Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Industrial ecology'

The global use of resources such as materials, energy, and water has surpassed sustainable levels by many accounts.  The research presented here was explicitly normative in its aim to improve the understanding of, and make sustainable change toward highly systemic issues of resource management.  The core methods chosen to work toward this aim were bottom up action research procedures (including stakeholder engagement processes) and industrial ecology analysis tools.  These methods were employed and tested in pragmatic combination through two of the author’s case study projects. The first case study, performed between 2009 and 2012, employed a multi-stakeholder process aimed at improving the cycling of construction and demolition waste in the Stockholm region.  The second case study produced a strategic tool (Looplocal) built for facilitating more efficient regional industrial resource networks. While the highly participative aim of the cases required a larger contribution of resources than that of more closed studies, it is arguable that the efficacy of approaching the project aims is improved through their employment.

QC 20130522

The purpose of this thesis is to identify key conditions for successful industrial implementation of collective extended producer responsibility (EPR) programmes in the Norwegian plastic packaging system, according to an industrial ecology perspective. ‘Key condition’ is defined as those factors, both drivers and barriers, which are critical for the outcome of industrial implementation of EPR. As we have seen there are several key conditions to be identified. We have studied this by first developing a theoretical framework based on the industrial ecology perspective and combined with a modified understanding on categories for EPR policy instruments we have developed an analytical framework which combines a material flow approach and an actor approach. Based on this we have carried out a case study of the Norwegian EPR system for plastic packaging, organised by the producer responsibility organisation Plastretur. We have shown the complexity of this system by doing analysis on various levels, both with respect to material flows and to actors. Our conclusions are primarily valid for this system only, but we have shown how our results correspond to existing literature, both theoretically and in practice.

The overall conclusion from this case study is that the Plastretur EPR scheme has proven to be successful with respect to recycling ratios and costs, while it has been less successful concerning dematerialisation and design for recycling. This conclusion is contrary to what is considered to be the strength of EPR policies, but it provides empirical evidence for the arguments put forth by for instance Veerman (2004) on the Dutch system, claiming that EPR has mainly effects downstream. We argue that one of the reasons to this controversial result is that previous studies have not to a sufficient extent taken into account the need for identifying the causality between EPR policy instruments and the observed effects. We have provided this through a detailed case study on various analytical levels.

Resource demand and environmental degradation have reached unsustainable levels. A sustainable future requires industrial systems’ attention and improvement. Industrial ecology springs from interests to integrate the notions of sustainability into environmental and economic systems (Allenby 1992). The fact is that the economy operates as an open system, drawing raw materials from the environment and returning vast amounts of unused by-products in the form of pollution and waste. The products that firms market are only a small portion of what their processes turn out; a significant portion of their output eventually leaves the economy as waste and returns to the environment in forms that may stress it unacceptably. (Ehrenfeld & Gertler, 1997). Increased economic output will still cause increased environmental harm. Thus, accomplishing economic growth and environmental protection simultaneously requires fundamentally new ways of examining and designing socioeconomic systems. One way to achieve this is through industrial ecology When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/31070

Orientadores: Evandro Ziggiatti Monteiro, Emília Wanda Rutkowski
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo
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Resumo: Esta pesquisa analisa a aplicação das diretrizes de ecologia industrial e de arquitetura dos edifícios industriais através de sua certificação ambiental. A revisão teórico-conceitual aborda a evolução dessa arquitetura ao longo das revoluções industriais, principalmente no que se refere ao processo de projeto, às tecnologias construtivas e à relação do edifício com seu entorno. Expõe também o conceito de ecologia industrial, seus princípios, diretrizes e aplicações no meio urbano, culminando com os indicadores de desempenho de edifícios presentes no processo de certificação ambiental de edifícios industriais - Building Establishment Environmental (BREEAM). Partindo da hipótese de que a ecologia industrial é um conceito mais amplo, em termos de sustentabilidade, o método de análise baseia-se na construção de um quadro de correlação entre suas diretrizes, as diretrizes de arquitetura e a certificação pelo BREEAM. O objetivo principal desta pesquisa é traçar diretrizes que agregam mais ecologia à arquitetura dos edifícios industriais, contribuindo para o aumento da sustentabilidade
Abstract: This research analyses the application of the guidelines of industrial ecology and architecture of industrial buildings through its environmental certification. The theoretical-conceptual review focuses on the evolution of this architecture over the industrial revolutions, especially with regard to the design process, to building technologies and the relationship of the building with its surroundings. It also exposes the concept of industrial ecology, its principles, guidelines and application in urban areas, culminating in the performance indicators of buildings present in the process of environmental certification of industrial buildings - Environmental Building Establishment (BREEAM). On the assumption that industrial ecology is a broader concept of sustainability, the method of analysis is based on preparing correlation table between their guidelines, the architectural guidelines and the BREEAM certification. The main objective of this research is to establish guidelines that add the most ecology to industrial building's architecture, contributing to increase sustainability
Mestrado
Arquitetura e Construção
Mestre em Engenharia Civil

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The process of vehicle assembly in Brazil is led by transnational companies that follow strict quality systems on manufacturing plants. These systems are inserted directly standards related to environmental issues, procedures and audits processes are performed periodically to ensure that the harmful impacts on the environment are minimized. However, what the true extent of environmental practices? What the true extent of environmental practices? Is it possible observe effective controls on manufacturers, due to its structure and power of investment, what about your supply chain? The pressure for lower costs for acquisition of auto parts destined for assembly of vehicles, creates a competitive environment in the supply chain where their members generate great efforts to meet the requirements linked to environmental issues, requirements that can interfere with productivity requiring changes on production processes, high investments in equipment for waste treatment and specialized personnel for implementation and monitoring of requirements relating to environmental protection. In this context, the concept of Industrial Ecology, in order to check out beyond the gates of the manufacturing plants, inside the factories of the first and second tier of suppliers of auto parts, if there are integrated environmental practices. This dissertation conducted a field survey in the first and second tier of parts suppliers called Tier1 and Tier2, if noting that the industrial ecology practices are over-represented in companies Tier 1 than in Tier 2 companies, and the barriers that hinder the adoption of IE practices are more present on suppliers Tier 1 than Tier 2 companies, making it possible to conclude that the pressure from automakers are focused on the Tier 1 suppliers that despite barriers that hinder the adoption of the IE practices, they have three times more practical than its suppliers Tier 2 that limited service internal practices of IE. The methodology used was the survey method in 110 companies in the Brazilian automotive industry and the analysis and discussion of the data were made by means of structural equations using the PLS system.
O processo de montagem de veículos no Brasil é liderado por empresas transacionais que seguem rigorosos padrões de qualidade em suas plantas industriais. Nestes padrões estão inseridas normas diretamente ligadas às questões ambientais. Procedimentos e auditorias em processos produtivos são realizados periodicamente para garantir que os impactos nocivos ao meio ambiente sejam minimizados. Entretanto, qual a verdadeira extensão das práticas ambientais? A pressão por baixos custos para aquisição das autopeças destinadas a montagem de veículos, cria um cenário competitivo na cadeia de fornecimento onde seus integrantes geram grandes esforços para atendimento aos requisitos ligados a questões ambientais. Neste contexto, surge o conceito de Ecologia Industrial, com o objetivo de verificar além dos portões das montadoras, no interior das instalações dos fornecedores das primeiras e segundas camadas de autopeças, se existem práticas ambientais integradas. Este trabalho desenvolveu uma pesquisa de campo nas primeiras e segundas camadas de fornecedores de autopeças denominados Tier1 e Tier2, constatando-se que as práticas da ecologia industrial são mais presentes nas empresas Tier 1 do que nas empresas Tier 2 e que as barreiras que prejudicam a adoção das práticas da EI são mais presentes nos fornecedores Tier 1 do que nas empresas Tier 2, possibilitando concluir que a pressão das montadoras está voltada para os fornecedores Tier 1 que apesar de barreiras que prejudicam a adoção de práticas da EI, possuem três vezes mais práticas que seus fornecedores Tier 2 que se limitam ao atendimento de práticas internas da EI. A metodologia utilizada foi o método survey em 110 empresas do setor automotivo brasileiro e a análise e discussão dos dados foram feitas por meio de equações estruturais utilizando o sistema PLS.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2007.
Includes bibliographical references.
This work applies concepts from industrial ecology to analyses of manufacturing, recycling, and efficiency. The first part focuses on an environmental analysis of machining, with a specific emphasis on energy consumption. Energy analyses of machining show that in many cases, the energy of actual material removal represents only a small amount of the total energy used in machining, as auxiliary processes can have significant energy requirements. These analyses also show that the embodied energy of the materials that are machined can far exceed the energy of machining. Such energy consumption data, along with material flow data, provide much of the information necessary to evaluate machining on the basis of environmental performance. The second part of this work focuses on material recycling at product end-of-life. In this section, a means of evaluating the material recycling potential for products is presented. This method is based on two measures: the value of the materials used in a product and the mixture of materials used in a product. This simple representation is capable of differentiating between products that are economically worthwhile to recycle and those that are not.
(cont.) Such information can in turn be used to help guide product design and recycling policy. The third part of this work focuses on the effectiveness of efficiency improvements in reducing environmental impact. Historical data from ten activities show that improvements in efficiency are rarely able to outpace increases in production. Thus, the overall impact of each of these activities has increased over time. Specific conditions and policies that do allow for efficiency improvements to reduce impact are identified and explored. Together, the three topics presented here provide information, analyses, and recommendations to help move industrial systems towards sustainability.
by Jeffrey B. Dahmus.
Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2007.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references.
Metal casting is an energy and materials intensive manufacturing process, which is an important U.S. industry. This study analyzes iron casting, in particular, for possible improvements that will result in greater efficiencies and therefore greater global competitiveness. The quantity and types of materials and energy used are dependent on the technologies selected and the cast part parameters. The most energy intensive step is melting, which is explored with an input-output analysis and an energy comparison of three major technologies: cupola melting and the heel and batch types of coreless electric induction melting. The major goal of this project is the creation of a material and energy flow model of the typical iron casting facility. This input-output process model is used to analyze the effect that different melting technologies will have on energy, materials and pollution, including selected upstream processes. Findings show that energy and the associated carbon dioxide emissions vary widely with melting technology and the relative benefits depend on where the boundaries are drawn in the analysis.
(cont.) An understanding of the current technology then allows for the analysis of new technologies under development and how they will affect the facility in terms of material and energy use, pollution and economics. The model is based on data collected from partner casting companies. The study concludes with a review of the available policy options which can improve the environmental profile of the facilities.
by Alissa J. Jones.
S.M.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2001.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-117).
Industrial ecology (IE) is an emerging paradigm for environmental control. IE offers a framework for altering industrial activities so that they more closely reflect a closed loop cycle, rather than a linear flow of extraction and disposal. Implementation of IE is occurring through the eco-industrial park (EIP) model. An EIP is a group of businesses that are implementing IE principles, through cooperation between one another and/or other organizations. This Thesis examines the current practice of implementing IE through the EIP model. The research methodology includes assessing the Kalundborg, Denmark EIP example, surveying North American EIPs, and studying a case of implementing an EIP in Londonderry, NH. Findings from the research indicate that there is currently a taxonomy of IE practices being implemented through the EIP model. The taxonomy includes practice in land stewardship, green building design, individual firm environmental practices, and byproduct exchange. Each of the four areas of practice have characteristics with implications for how implementation should occur through an EIP. EIP planners and developers should craft implementation strategies in accordance with their IE objectives. Additionally, the management entity of an EIP should have the capacity to implement all IE objects. Finally, a community education process on IE is necessary during the implementation of an EIP.
by Shanna E. Wasserman.
M.C.P.

