 (3): 760–776. doi:10.1111/jiec.13324. S2CID   251824815.
  4. 1 2 3 Frosch, R.A.; Gallopoulos, N.E. (1989). "Strategies for Manufacturing". Scientific American. 261 (3): 144–152. Bibcode:1989SciAm.261c.144F. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0989-144.
  5. ↑ "International Society for Industrial Ecology | History". Archived from the original on 10 July 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  6. ↑ "Industrial Ecology - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  7. 1 2 "The Kalundborg Centre for Industrial Symbiosis".
  8. ↑ Yuan, Z.; Bi, J.; Moriguichi, Y. (2008). "The Circular Economy: A New Development Strategy in China". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 10 (1–2): 4–8. doi:10.1162/108819806775545321. S2CID   55422513.
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  10. ↑ Thomas, Michael. "Optimizing the Use of Fly Ash in Concrete." Portland Cement Association
  11. ↑ "Used and Waste Oil and Grease for Biodiesel – eXtension". extension.org. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "Transitioning South African Industry Towards A Green Economy". CSIR. 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Onsite Non-Potable Water Reuse Research". 9 October 2018.
  14. ↑ Gammon, Katharine; Service, Inside Science News. "New process turns waste chicken feathers into biodegradable plastic". phys.org. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  15. ↑ Barrett, Axel (30 August 2018). "Bioplastics Made from Chicken Feathers". Bioplastics News. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "Industrial Ecology". Beyond the Buzzwords. 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  17. ↑ Gies, Erica. "Anheuser-Busch to Join Industrial Ecosystem". Forbes .
  18. ↑ "Secretary Perry Celebrates Successful Completion of Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project". U.S. Department of Energy. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Cork Recycling Experts". ReCORK. 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
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  21. ↑ Siegel, R.P. (9 May 2019). "The rise of plant-based plastic packaging". GreenBiz Group. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Food Waste Composting: Institutional and Industrial Application | UGA Cooperative Extension". extension.uga.edu. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  23. ↑ "Sustainable energy: inside Iceland's geothermal power plant". The Guardian. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  24. ↑ Kay, J.J. (2002). Kibert, C.; Sendzimir, J.; Guy, B. (eds.). "On Complexity Theory, Exergy and Industrial Ecology: Some Implications for Construction Ecology" (PDF). Construction Ecology: Nature as the Basis for Green Buildings: 72–107. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2006.
  25. ↑ Levine, S. H. (2003). "Comparing Products and Production in Ecological and Industrial Systems". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 7 (2): 33–42. doi:10.1162/108819803322564334. S2CID   35440097.
  26. ↑ Nielsen, Søren Nors (2007). "What has modern ecosystem theory to offer to cleaner production, industrial ecology and society? The views of an ecologist". Journal of Cleaner Production. 15 (17): 1639–1653. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.08.008.
  27. ↑ Ashton, W. S. (2009). "The Structure, Function, and Evolution of a Regional Industrial Ecosystem". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 13 (2): 228. doi:10.1111/j.1530-9290.2009.00111.x. S2CID   154577022.
  28. ↑ Jensen, P. D. (2011). "Reinterpreting Industrial Ecology". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 15 (5): 680–692. doi:10.1111/j.1530-9290.2011.00377.x. S2CID   9188772.
  29. ↑ Ehrenfeld, John (2004). "Can Industrial Ecology be the Science of Sustainability?". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 8 (1–2): 1–3. doi:10.1162/1088198041269364. S2CID   59407106.
  30. ↑ Ehrenfeld, John (2007). "Would Industrial Ecology Exist without Sustainability in the Background?". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 11 (1): 73–84. doi:10.1162/jiec.2007.1177. S2CID   55888001.
  31. ↑ Axtell, R.L.; Andrews, C.J.; Small, M.J. (2002). "Agent-Based Modeling and Industrial Ecology". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 5 (4): 10–13. doi:10.1162/10881980160084006. S2CID   154773522.
  32. ↑ Kraines, S.; Wallace, D. (2006). "Applying Agent-based Simulation in Industrial Ecology". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 10 (1–2): 15–18. doi:10.1162/108819806775545376. S2CID   154487898.
  33. ↑ Wall, Göran. "Exergy - a useful concept".

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