There are generally two paths or routes to IE: product based analysis and industrial symbiosis (IS). This thesis concerns itself with the drivers and barriers to industrial ecology, focusing primarily on the symbiosis route. Although forms of IS have occurred throughout history, the implementation of IS networks on a regional or industrial park basis is emerging as potentially the main driver for IE. The research examines several system levels (national, regional, network, company) and combines research from: 1: Action research – implementation of an IS network and case study research of the local process industries; 2: Desk-based research – examination of regional and national policies; 3: Lessons and experiences from the UK National Industrial Symbiosis Programme; and findings from meetings and collaboration with BCSD-UK, the programme’s facilitators. The thesis examines how at the local and regional level IS networks can be successfully implemented by building on regional strengths in terms of cooperation and networking; and also building on policies and strategies. It examines how at the national level industrial ecology can incorporate and build in strategies and policies including: clusters, innovation, regional development, waste and sustainable development. It is argued that for IE to succeed it has to be learnt by the main actors at all levels (company, regional and national). A technology transfer model is adopted to help understand and demonstrate how this learning and evolution could occur. The research shows that it is usually a complex combination of small barriers that hinder IS development because the incentives are insufficient. The ability of IE to fit within, and indeed to unify policies and strategies, is seen to be the biggest driver. But the framework demonstrates the importance of association and hence how policy can induce a behavioural/cultural shift by targeting the association of key players. Importantly, drivers should concentrate on IE (the wider system perspective) because IS applied without wider system considerations can develop less favourable outcomes.

Includes sysnopsis.
Includes bibliographical references (p.93-106).
This thesis aims to demonstrate the application of industrial ecology (IE) theory to understand environmental sustainability problems relating to the accumulation of saline wastes and to study the potential for integrated technology interventions which take multi-party engagements and effects into account.

The objective of this thesis is to improve the basis for applying industrial ecology to the evaluation of material and energy resource use and transformation in industrial systems. The underlying hypothesis was that when the second law of thermodynamics is applied it improves the basis for using industrial ecology for the evaluation of the use and transformation of resources in industrial systems. Exergy analysis and entropy production calculation and minimisation of industrial processes are used as methods for analysis.

Cette thèse porte sur le développement d'une approche de modélisation destinée à quantifier la durabilité de systèmes industriels à partir de biomasse (considérés comme des systèmes complexes), et à fournir un outil d’aide à la décision qui permette, en modifiant certaines de leurs caractéristiques, de diminuer leurs impacts environnementaux.Elle s’appuie sur deux études de cas régionales : la première permet de tester l’hypothèse théorique pour évaluer les facteurs qui contribuent à l’adoption par les agriculteurs du « panic érigé » (switchgrass) dans l’Etat du Michigan (USA), et les effets associés en termes d’impacts environnementaux, en utilisant un modèle multi-agents couplé à l’analyse du cycle de vie ; la seconde combine modélisation multi-agents et système d'information géographique par le biais d’une analyse de flux de matières et d’énergie pour révéler les opportunités symbiotiques d’un écosystème agro-industriel en Champagne-Ardenne (France).On montre que ces deux modèles fonctionnels ont une valeur ajoutée significative pour l’analyse de systèmes sociotechniques durables et la simulation de scénarios futurs
This research is about developing a modeling framework in order to quantify the sustainability of industrial systems for biomass energy (conceived of as complex systems), and to provide decisionmakers with an aiding-tool for reducing their environmental impacts by modifying some of their features.It draws upon two regional case-studies. In the first one, an hybrid agent-based/life cycle assessment approach is used to test the theoretical background, understand the main decision-making factors influencing farmers’ adoption of switchgrass ethanol in Michigan (USA) and assess how such patterns affect environmental impacts. In the second case-study, agent-based modeling and geographical information system are used together via material and energy flow analysis to reveal the potential for industrial symbiosis in the bio-economy cluster of Champagne-Ardenne (France). We show that both models have a significant added value for the analysis of sustainable complex systems and the simulation of future scenarios

A linear model of consumption − produce-use-dispose − has constantly increased the pressure on the environment in recent decades. There has been a great belief that technology will solve the problem, but in many cases it is only partly contributing to the solution. For a full solution, the root causes of problems need to be identified. The drivers-pressures-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework allows the drivers of a specific problem to be identified by structuring the causal relations between humans and the environment. A state/ impact-based approach can help identify pressures and drivers, and make what can be considered an end-of-pipe response. Rather than that mainstream approach, this thesis adopts a pressure-based driver-oriented approach, which could be considered a proactive approach to environmental resource management. In physical resource management, material flow analysis (MFA) is one of the tools used for communication and decision support for policy response on resource productivity and pollution abatement. Here, element flow analysis (EFA), a disaggre- gation of MFA for better mass balance, was applied in pollution control and resource management. The pressure-based driver-oriented approach was used to model element flows and thus identify the drivers of problems in order to improve pollution control and resource management in complex systems. In one case study, a source-storage-transport model was developed and applied in five lakes in the Stockholm region to identify the drivers of copper pollution by monitoring the state of the environment through element flow modeling linking diffuse sources and fate in the lakes. In a second case study, a system dynamics modeling approach was applied in dynamic element flow modeling of the global mobile phone product system to investigate the drivers for closing the material flow loop through a sensitivity analysis. In a third case study, causal loop diagram modeling was used for proactive resource management to identify root causes of a problem in a complex system (product systems of physical consumer goods) by qualitatively analyzing unintended environmental consequences of an improvement action. In the case study on lakes in the Stockholm region, the source-transport-storage model proved capable of predicting copper sources through monitoring the sediment copper content in the heavily copper-polluted lakes. The results also indicated how the model could help guide policy makers in controlling copper pollution. The system dynamics study proposed an eco-cycle model of the global mobile phone product system by tuning the drivers, which could lessen the pressures on resources by decreasing the resource demands for production and increasing resource recovery at product end-of- life. The causal loop diagram study showed that a broader systems approach is required to understand and identify the drivers for proactive resource management in a complex system, where improvement actions can lead to unintended consequences.

QC 20150420

Today, more than half the world’s population lives in cities largely dependent on resources and ecosystem services from outside their physical boundaries. Correspondingly, urban resource needs and waste generation have serious worldwide ecological consequences, and urban areas have become a primary driver of environmental change. In response, various sustainable urban developments have been initiated worldwide. Quite a few of these rely on strategies giving urban areas the characteristics of ecosystems, i.e., fostering urban symbiosis by integrating infrastructural systems to optimise the environmental performance of the system as a whole. Whether or not the strategy of urban symbiosis actually contributes to sustainable urban development is, however, debated. It may support only short-term system optimisation, hindering the implementation of new technology crucial for the longterm environmental improvement of society, as that might require no symbiosis but substitution. Or it might actually support a complete transition to sustainable urban development. Consequently, this thesis explores the research question “How can urban symbiosis contribute to sustainable urban development?” using the implementation of urban symbiosis strategies in Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm, Sweden, as a single-case study. The choice of a single-case study approach was an attractive approach as the sustainable development strategy implemented in Hammarby Sjöstad was clear and consistent: the approach aimed at sustainable urban development by using innovative technical solutions such as urban symbiosis, and not by changing the behaviour of the inhabitants of the district. This fortuitous “natural experiment” was useful, as strategies for sustainable development are often difficult to evaluate since they are often not very clearly or consistently applied. Using results based on literature reviews, in-depth interviews, discussions with focus groups, and quantitative data, this thesis concludes that urban symbiosis strategies do not directly respond to path dependence, and that such strategies are as dependent on radical behavioural change as are transition management strategies. In addition, urban symbiosis strategies can optimise existing infrastructural systems and advance the planning of the sustainable urban district.

QC 20140514

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2000.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-107).
This thesis examines the end-of-life markets for NiCd batteries and Aluminum Intensive Vehicles (AIVs) through an industrial ecology framework. Case studies were chosen to examine the general characteristics of the industrial ecology of metals, barriers and incentives to closing material loops, and policy interventions associated with loop closing. The NiCd case shows how industry policy and public policy converge towards creation of an environmentally beneficial end-of-life market. The industry coordinated take back program was motivated by public health concern for cadmium landfill contamination. The main barriers to taking back batteries are low consumer participation, insufficient economic incentive for cadmium recovery, and ambiguous industry motivations. Public policy makers should consider subsidizing recycled cadmium prices and adding serious accountability measures to the take back system (such as a tax per unit under a recycle rate goal). The AIV case demonstrates the effectiveness of material value economic incentives for creating and maintaining a self-sufficient recycling system. However, the current recycling system built for steel automobiles will not most efficiently recycle AIVs. Barriers to efficient recycling include inadequate aluminum alloy sorting technology and lack of coordination between firms. Public policy options are limited because recycling efficiency regulation is outside the enabling legislation of agencies, but government should assist industry coordination as much as possible. The case studies also speak generally to loop closing policies that affect either the supply or demand for recycled material. Demand increasing policies (procurement, minimum recycled content, etc.) are more appropriate for recycling systems where a functional system is in place and the last user has sufficient incentive to return the product. On the other hand, supply increasing policies (take back, landfill ban, etc.) may be necessary for products where the last user does not have sufficient incentive to deliver the used product to the recycling system. Industry policy is useful for developing mutually beneficial technology, setting product standards, and coordinating behavior through merger and acquisition.
by Jeffrey MacDonagh-Dumler.
S.M.

This body of work aims to discover opportunities for industrial design to support sustainable ways of living in a materialistic society. At first glance, sustainable living and product design seem incongruent. Perhaps through investigation of the nature of product design and models of sustainability, a plan can be established which actually strengthens the reality of each in light of social, economic and environmental issues.
Master of Science

It is becoming increasingly evident for business and industry that integrating the principles of sustainable development into their policies and practices is essential to stay competitive and successful in the coming years. Industrial Ecology is one of the mechanisms available for business and industry to adopt and apply the principles of sustainable development. In its simplest forms, IE suggests that one industry's byproduct can be the raw material for another industry. This way, industries can achieve greater material efficiency and collaborating with other industries can create new businesses. The diversity of industries within an IE network helps the group for wider options and hence larger profitability. In this regard, greater economic viability can be achieved if the industries operate in the close proximity of each other to save transportation costs. The main objective of this study was to examine the concepts of industrial ecology and waste exchange and their potential applications to industrial parks in South East Queensland. To achieve the objectives of the study, a survey of businesses and industries in three key industrial estates in the region; Carole Park, Gateway Ports and Narangba, was conducted and the data were analysed in this thesis. The three estates provided a good sample of industries in this region. The survey results were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively to provide an overall view of the potential for Industrial Ecology in Southeast Queensland. The study also involved obtaining information from various industries and government organizations through semistructured interviews. These interviews were used to develop an updated and more informed assessment of the current status with regards to IE in Southeast Queensland. Twenty-four out of 81 industries in the Carole Park Industrial Estate participated in the survey. Metal related industries constituted 44% of total participating companies, forming the largest group in the Carole Park estate. From 60 industries in the Gateway Ports industrial estate, 19 firms participated in the survey. Chemical related industries constituted 27% of total participating companies, forming the largest group in the Gateway Ports. The metal manufacturing industries were the second largest group, constituting 21 % of the total. The survey forms were sent to 43 industries in the Narangba estate, and responses were received from twenty-seven of them. Petroleum and chemical manufacturing industries together with metal related industries fonned the largest industry groups in the Narangba estate. The most common reason for not participating in the survey by the industries in the three estates was lack of time. The results revealed that most of the surveyed businesses and industries in the three estates were interested in the industrial ecology concept, but were uncertain about its practicality and economic viability. Most companies favoured minimizing waste by efficiency in material use for improving environmental performance. But economical or tax incentive were the most popular options for improving environmental performance amongst industries. Legislative requirement, productivity, and economical advantages/disadvantages were the most important factors influencing environmental management policies and practices. Evidence of manufacturing and distribution networks were found in the three estates, but there were concerns over industrial ecology networks being economically disadvantageous for individual companies in terms of the potential loss to their competitiveness and the quality of their products and services. Most companies considered the cost and economical issues as limiting factors for implementing environmental performance changes. The results also revealed that to enhance the opportunity for IE to succeed, participating industrial estates needed to be large enough and to contain a diverse range of businesses and industries to warrant viable exchanges.

O intenso crescimento industrial associado às pressões de todos os setores da sociedade por processos, produtos e serviços mais ambientalmente corretos, levou ao surgimento de novos paradigmas de desenvolvimento que assegurem a perpetuação de recursos para as futuras gerações, alicerçada no tripé da sustentabilidade. Nesse contexto, para o setor produtivo, é nítida a necessidade de que os sistemas humanos devam ser considerados como parte dos sistemas naturais e se aproximar ao máximo das características destes. Essa concepção de sistemas industriais similares aos ecossistemas naturais, onde pouquíssimas perdas são verificadas, é a base do conceito de Ecologia Industrial, principal conceito usado no desenvolvimento desse trabalho para melhoria da sustentabilidade de uma empresa no setor eletroeletrônico, o que até o presente momento ainda não havia sido estudado. A metodologia adotada seguiu as premissas principais da Ecologia Industrial integradas ao Sistema Integrado de Gestão, a saber: o estabelecimento de ecossistemas industriais, a medição de desempenho através dos graus de sustentabilidade, e o amplo acesso à informação, via criação de um software customizado de Ecologia Industrial, que considera inclusive a comparação de produtos, com metodologia similar ao início de Análise do Ciclo de Vida simplificado, no que concerne ao desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Neste trabalho, o estudo de caso considerou uma empresa de grande porte e uma das características mais importantes observadas neste trabalho foram as similaridades, no país e no exterior, para implantação de sistemas de prevenção de poluição na área de microeletrônica. No que tange à área de Surface Mouting Technology, o estudo mostrou que, ao contrário dos setores de base, o maior impacto ambiental está relacionado à geração de resíduos sólidos e significativas perdas ambientais e econômicas são percebidas devido à Gestão de Fim de Tubo. A análise da área de Printed Circuit Board mostrou que ecossistemas industriais incipientes existem, tanto para água como para resíduos sólidos. 6 Através dos estudos de caso interno a essa empresa, foi possível concluir que no setor produtivo, mesmo em empresas de grande porte, que apresentam princípios, políticas e sistemas de gestão claramente definidos, a questão da sustentabilidade não é compreendida e aplicada em seu sentido mais amplo. Quanto aos ecossistemas industriais internos, ferramenta fundamental da Ecologia Industrial, a formação é muito difícil em função de tamanha distinção dos processos existentes em cada planta industrial. Notou-se a viabilidade, com ganhos expressivos, da formação de ecossistemas externos principalmente para dois tipos de co-produtos da empresa, metais nobres e óleos. Assim, conclui-se que as ferramentas da Ecologia Industrial adotadas para melhorar a sustentabilidade empresarial propiciam maior eficiência a partir da adoção de métricas, atingem, em geral, a maioria dos envolvidos e operações, permitem melhor formatação e padronização de processos, favorecem a visão sistêmica da organização, tornando a tomada de decisão um processo factual e por fim, permite a implantação de métodos e/ou procedimentos para mudança estratégica, incluindo a mudança cultural, fator essencial para o desenvolvimento. Deste modo, foi possível observar que a formação de tais ecossistemas industriais, em geral, promove uma melhora ambiental, econômica e social. Estas ferramentas, muito provavelmente, podem ser rapidamente aplicadas, seguindo-se a metodologia proposta, em qualquer empreendimento, independente de seu porte ou processo de produção.
The industrial development and the increasing pressure for more environmentally friendly processes, products and services led to new development paradigms, based on the three sustainability pillars, that essentially assure resource availability for the next generations. The need for making human systems part of the natural ecosystems and similar to natural environment is clearly stated. This approach, which is the basis of Industrial Ecology, aims to enhance industrial symbiosis cooperating to mitigate process or material loss. Industrial Ecology was the main concept used to improve sustainability at an electronic company, first applied to the industrial area in Brazil. The defined methodology followed the most important premises of Industrial Ecology aligned to the Integrated Management Systems which consists in the establishment of industrial ecosystems, performance evaluation through sustainability levers and the spread of information to stakeholders, by the development of a customized Industrial Ecology software, which also compares products with the simplified Life Cycle Assessment methodology, when it comes to the development of new products. Indeed, the case study has been conducted at a big enterprise and the similarities for Pollution Prevention implementation between the Brazilian facility and the European one were the most important features related to the microelectronics area. Regarding the Surface Mouting Technology area, this study has shown that unlike other segments, the end of pipe is still applied. The most relevant environmental impact is the generation of solid waste and therefore significant economic and environmental loss is easily observed. The Printed Circuit Board sector was also analyzed and the results showed that industrial ecosystems are not formalized but do exist for water and solid waste. Important issues were concluded such as the idea that even though big enterprises present principles, policy and sound management systems, the sustainability concept is not fully comprehensive and applied. The development of industrial ecosystems is considered one of the fundamental tools of industrial ecology. It is hard to establish them within the facilities 8 once the processes differ significantly. However, the creation of external ecosystems for metals and oils, leads to great benefit. It was possible to conclude that the Industrial Ecology concept tools used in the company did benefit its industrial sustainability because it allowed more efficient processes through the use of metrics, involved most of the employees and operations, favored better process standardization, enhance the systemic approach making the decision process easier once it is based on real time facts and it finally contributed to the adoption of methods, systems and procedures that enabled deep strategic change and as a consequence improved cultural change, which is one of the essential aspects of the sound sustainable development. Finally, it is suggested that Industrial Ecology be used as a fruitful metaphor for facilitating the improvement of sustainability. The tools developed in this study might be easily applied to any enterprise, independently of the level or production processes. Ecosystems

CAPES
O objetivo central desta pesquisa foi desenvolver uma ferramenta para avaliação da presença de práticas de Simbiose Industrial em rede de empresas, a partir dos conceitos de simbiose industrial encontrados na literatura. Para isto, foi definida uma série de etapas para a construção do referencial teórico da presente pesquisa, e para o desenvolvimento da proposta de metodologia. As etapas iniciais foram baseadas no instrumento ProKnow-C (Knowledge Development Process–Constructivist), com o intuito de formar o portfólio bibliográfico. Este procedimento ocorreu com apoio do portal ISI Web of Knowledge, sendo realizado em duas categorias de classificação: Engineering, Environmental e Engineering, Industrial. Em seguida, as variáveis da Simbiose Industrial foram identificadas através da revisão sistemática diferenciada. Os resultados obtidos por meio deste procedimento possibilitou o desenvolvimento da ferramenta teórica. Após a identificação das variáveis, uma metodologia baseada na lógica fuzzy foi aplicada e direcionada à pesquisadores do tema para atribuição dos pesos das variáveis de Simbiose Industrial. Desta forma, foi possível extraír os indicadores de intensidade das inter-relações necessários na análise do nível de desenvolvimento de cada uma das correlações entre as variáveis. Em posse das variáveis e de seus pesos, obteve-se como resultado inicial a estrutura da teórica de Avaliação de Simbiose Industrial. No sentido de identificar pontualmente as lacunas ou níveis de desenvolvimento em cada esfera, gerou-se então os gráficos de manobra para análise dos dados. Após estes procedimentos, construiu-se um instrumento para a aplicação da ferramenta, acompanhado de um método de cálculo matemático para tratamento dos dados, tornando-o passível de aplicação, compilação e resultados. Assim, uma ferramenta de aplicação da metodologia, capaz de obter os dados para análise nos gráficos de manobra e para a geração da Avaliação de Simbiose Industrial, foi desenvolvido. Por fim, um teste piloto foi realizado em uma rede de empresas fabricantes de móveis e esquadrias de madeira, identificando se há práticas da Simbiose Industrial na rede, bem como o potencial de desenvolvimento das esferas de análise. Os resultados do teste piloto da ferramenta de Avaliação de Simbiose Industrial forneceram uma série de perspectivas relacionadas à sua aplicabilidade, flexibilidade, particularidades, e, ao direcionamento nos aspectos de amadurecimento da ferramenta.
The main objective of this research was to develop a tool for assessing the presence of Industrial Symbiosis practices in na industrial cluster, based on the concepts of Industrial Symbiosis found in the literature. For this, were conceived a variety of steps to form theoretical framework of this research, and, for the development of the proposed methodology. In order to form the bibliographic portfolio, this research initial steps were based on the instrument ProKnow-C (Knowledge Development Process–Constructivist). This procedure was performed with support of ISI Web of Knowledge portal and carried out in two categories of classification: Engineering, Environmental and Engineering, Industrial. Based on this differentiated systematic review, the variables of Industrial Symbiosis were identified. The results obtained by this procedure allowed the development of the theoretical model. After identificatifying the variables, a methodology based on fuzzy logic was applied and directed to the researchers of the subject for assigning weights of the variables of Industrial Symbiosis. Thus, it was possible to extract indicators of intensity of the interrelationships, these, needed in the analysis of the level of development of each of the correlations between the variables. In possession of the variables and their indicators, it was obtained an structure of the theoretical model for Assessing of Industrial Symbiosis, as initial result. In order to promptly identify gaps or development levels within each sphere, graphs of maneuver for data analysis were generated. After these procedures, it was built a tool to the model application, accompanied by a mathematical calculation method for processing data, making it reliable for implementation, compilation and results. Therefore, a model able to implementing the methodology, able to obtain the data for analysis on the graphs of maneuver and to generate the Assessing Industrial Symbiosis, was developed. Finally, a pilot test was conducted in a Industrial Cluster of manufacturer of furniture and wooden frames, identifying whether there are Industrial Symbiosis practices in the cluster, as well as the potential of development in the spheres of analysis. The results of the pilot test of the model for Assessing Industrial Symbiosis provided a range of perspectives related to its applicability, flexibility, features and guidance on aspects of ripening the tool.
2017-09-01

The research field of industrial ecology studies energy and material flows within and between different systems in our society while the concept of industrial ecology strives toward mimicking similar flows in natural eco-systems. Industrial ecology can be a means of achieving decoupling between economic growth and environmental impact within the industry sector. A sub-field of industrial ecology is industrial symbiosis which focuses on material, energy and water exchanges between traditionally separate actors in order to achieve economic and environmental benefits. Energy provider E.ON is a part of the industrial symbiosis network on Händelö outside of Norrköping. E.ON also has operations in the Northern Harbour industrial area in Malmö, and sees an opportunity for the development of industrial symbiosis in that area which has unexploited land. The aim of this thesis is to explore how a private actor can influence the industrial development of an area to facilitate the formation of industrial symbiosis connections. This is done by studying the emergence and development of industrial symbiosis in Händelö and how different actors have influenced that development, as well as the conditions for such development in the Northern Harbour. Industrial symbiosis in Händelö has evolved spontaneously because of profitability in each connection. This study shows that the establishment of Agroetanol’s ethanol pilot plant next to Händelöverket was an enabling event in the development of the industrial symbiosis network. The diversity of fuels used in Händelöverket, and the number of energy products that it provides suggest that it served as a so called anchor tenant in this development, attracting Agroetanol with its availability of steam produced from renewable fuels. This was one important aspect for the establishment of Agroetanol. Political instruments such as a tax exemption on Agroetanol’s plant and CO2 and energy taxes on fossil fuels have also contributed to this development. Conditions for industrial symbiosis in the Northern Harbour in Malmö are quite different from those in Norrköping. An important difference is that industrial symbiosis has been recognized as a tool for sustainability and might be considered when planning the unexploited land. There are however many interest in this land, especially by the port company CMP and the City of Malmö’s Real Estate Office who have invested large sums in expanding the port business. They prefer goods intensive businesses that utilize the infrastructure provided by the port and railway in the area. Malmö has also set some ambitious environmental targets to be fulfilled 2030. They create a need to transition from the partly natural gas powered energy system today to one based on renewable fuels. There are also opportunities in a gasification plant which is planned by E.ON, and an EU-funded project seeking to make use of the biofuels potentials of port sites by using industrial symbiosis. The conclusions of the study are that there are ways for a private actor to influence industrial symbiosis development. Some that have been identified in this work are: As an anchor tenant with multiple large input and output streams, by attracting businesses to the area. As an enabler of a biorefinery network with multiple end-products and by-products. As a part of a coordinating entity that aims to facilitate industrial symbiosis.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2008.
Includes graphs and tables. Title from title screen (viewed December 17, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

This thesis describes a unique industrial symbiosis employing algae at the core of a novel industrial system that integrates fossil-power generation, carbon capture, biofuel production, aquaculture, and wastewater treatment. A new modelling framework capable of designing and evaluating material and energy exchanges within an industrial ecosystem is introduced. Results, focusing on CO2 flows, demonstrate the potential for CO2 emissions reduction through carbon reuse and recycling. Significantly, this thesis shows the positive potential of this new complex industrial symbiosis and of the modelling framework by demonstrating a high degree of flexibility in terms of integrated material and energy flow analysis. Details of this algae-centred eco-industrial park and a demonstration of its workings through preliminary techno-economic calculations are presented. Results show that a proposed eco-park that generates 660 MW power plant and several material co-product streams (biofuel, chemicals), reduces net CO2 emissions significantly by 62% (equivalent to 1,9 million t/yr) as compared to a 660 MW stand-alone power plant. This reduction is achieved through the recycling and utilisation of captured CO2 in the algae feed. Using a 100% renewable option, zero CO2 emissions may be targeted, but noting that this option is limited because it comes without materials co-production. Also, the overall unit production cost of algae-centred eco-industrial park proposed significantly lowered by 60% compared to the overall unit production cost needed from combining all stand-alone plants together. Feedstock and equipment overall budgets have more impacts compared to other sensitivity analysis carried. The effectiveness of evaluating energy technology transitions towards future low-emission energy and chemical systems is discussed.

Design of products permits to yield goods and services to produce satisfaction on customers, which is measured as value. However, it is at this stage in which most of the environmental impact, from a lifecycle perspective, is added to the product. Eco-design aims at increasing value of products while reducing the burdens on the environment by means conscious design towards efficient use of resources. That efficiency, referred to as eco-efficiency, can be increased in a number of manners within environmental engineering. Traditionally, different fields have tackled materials, energy flows and products from different angles or approaches. In this thesis we describe Functional Sales (FS) and Industrial Ecology (IE) as examples of these. Within this latter, we put emphasis on Industrial Symbiosis (IS) and Eco-effectiveness. We consider these approaches are suitable to work in the framework of eco-design to increase ecoefficiency. By adding services to material products, and managing material and energy flows with a more ecological consciousness, we expect to increase value of products while reducing the impact on the environment.

To analyse this potential improvement, we developed a method involving a new eco-efficiency index (VERI), that recursively intends to ease decisions on possible eco-efficient alternatives. This index and its method are applied to a case study on management of olive oil supply in region of Murcia, Spain. Here, we propose three scenarios that will involve the implementation of FS and IE to compare the outcomes in value and environmental performance against an idealised current supply chain. The results obtained, although not accurate, suggest that FS and EI should be more taken into account in eco-design and, this latter, to also consider holistic viewpoints to find more eco-efficient alternatives for a product development.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.
Title from electronic title page (viewed Oct. 10, 2007). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of City and Regional Planning." Discipline: City and Regional Planning; Department/School: City and Regional Planning.

As the demand for direct petroleum substitutes increases, biorefineries are poised to become centers for conversion of biomass into fuels, energy, and biomaterials. A distributed model offers reduced transportation, tailored process technology to available feedstock, and increased local resilience. Oilseeds are capable of producing a wide variety of useful products additive to food, feed, and fuel needs. Biodiesel manufacturing technology lends itself to smaller-scale distributed facilities able to process diverse feedstocks and meet demand of critical diesel fuel for basic municipal services, safety, sanitation, infrastructure repair, and food production. Integrating biodiesel refining facilities as tenants of eco-industrial parks presents a novel approach for synergistic energy and material exchanges whereby environmental and economic metrics can be significantly improved upon compared to stand alone models.

This research is based on the Catawba County NC EcoComplex and the oilseed crushing and biodiesel processing facilities (capacity-433 tons biodiesel per year) located within. Technical and environmental analyses of the biorefinery components as well as agronomic and economic models are presented. The life cycle assessment for the two optimal biodiesel feedstocks, soybeans and used cooking oil, resulted in fossil energy ratios of 7.19 and 12.1 with carbon intensity values of 12.51 gCO₂-eq/MJ and 7.93 gCO₂-eq/MJ, respectively within the industrial ecology system. Economic modeling resulted in a biodiesel conversion cost of $1.43 per liter of fuel produced with used cooking oil, requiring a subsidy of $0.58 per liter to reach the break-even point. As subsidies continue significant fluctuation, metrics other than operating costs are required to justify small-scale biofuel projects.

Many of the present problems that we are facing arise as unanticipated side-effects of our own actions. Moreover, the solutions implemented to solve important problems often create new problems. To avoid unintended consequences, understanding complex systems is essential in devising policy instruments and in improving environmental management. Thus, this thesis investigated systems modeling approaches to under- stand complex systems and monitor the environmental performance of management actions. The overall aim of the work was to investigate the usefulness of different systems modeling approaches in supporting environmental management. A driver- based, pressure-oriented approach was adopted to investigate systems modeling tools. Material/substance flow analysis, environmental footprinting, input-output analysis, process-based dynamic modeling, and systems dynamics modeling approaches were applied in different cases to investigate strengths and weaknesses of the tools in generating an understanding of complex systems. Three modeling and accounting approaches were also tested at different systems scales to support environmental mon- itoring. Static modeling approaches were identified as fundamental to map, account, and monitor physical resource metabolism in production and consumption systems, whereas dynamic modeling showed strengths in understanding complex systems. The results suggested that dynamic modeling approaches should be conducted on top of static analysis to understand the complexity of systems when devising and testing policy instruments. To achieve proactive monitoring, a pressure-based assessment was proposed instead of the mainstream impact/state-based approach. It was also concluded that the LCA community should shift the focus of its assessments to pressures instead of impacts.
Många nuvarande miljö- och utvecklingsproblem har uppstått som oförutsedda biverkningar av människans egna handlingar. De lösningar som prövats har i sin tur ofta skapat  nya problem. Det därför viktigt att förstå hur komplexa system fungerar och att utforma styrmedel och ledningssystem som minimerar risken för oönskade bieffekter. Den här avhandling har använt olika modelleringsmetoder för att öka förståelsen för komplexa system och bidra med kunskaper om hur miljöprestanda och förvaltningsåtgärder kan följas upp på ett mer effektivt sätt. Det övergripande syftet med arbetet var att undersöka användbarheten av olika modelleringsmetoder för att effektivisera den fysiska resurshanteringen i samhället. I arbetet har ett flödesbaserat och aktörsinriktat arbetssätt (pressure based and driver oriented approach) använts i modelleringen.  Material- och substansflödesanalys, miljöfotavtryck, input-output analys, processbaserad dynamisk modellering och systemdynamiska modelleringsmetoder studerades för att undersöka styrkor och svagheter hos de olika metoderna/verktygen.  Tre olika modellerings- och redovisningsmetoder för att stödja miljöövervakning testades också i olika systemskalor. Statiska modelleringsmetoder (räkenskaper) identifierades som grundläggande för att kartlägga, kontoföra och övervaka den fysiska resursmetabolismen i produktions- och konsumtionssystem, medan dynamisk modellering visade sin styrka i att skapa förståelse för komplexa system. Resultaten pekar på att dynamiska modelleringsmetoder bör användas som ett komplement till statiska analyser för att förstå komplexiteten i systemen när man utformar och testar styrmedel. För att uppnå proaktiv övervakning bör flödesbaserade räkenskaper utnyttjas i större utsträckning i stället för den vanliga tillstånds- och påverkansövervakningen (state/impact monitoring). En viktig slutsats är därför att LCA-samfundet bör flytta fokus i sina bedömningar från påverkan till flöden.

QC 20160830

The ever-increasing concentration of human activity in urban areas induces environmental problems beyond their boundaries on scales ranging from local to regional to global, such as resource depletion, land degradation, air and water pollution and climate change. Human-induced climate change is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest sustainability challenges of the present century and it is inextricably linked to urbanization. As a response to climate change, urban areas around the world have committed to reach climate neutrality within the next decades. In this context, the deployment of new technologies can have a key role in achieving carbon neutrality in urban areas. As new technologies emerge, it is essential to assess their environmental performance considering the broader systems context in order to ensure that they can indeed contribute to achieving climate neutrality without compromising environmental sustainability. This thesis aims is to provide insight on the environmental performance of emerging technologies that can be deployed in urban areas in order to contribute to achieving climate neutrality. The two technologies in focus are grid-connected solar microgrids and biochar-based systems for treatment of biomass waste and remediation of contaminated soil. The methods applied to conduct the environmental assessments and fulfil the aim of the thesis are: case studies, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Material and Energy Flow Analysis and Substance Flow Analysis. Moreover, as part of the research efforts, a spreadsheet model based on LCA data was developed. The assessment of the solar microgrid highlighted the importance of using explicit spatial and temporal boundaries when analyzing the environmental performance of energy systems, as it can increase the accuracy of the results. It also revealed that the choice of modeling approach can influence the results of the assessment, which motivates the application of different methodological approaches. Within this context, the assessment showed that in a short-term perspective the integration of a grid-connected urban solar microgrid into the Swedish electricity grid would not contribute to climate change mitigation, as solar electricity from the microgrid would displace grid electricity with lower carbon intensity. The assessment also indicated that operational and structural changes in the microgrid could reduce its climate change impact, albeit not to the extent to generate GHG emission abatements. The assessment of the biochar-based systems showed that these systems have many environmental benefits compared to incineration of waste and landfilling of contaminated soil. They have great potential to contribute to achieving climate neutrality, as they can provide net negative GHG emissions, owing mainly to carbon sequestration in the biochar. Between the two biochar-based systems, a system for on-site remediation can provide additional environmental benefits, as it can lead to more efficient use of resources. However, these systems also entail environmental trade-offs due to increased consumption of auxiliary electricity, while the extent of ecological and human health risks associated with the reuse of biochar-remediated soils is for the moment unknown.
Den ständigt ökande koncentrationen av mänsklig aktivitet i urbana områden orsakar miljöproblem utanför deras gränser på skalor som sträcker sig från lokal till regional till global, såsom utarmning av resurser, markförstöring, luft- och vattenföroreningar och klimatförändring. Mänskligt driven klimatförändring är allmänt erkänd som en av de största hållbarhetsutmaningarna under nuvarande seklet och den är nära kopplad till urbanisering. Som ett svar på klimatförändringen har urbana områden runt om i världen åtagit sig att nå klimatneutralitet inom de närmaste decennierna. I detta sammanhang kommer införandet av ny teknik ha en nyckelroll för att uppnå klimatneutralitet i stadsområden. När ny teknik dyker upp är det viktigt att bedöma dess miljöprestanda med hänsyn till den bredare systemkontexten för att säkerställa att tekniken verkligen kan bidra till att uppnå klimatneutralitet utan att kompromissa med miljömässig hållbarhet. Denna avhandling syftar till att ge insikt om miljöprestanda för framväxande teknik som kan användas i urbana områden för att bidra till att uppnå klimatneutralitet. De två teknikerna i fokus är nätanslutna solmikronät och biokolbaserade system för behandling av biomassavfall och sanering av förorenad mark. Metoderna för att genomföra miljöbedömningarna och uppfylla avhandlingens syfte är: fallstudier, livscykelanalys (LCA), material- och energiflödesanalys och substansflödesanalys. Som en del av forskningsinsatserna utvecklades dessutom en kalkylmodell baserad på LCA-data. Analysen av solmikronätet visade att det är viktigt att använda explicita rums- och tidsgränser vid analys av energisystemens miljöprestanda, eftersom det kan öka resultatens noggrannhet. Analysen visade också att valet av modelleringsmetod kan påverka resultatet, vilket motiverar en användning  av flera olika metoder. Inom detta sammanhang visade bedömningen att i ett kortsiktigt perspektiv skulle integrationen av ett nätanslutet urbant solmikronät i det svenska elnätet inte bidra till att begränsa klimatförändringen, eftersom solenergi från mikronätet skulle ersätta el med lägre klimatpåverkan. Bedömningen indikerade också att operativa och strukturella förändringar i mikronätet kunde minska mikronätets klimatförändrings påverkan, om än inte i sådan utsträckning att det skulle ge växthusgasutsläppsbesparingar. Bedömningen av de biokolbaserade systemen visade att dessa system har många miljöfördelar jämfört med förbränning av avfall och deponering av förorenad mark. De har stor potential att bidra till att uppnå klimatneutralitet, eftersom de kan ge nettonegativa utsläpp av växthusgaser, främst på grund av kolbindning i biokol. Vi jämförelse av de två biokolbaserade systemen så kan ett system för sanering på plats ge ytterligare miljöfördelar, eftersom det kan leda till en mer effektiv resursanvändning. Dessa system medför emellertid också miljöavvägningar på grund av ökad förbrukning av elektricitet, medan omfattningen av ekologiska och människors hälsorisker förknippade med återanvändning av biokolbehandlad jord ännu är okända.

QC 20210419

Para o mundo atual é necessária a mudança de paradigmas e entre as mudanças mais prementes encontra-se a necessidade de garantir a sustentabilidade dos empreendimentos humanos. Assim, a gestão empresarial tende a mudar e, para adequarse a essa nova forma de gestão, o conceito de Ecologia Industrial e o uso de softwares de controle podem ser de grande valia. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver metodologia do uso desses softwares na aplicação do conceito de Ecologia Industrial em empresas da área de eletroeletrônicos, preferencialmente ligadas à área de microeletrônica, para definir indicadores de sustentabilidade adequados ao sistema e indicar possíveis melhorias de processo pela formação de ecossistemas industriais. O setor eletroeletrônico foi avaliado preliminarmente e apresentou, devido ao alto valor agregado de seus produtos, várias oportunidades de redução de custos, de melhoria ambiental e social na cadeia produtiva devido à reutilização de co-produtos gerados internamente ou por outras empresas, sugerindo um esforço para aumentar a formação de ecossistemas industriais neste setor. Como a formação de ecossistemas industriais é muito dependente da troca, é relevante o fato dos estudos de caso mostrarem a importância das distâncias e, deste modo, entre os prováveis impactos significativos, a emissão de carbono precisa ser fortemente considerada. Para a área de insumos para a microeletrônica, avaliada preliminarmente no programa QITS (Quartz Industrial Trade System), a possibilidade do uso de lascas de silício e de bagaço de cana é dificultada pelas distâncias entre os produtos e respectiva emissão de carbono decorrente do translado. Outros insumos são normalmente adquiridos e descartados em ciclos ainda mais abertos. Na área de microeletrônica, ciclos de reuso de água com galvânicas existem, mas não de outros produtos, como soluções aquosas ácidas ou alcalinas, que poderiam ser recicladas em metalúrgicas, onde o grau de pureza exigido é menor. Na área de circuito impresso e de montagem em superfície vários co-produtos já são reciclados, porém, uma troca entre produtores, não envolvendo recicladoras, proporcionaria um ganho econômico maior. Soluções aquosas similares às utilizadas em microeletrônica também poderiam ser utilizadas, porém, novamente as distâncias são as principais variáveis a dificultar tal processo. A reciclagem de equipamentos completos esbarra em várias dificuldades, entre elas os aspectos legais. Para as micros e pequenas empresas o desenvolvimento de banco de dados permite a implantação da Ecologia Industrial sem altos custos associados. Estes bancos de dados também favorecem a obtenção de indicadores requisitados por outros atores ambientais, tal como bolsa de valores.
Nowadays, paradigm changes are needed and one of the most urgent changes required is to assure sustainability on human entrepreneurships. Therefore, entrepreneurship management will be modified and Industrial Ecology concept allied to software applications can be very useful. The aim of this work was development of suitable methodology for Industrial Ecology concept implementation using software. Brazilian industries on the electronic sector were evaluated in order to define sustainability indicators and also to propose processes improvement using industrial ecosystems. Preliminary evaluations of the electronic sector shows, due to the high value of the products, several possibilities for cost reduction and environmental and social improvement as well. The opportunities can be implemented with non-product exchanges inside the plants or among different plants, i.e. by industrial ecosystem formation. However, as industrial ecosystems require intense exchange among participants distance between plants is a high constraint and can associates a significant environemental impact, mainly due to carbon emission. Reactants production for Microeletronics was formerly evaluated on QITS (Quartz Industrial Trade System) program. The program suggested the use of sugarcane biomass and quartz for silicon production. However, due to the high distances between these two products, carbon emission inhibits the ecosystem. Moreover, other products are also acquired and discarded in open circles. Microelectronics can reuse water in partnership with the galvanic industries but not other products, such as acid and basic aqueous solution, mainly on metallurgic processes. Print circuit board and surface mounting technology several non-products are already recycled, nonetheless the best economical practice would be a direct change, i. e., no recyclers involved. Aqueous solutions are hardly recycled due to distance between sites. Equipment recycling is a huge problem due to the legal concerns on disassembly For micro and small industries simple software, such as database, allows Industrial Ecology implementation with very low cost. These databases also favor obtaining sustainability indicators required for several stakeholders, such as stockers.

The increased understanding of the growing environmental harm linked to today's throughput industry reaches politics and the general public more and more. This study objects to increase resource use of materials and reduce the associated environmental impact. It is being conducted in the solar energy sector of the middle-income country, Mexico, on the basis of an underlying sample company. The chosen concept to achieve this goal is with Industrial Ecology, which combines several other approaches like an umbrella, far-reaching and represents an alternative to counteract the problems today´s and future generations are facing. Application-based approaches like Circular Economy, Waste Management, Loop Closing, and Industrial Symbiosis are taken into consideration to reduce the use of virgin materials and lessen the environmental impact of industrial activities in the middle-income country Mexico. Existing definitions and provided possibilities of Industrial Ecology and its included approaches were studied to set the base of the investigations together with a literature review of the manufacturing and the importance of small and medium-sized companies in Mexico. Primary data collection regarding company-specific information and their procedures were carried out as follows; after the preparation of the plans and schemes for the different areas of the company's value chain, the internal processes, the material flow, as well as the transportation were examined in more detail. Together with interviews of the company's managers, plans were verified and potentials for improvement towards sustainable development were identified. Using the previously acquired information of the considered approaches of IE, development opportunities in all areas of the value chain as well as the external collaboration possibilities could now be developed. The results show that the emissions of the example company mainly arise in the production of hot water storage tanks and solar collector frames, The implementation of the measures could also lead to more efficient use of materials, improved use of infrastructure, and reveals great potential of improvements in particular in industrial symbiosis. There are various opportunities to achieve environmental goals through new collaboration and networking. Improvements in the use of available materials, the recycling policy, as well as the transport of products and residues to and from the installation site could be achieved for the sample company. By demonstrating external cooperation opportunities such as transport or service sharing and their benefits to the participating companies, it has been shown that it would be possible to create an innovative and sustainable competitive advantage and to positively influence the financing pattern even for middle-income countries. The outcomes of the study show that with IE and the associated application-based approaches it is also practically possible to achieve further development of companies towards sustainable production and development. The implementation of the concepts of IE known from literature is generally more complicated in practice than it is described in theory. Also, because literature just give a rough picture of how such systems should look like but they do not provide any specific details. Nevertheless, it has been shown that it is also feasible in the case of middle-income countries to establish and organize themselves sustainably as a company for the future. In addition to the internal optimization measures of the business, also the exploration of the external possibilities of Industrial Symbiosis and collaboration are recommended.
Det största problemet på jorden idag är att naturresurserna är ändliga och att det bara finns en atmosfär att bo i. Vi måste hantera produktionen och utsläppen varsamt för att få en hållbar värld. Industriell ekologi (IE) är ett holistiskt koncept för att designa om industriella aktiviteter. Det är baserat på antagandet att miljöpåverkan från mänskliga aktiviteter måste minskas. Konceptet beskriver en möjlig lösning för dagens industriella och sociala dödläge genom att använda naturliga ekosystem som förebild. Den växande förståelsen för den stegrande miljöpåverkan som är associerad med moderna materialflöden från industrin har nått politiken och den allmänna massan med ökad hastighet. Dessutom har Cirkulär Ekonomi uppmärksammats mer under senaste tiden för att minska industriella miljöproblem. Även om litteraturen är i ett tidigt stadium verkar IE erbjuda värdefulla insikter som förenar användbara miljöaspekter. Det finns begränsat med studier om IE i industrin, speciellt när det kommer till ett medelinkomstland som Mexiko. Detta arbete fokuserar på tillämpningen av IE-koncept med tillhörande aspekter för att minimera miljöpåverkan från industriella aktiviteter och minska användningen av jungfruliga material. Det resulterar i hållbar utveckling för ett exempelföretag som undersöks, skapande av samarbeten för industriell symbios (IS) och ett hänsynstagande för hållbart företagande (BM). The valda aspekterna är först introducerade för att visa dess generella potential. Sedan för att skapa en grund, introduceras signifikansen av små och medelstora företag (‘pequeña y mediana empresa’ - PyMEs) i Mexiko, fördelar i konkurrenskraft genom IE och miljöpåverkan från sådana fabriker. Dessa steg är utförda i en litteraturstudie. I nästa del inhämtas företagets specifika data för deras processer och miljö genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer och rundturer i driften. Genom att använda information av utvecklingspotential i alla steg av värdekedjan kan nu externa samarbetsmöjligheter. Dessutom är genomförbarheten för åtgärder hos liknande företag granskade. Till sist föreslår studien framtida lösningar för exempelföretaget för att skapa fler hållbara industriella aktiviteter och för att stödja ytterligare IE-användning inom industrin.

This PhD thesis reports on car fluff management, recycling and recovery. Car fluff is the residual waste produced by car recycling operations, particularly from hulk shredding. Car fluff is known also as Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) and it is made of plastics, rubbers, textiles, metals and other materials, and it is very heterogeneous both in its composition and in its particle size. In fact, fines may amount to about 50%, making difficult to sort out recyclable materials or exploit ASR heat value by energy recovery. This 3 years long study started with the definition of the Italian End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) recycling state of the art. A national recycling trial revealed Italian recycling rate to be around 81% in 2008, while European Community recycling target are set to 85% by 2015. Consequently, according to Industrial Ecology framework, a life cycle assessment (LCA) has been conducted revealing that sorting and recycling polymers and metals contained in car fluff, followed by recovering residual energy, is the route which has the best environmental perspective. This results led the second year investigation that involved pyrolysis trials on pretreated ASR fractions aimed at investigating which processes could be suitable for an industrial scale ASR treatment plant. Sieving followed by floatation reported good result in thermochemical conversion of polymers with polyolefins giving excellent conversion rate. This factor triggered ecodesign considerations. Ecodesign, together with LCA, is one of the Industrial Ecology pillars and it consists of design for recycling and design for disassembly, both aimed at the improvement of car components dismantling speed and the substitution of non recyclable material. Finally, during the last year, innovative plants and technologies for metals recovery from car fluff have been visited and tested worldwide in order to design a new car fluff treatment plant aimed at ASR energy and material recovery.

This PhD thesis reports on car fluff management, recycling and recovery. Car fluff is the residual waste produced by car recycling operations, particularly from hulk shredding. Car fluff is known also as Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) and it is made of plastics, rubbers, textiles, metals and other materials, and it is very heterogeneous both in its composition and in its particle size. In fact, fines may amount to about 50%, making difficult to sort out recyclable materials or exploit ASR heat value by energy recovery. This 3 years long study started with the definition of the Italian End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) recycling state of the art. A national recycling trial revealed Italian recycling rate to be around 81% in 2008, while European Community recycling target are set to 85% by 2015. Consequently, according to Industrial Ecology framework, a life cycle assessment (LCA) has been conducted revealing that sorting and recycling polymers and metals contained in car fluff, followed by recovering residual energy, is the route which has the best environmental perspective. This results led the second year investigation that involved pyrolysis trials on pretreated ASR fractions aimed at investigating which processes could be suitable for an industrial scale ASR treatment plant. Sieving followed by floatation reported good result in thermochemical conversion of polymers with polyolefins giving excellent conversion rate. This factor triggered ecodesign considerations. Ecodesign, together with LCA, is one of the Industrial Ecology pillars and it consists of design for recycling and design for disassembly, both aimed at the improvement of car components dismantling speed and the substitution of non recyclable material. Finally, during the last year, innovative plants and technologies for metals recovery from car fluff have been visited and tested worldwide in order to design a new car fluff treatment plant aimed at ASR energy and material recovery.

The aim of this thesis is to support the evaluation of sustainable development strategies for industrial networks in the context of industrial ecology (IE). Industrial networks are a group of units which carry out, or contribute to, industrial activity, and are connected by material and energy flows, but also capital and information exchanges. The components of an industrial network encompass resource extraction, processing and refining, forming and assembly, use, disposal, as well as recycling and reprocessing. The motivation behind this research is the realisation that much of the current environmental system analysis focus within IE lacks a structured approach to considering: • system environment • dynamic nature of the system and its environment • economic and social impacts • the effect of uncertainty on analysis outcomes. It is argued in this thesis that current environmental analysis approaches used in IE can be improved in their capacity to capture the complexity of industrial systems, with the objective of promoting sustainable development. While IE emphasises the benefit of a systems approach to identifying environmental strategies in industry, analysis tools have to date not engaged extensively with important aspects such as the influence of system environment and dynamics on the viability of an environmental strategy, or with the economic or social impacts of industrial system development, which are equally important for sustainable development. Nor is the assessment of the effect of uncertainty on analysis outcomes an integral part of environmental analysis tools in IE. This is particularly significant when, in fact, the degree of uncertainty in assumptions and data used increases with the scope, and therefore the abstraction, of the system under consideration. IE will have to engage with the network and contextual complexities to a greater degree if it is to evolve from a concept to the application of its principles in practice. The main contribution of this thesis is therefore the development of a structured approach to analysing industrial networks for the purpose of identifying strategies to encourage sustainable development, while accounting for the complexity of the underlying system as well as the problem context. This analysis is intended to allow the identification of preferred network development pathways and to test the effectiveness of sustainable development strategies. A top-down, prescriptive approach is adopted for this purpose. This approach is chosen as the industrial network analysis is intended to identify how a network should develop, rather than focusing on how it could develop. Industrial networks are systems which are complex in both their structure and behaviour. This thesis also delivers a characterisation of these networks, which serves two purposes – quantifying key elements of structure and behaviour; and using this information to build a foundation for subsequent industrial network analysis. The value of such an approach can be seen in the following example. With a detailed understanding of individual network characteristics, both separately and collectively, it is possible to determine the source of issues, the means available to address them, any barriers that might exist, and the consequences of implementing any strategic interventions. The analysis approach proposed in this thesis is based on multi-criteria decisions analysis (MCDA), which, as a process, combines initial problem structuring and subsequent quantitative analysis stages. The tools employed within MCDA have been employed variously around considerations of sustainable development. Their value in this thesis is their integration within a rigorous analytical framework. Rigorous problem structuring is attractive as it helps elucidate the complexities of the system and its environment and is, by definition, designed to deal with multiple environmental social and economic criteria that would have to be considered to promote sustainable development. For the quantitative analysis, the industrial network analysis draws from existing analysis tools in IE, but predominately from other systems research disciplines, such as process systems engineering (PSE) and supply chain management (SCM). These fields, due to their maturity and practical focus, have invested a lot of research into system design and strategic planning, capturing system dynamics and uncertainty to ensure, within selected system constraints, that a proposed system or changes to a system are viable, and that the system is capable of achieving the stated objectives. Both PSE and SCM rely heavily on optimisation for system design and planning, and achieve good results with it as an analytical tool. The similarity between industrial networks and process systems / supply chains, suggests that an optimisation platform, specifically multi-objective dynamic optimisation, could be employed fruitfully for the analysis of industrial networks. This is the approach taken in this thesis. It is consistent with the “top down” approach advocated previously, which is deemed preferable for the identification and implementation analysis of strategic interventions. This enables the determination of a structure (design) that is “best” able to operate under future conditions (planning) with respect to the chosen sustainable development objectives. However, an analysis is only ever as good as its underlying data and assumptions. The complexity and scope of the industrial network and the challenge of articulating sustainable development target(s) give rise to significant uncertainties. For this reason a framework is developed within this thesis that integrates uncertainty analysis into the overall approach, to obtain insight into the robustness of the analysis results. Quantifying all the uncertainties in an industrial network model can be a daunting task for a modeller, and a decision-maker can be confused by modelling results. Means are therefore suggested to reduce the set of uncertainties that have to be engaged with, by identifying those which impact critically on model outcomes. However, even if uncertainty cannot be reduced, and the implementation of any strategy retains a degree of risk, the uncertainty analysis has the benefit that it forces an analyst to engage in more detail with the network in question, and to be more critical of the underlying assumptions. The analysis approach is applied to two case studies in this thesis: one deals with waste avoidance in an existing wood-products network in a large urban metropolis; the other with the potential for renewable energy generation in a developing economy. Together, these case studies provide a rich tableau within which to demonstrate the full features of the industrial network analysis. These case studies highlight how the context within which the relevant industrial network functions influences greatly the evolution of the network over time; how uncertainty is managed; and what strategies are preferred in each case in order to enhance the contribution of each network to sustainable development. This thesis makes an intellectual contribution in the following areas: • the characterisation of industrial networks to highlight sources of environmental issues, role the characteristics (could) play in the identification of (preferred) sustainable development strategies, and the need to explicitly consider these in a systems analysis. • the synthesis, adaptation and application of existing tools to fulfil the need for analysis tools in IE that can handle both contextual and system complexity, and address the above mentioned issues of lacking consideration of o system environment o dynamic nature of the system and its environment o economic and social impacts o the effect of uncertainty on analysis outcomes. • the development and demonstration of an industrial network analysis approach that o is flexible enough to model any industrial network at the inter-firm level, regardless of form and configuration of materials and products circulated, and depending on the existing network and the proposed strategies. o is able to encompass a wide range of environmental strategies, either individually or in combination depending on what best suits the situation, rather than focusing on any strategy in particular. o ensures long term viability of strategies, rather than short term solutions delivering incremental improvement. • the development of a comprehensive approach to capturing and assessing the effect of uncertainty on solution robustness for industrial network analysis, including the screening to determine the most important parameters, considering valuation and technical uncertainties, including future uncertainty. The industrial network analysis approach presented in this thesis looks more to how a network should develop (according to a set of sustainable development objectives), rather than how it may in actual fact develop. Consequently, the influence of agent interests and behaviour is not considered explicitly. This may be construed as a limitation of the industrial analysis approach. However, it is argued that the “top down” modelling approach favoured here is useful at a policy-making level. Here, for example, government instrumentalities, trade organisations and industry groupings, non-government organisations and community-based organisations are likely to be interested more in the performance of the network as a whole, rather than (necessarily) following the behaviour of individual agents within the network. Future work could well entertain the prospect of a mixed approach, in which the top-down approach of this thesis is complemented by a “bottom-up”, agent-based analysis. In this manner, it would be possible to give an indication of how attainable the identified industrial network development pathways are. Furthermore, the use of government incentives can be explored to assess if network development could approach the preferred development pathway which is identified using the methodology and results articulated in this thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD)
The aim of this thesis is to support the evaluation of sustainable development strategies for industrial networks in the context of industrial ecology (IE). Industrial networks are a group of units which carry out, or contribute to, industrial activity, and are connected by material and energy flows, but also capital and information exchanges. The components of an industrial network encompass resource extraction, processing and refining, forming and assembly, use, disposal, as well as recycling and reprocessing. The motivation behind this research is the realisation that much of the current environmental system analysis focus within IE lacks a structured approach to considering: • system environment • dynamic nature of the system and its environment • economic and social impacts • the effect of uncertainty on analysis outcomes. It is argued in this thesis that current environmental analysis approaches used in IE can be improved in their capacity to capture the complexity of industrial systems, with the objective of promoting sustainable development. While IE emphasises the benefit of a systems approach to identifying environmental strategies in industry, analysis tools have to date not engaged extensively with important aspects such as the influence of system environment and dynamics on the viability of an environmental strategy, or with the economic or social impacts of industrial system development, which are equally important for sustainable development. Nor is the assessment of the effect of uncertainty on analysis outcomes an integral part of environmental analysis tools in IE. This is particularly significant when, in fact, the degree of uncertainty in assumptions and data used increases with the scope, and therefore the abstraction, of the system under consideration. IE will have to engage with the network and contextual complexities to a greater degree if it is to evolve from a concept to the application of its principles in practice. The main contribution of this thesis is therefore the development of a structured approach to analysing industrial networks for the purpose of identifying strategies to encourage sustainable development, while accounting for the complexity of the underlying system as well as the problem context. This analysis is intended to allow the identification of preferred network development pathways and to test the effectiveness of sustainable development strategies. A top-down, prescriptive approach is adopted for this purpose. This approach is chosen as the industrial network analysis is intended to identify how a network should develop, rather than focusing on how it could develop. Industrial networks are systems which are complex in both their structure and behaviour. This thesis also delivers a characterisation of these networks, which serves two purposes – quantifying key elements of structure and behaviour; and using this information to build a foundation for subsequent industrial network analysis. The value of such an approach can be seen in the following example. With a detailed understanding of individual network characteristics, both separately and collectively, it is possible to determine the source of issues, the means available to address them, any barriers that might exist, and the consequences of implementing any strategic interventions. The analysis approach proposed in this thesis is based on multi-criteria decisions analysis (MCDA), which, as a process, combines initial problem structuring and subsequent quantitative analysis stages. The tools employed within MCDA have been employed variously around considerations of sustainable development. Their value in this thesis is their integration within a rigorous analytical framework. Rigorous problem structuring is attractive as it helps elucidate the complexities of the system and its environment and is, by definition, designed to deal with multiple environmental social and economic criteria that would have to be considered to promote sustainable development. For the quantitative analysis, the industrial network analysis draws from existing analysis tools in IE, but predominately from other systems research disciplines, such as process systems engineering (PSE) and supply chain management (SCM). These fields, due to their maturity and practical focus, have invested a lot of research into system design and strategic planning, capturing system dynamics and uncertainty to ensure, within selected system constraints, that a proposed system or changes to a system are viable, and that the system is capable of achieving the stated objectives. Both PSE and SCM rely heavily on optimisation for system design and planning, and achieve good results with it as an analytical tool. The similarity between industrial networks and process systems / supply chains, suggests that an optimisation platform, specifically multi-objective dynamic optimisation, could be employed fruitfully for the analysis of industrial networks. This is the approach taken in this thesis. It is consistent with the “top down” approach advocated previously, which is deemed preferable for the identification and implementation analysis of strategic interventions. This enables the determination of a structure (design) that is “best” able to operate under future conditions (planning) with respect to the chosen sustainable development objectives. However, an analysis is only ever as good as its underlying data and assumptions. The complexity and scope of the industrial network and the challenge of articulating sustainable development target(s) give rise to significant uncertainties. For this reason a framework is developed within this thesis that integrates uncertainty analysis into the overall approach, to obtain insight into the robustness of the analysis results. Quantifying all the uncertainties in an industrial network model can be a daunting task for a modeller, and a decision-maker can be confused by modelling results. Means are therefore suggested to reduce the set of uncertainties that have to be engaged with, by identifying those which impact critically on model outcomes. However, even if uncertainty cannot be reduced, and the implementation of any strategy retains a degree of risk, the uncertainty analysis has the benefit that it forces an analyst to engage in more detail with the network in question, and to be more critical of the underlying assumptions. The analysis approach is applied to two case studies in this thesis: one deals with waste avoidance in an existing wood-products network in a large urban metropolis; the other with the potential for renewable energy generation in a developing economy. Together, these case studies provide a rich tableau within which to demonstrate the full features of the industrial network analysis. These case studies highlight how the context within which the relevant industrial network functions influences greatly the evolution of the network over time; how uncertainty is managed; and what strategies are preferred in each case in order to enhance the contribution of each network to sustainable development. This thesis makes an intellectual contribution in the following areas: • the characterisation of industrial networks to highlight sources of environmental issues, role the characteristics (could) play in the identification of (preferred) sustainable development strategies, and the need to explicitly consider these in a systems analysis. • the synthesis, adaptation and application of existing tools to fulfil the need for analysis tools in IE that can handle both contextual and system complexity, and address the above mentioned issues of lacking consideration of o system environment o dynamic nature of the system and its environment o economic and social impacts o the effect of uncertainty on analysis outcomes. • the development and demonstration of an industrial network analysis approach that o is flexible enough to model any industrial network at the inter-firm level, regardless of form and configuration of materials and products circulated, and depending on the existing network and the proposed strategies. o is able to encompass a wide range of environmental strategies, either individually or in combination depending on what best suits the situation, rather than focusing on any strategy in particular. o ensures long term viability of strategies, rather than short term solutions delivering incremental improvement. • the development of a comprehensive approach to capturing and assessing the effect of uncertainty on solution robustness for industrial network analysis, including the screening to determine the most important parameters, considering valuation and technical uncertainties, including future uncertainty. The industrial network analysis approach presented in this thesis looks more to how a network should develop (according to a set of sustainable development objectives), rather than how it may in actual fact develop. Consequently, the influence of agent interests and behaviour is not considered explicitly. This may be construed as a limitation of the industrial analysis approach. However, it is argued that the “top down” modelling approach favoured here is useful at a policy-making level. Here, for example, government instrumentalities, trade organisations and industry groupings, non-government organisations and community-based organisations are likely to be interested more in the performance of the network as a whole, rather than (necessarily) following the behaviour of individual agents within the network. Future work could well entertain the prospect of a mixed approach, in which the top-down approach of this thesis is complemented by a “bottom-up”, agent-based analysis. In this manner, it would be possible to give an indication of how attainable the identified industrial network development pathways are. Furthermore, the use of government incentives can be explored to assess if network development could approach the preferred development pathway which is identified using the methodology and results articulated in this thesis.

This thesis analyses the concept of sustainability as applied and reflected in industrial design practice in a theoretical way. The discourses on sustainability in general are explored in terms of ecology, economics and politics. The underlying motives resulting in unsustainable ways of production and consumption practices are attempted to be located in contemporary society.

Industrial Ecology is an application of environmental management transcending the boundary of the individual firm. By comparing industrial systems to natural ecosystems, Industrial Ecology aims to emulate the sustainable state of the latter. Although research is flourishing, there are only very limited examples of Industrial Ecology in practice. Its proposed end state of a sustainable economic system is encapsulated in Thomas Graedel’s “type III” system, where all ecosystem components live on their exchange products, and the whole system runs exclusively on solar radiation as its source of energy. This doctoral thesis is conceived from the recognition that the idea of Industrial Ecology is in conflict with the application of it, and the field thus needs to be grounded in a solid body of theory. Therefore, this thesis examines for the first time the soundness of ideas and current practice of Industrial Ecology in the context of the fields of science concerned: Ecological economics has the purpose to understand the relationship between ecological and economic systems. It is the recognition of the biophysical limits to economic activity that is applied to Industrial Ecology in this thesis. The aim of embedding the economic system into the natural system that ecological economics and Industrial Ecology have in common is examined in the light of research in theoretical ecology, understanding the dynamics of ecosystem development. The consequences for industrial ecological systems lie in the insight that food chains are merely the expression of underlying energetic relationships, and it is the latter that drive an ecosystem in its development towards a mature and stable state. As Industrial Ecology’s method is to compare economic systems to natural systems, the soundness of this method needs to be ascertained. The translation of ideas from one area to another constitutes a use of metaphor, and it is in the valid transfer of ideas that Industrial Ecology has its merit. Consequently, a chapter of the thesis investigates the transfer of ideas in the context of Industrial Ecology. In a final analytical chapter, the idea of Industrial Ecology is compared to the realities of the current system of international business enterprise.

Orientador: Emilia Wanda Rutkowski
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo
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Resumo: O setor industrial começa, no século 21, a repensar e reprojetar seus processos com a intenção de minimizar o uso dos recursos naturais, buscar matérias-primas menos impactantes, estudar o impacto de seus produtos em todo o seu ciclo de vida, reconhecer sua interdependência com o meio e mudar o sentido unidirecional dos fluxos de energia e resíduos para ciclos fechados. Ao longo destas discussões uma série de instrumentos foi sendo desenvolvidos para atender à indústria. Por esta razão o presente trabalho analisou a evolução das abordagens ambientais no cenário empresarial a fim de discutir os instrumentos industriais utilizados na busca da sustentabilidade ambiental empresarial.
Abstract: The industrial sector has began, in the 21st century, to rethink and redesign its production processes aiming to minimize natural resources depletion, to foster the use of environmental friendly materials, to research the impact related to the products throughout their life cycle, and to recognize the interdependence between environment and industrial systems in order to change from processes based on unidirectional flows of energy and materials into closed-loops systems. During this period, a number of instruments were developed to fulfill the industry needs. For that reason, this study analyzes the evolution of environmental approaches in the industrial scenario in order to discuss the instruments used to achieve the environmental sustainability of business.
Mestrado
Saneamento e Ambiente
Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Arquitetura, com a especialização em Arquitetura apresentada na Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre.
Numa época posterior ao advento que marcou os séculos XIX e XX, grande parte do património industrial que hoje nos resta em Portugal, e especificamente em Lisboa, encontra-se em estado de degradação e abandono. Representativas da história da industrialização, estas unidades fabris encontram-se agora em estados expectantes de intervenção e reaproveitamento. Recentemente, a aposta no turismo como fonte de crescimento económico em Portugal tem mostrado ser uma estratégia de sucesso para o país, pelo que a exploração de novas vertentes culturais do tema, oferecem também visibilidade ao rico período da industrialização. Em “Indústria (Re)Visitada”, revitaliza-se um percurso histórico pelos elementos fabris de Xabregas e vale de Chelas, onde história nacional e identidade local se encontram, permitindo, simultaneamente, que cada unidade fabril albergue um pedaço do cariz do vale, enquanto se destaca como representativa da própria memória industrial. Na Tinturaria Portugália, desenha-se um dos cinco pedaços da identidade do vale de Chelas – o complexo «Comunidade» - que procura revitalizar a histórica Estrada de Chelas, através da reinserção de pessoas carenciadas na sociedade, nomeadamente a população sem-abrigo, de acordo com uma lógica de resiliência cultural, ambiental e social. Considerando as necessidades actuais de reabilitação do património industrial, procura-se aliar a inclusão social à descoberta dos valores que as grandes estruturas fabris apresentam, utilizando meios sustentáveis na proposta de intervenção.
ABSTRACT: In a time following the advent that defined the XIX and XX centuries, much of Portugal’s industrial heritage, particularly in Lisbon, is in a state of degradation and neglect. Representatives of the history of industrialization, these manufacturing units are now in expectant states of intervention and reuse. Recently, the bet on tourism as a source of economic growth in Portugal has proved to be a successful strategy for the country, so the exploration of new cultural aspects of the theme also offer visibility to the rich period of industrialization. In “(Re)Visited Industry”, an historic pathway is revitalized by the industrial elements of the Xabregas and Chelas’ valley, where national history and local identity meet, allowing each factory unit to simultaneously accomodate a piece of the local culture, while it highlights its own industrial memory. In Tinturaria Portugália, one of the five pieces of the Chelas’ valley identity is drawn – the «Community» complex – which aims to revitalize the historical Estrada de Chelas, through the reintegration of people in need into the society, specifically the homeless population, according to a logic of cultural, environmental and social resilience. Considering the current needs of rehabilitation of the industrial heritage, it seeks to combine the social inclusion with the discovery of the values that the great manufacturing structures present, using sustainable means in the proposed intervention.
N/A

This research is an attempt to create a comprehensive assessment framework for identifying and assessing potential improvement options of cement production systems. From an environmental systems analysis perspective, this study provides both an empirical account and a methodological approach for quantifying the CO2 footprint of a cement production system. An attributional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is performed to analyze the CO2 footprint of several products of a cement production system in Germany which consists of three dierent plants. Based on the results of the LCA study, six key performance indicators are dened as the basis for a simplied LCA model. This model is used to quantify the CO2 footprint of dierent versions of the cement production system. In order to identify potential improvement options, a framework for Multi-Criteria Assessment (MCA) is developed. The search and classication guideline of this framework is based on the concepts of Cleaner Production, Industrial Ecology, and Industrial Symbiosis. It allows systematic identication and classication of potential improvement options. In addition, it can be used for feasibility and applicability evaluation of dierent options. This MCA is applied both on a generic level, reecting the future landscape of the industry, and on a production organization level re ecting the most applicable possibilities for change. Based on this assessment a few appropriate futureoriented scenarios for the studied cement production system are constructed. The simplied LCA model is used to quantify the CO2 footprint of the production system for each scenario. By integrating Life Cycle Assessment and Multi-Criteria Assessment approaches, this study provides a comprehensive assessment method for identifying suitable industrial developments and quantifying the CO2 footprint improvements that might be achieved by their implementation. The results of this study emphasis, although by utilizing alternative fuels and more ecient production facility, it is possible to improve the CO2 footprint of clinker, radical improvements can be achieved on the portfolio level. Compared to Portland cement, very high reduction of CO2 footprint can be achieved if clinker is replaced with low carbon alternatives, such as Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) which are the by-products of other  industrial production. Benchmarking a cement production system by its portfolio product is therefore a more reasonable approach, compared to focusing on the performance of its clinker production. This study showed that Industrial Symbiosis, that is, over the fence initiatives for material and energy exchanges and collaboration with nontraditional partners, are relevant to cement industry. However, the contingent nature of these strategies should always be noted, because the mere exercise of such activities may not lead to a more resource ecient production system. Therefore, in search for potential improvements, it is important to keep the search horizon as wide as possible, however, assess the potential improvements in each particular case. The comprehensive framework developed and applied in this research is an attempt in this direction.

CJP Solutions och Waste Handling and Management (WHAM) är två företag i Melbourne, Australien, som utvecklar en process för återvinning av bioslam från Melbourne Waters reningsverk. Slammet är förorenat med metaller från industriellt avloppsvatten som har behandlats tillsammans med det kommunala avloppsvattnet. Företagen sökte en hållbar biologisk process inkluderande alger för att rena och fånga in rökgaser från pyrolisering och förbränning av det förorenade slammet. I det här examensarbetet har en teknisk lösning utformats, tillverkats och experimentellt prövats på plats under tjugo veckor i Melbourne, med mål att: mäta gas- och vattenreningsprestanda. Efter åtta veckors inledande litteraturstudie omfattande koldioxidinfångst samt algbiologi med industriell tillämpning fattades beslut om att i första hand använda mikroalgen Chlorella vulgaris, för dess robusta egenskaper samt potential för snabb tillväxt. Utöver Chlorella v. odlades en blandning lokala algkulturer tillsammans med Chlorella v. fram, och prövades parallellt vid de efterföljande experimenten. Experimenten utfördes under tre veckor vid energiföretaget AGLs biogasdrivna kraftvärmeverk, på Melbourne Waters Western Treatment Plant. I experimentet leddes orenade rökgaser genom ett system för kylning, filtrering och kompression, till algodlingarna. Algodlingarna var utformade i två separata system, det ena bestående av sju vertikala 25 liters plastkolonner, det andra av en 250 liters bassängodling. Systemen blandades genom luft- och rökgasinsprutning, samt genom mekaniserad omrörning. Algerna odlades i delvis renat avloppsvatten. Val av tekniska lösningar baserades på låga omkostnader, enkel konstruktion, komponenternas tillgänglighet, samt en tre veckors tidsfrist till att utforma och tillverka systemen.
CJP Solutions in collaboration with Waste Handling and Management (WHAM), two companies based in Melbourne, Australia, are currently developing a process to treat and recycle biosolids left over from the wastewater treatment process at Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant. The biosolids are contaminated with heavy metals from industrial wastewater, being treated together with municipal wastewater. The companies are looking for a sustainable solution for sequestering flue gases from pyrolysis of the biosolids, into an algal biomass. In this Master Thesis project, a technical solution has been designed, constructed and tested on site over the course of twenty weeks in Melbourne, the goal being to determine gas and water cleanup performance. After eight weeks of initial literature review covering CO 2-sequestration and industrial applications of algae cultivation, the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris was chosen as the main strain to be used, due to it being robust and having a high growth rate. In addition to the Chlorella v. culture, a mix consisting of local algae cultures together with Chlorella v. was also cultivated throughout the experiments. The experiments were carried out during three weeks at AGL’s biogas power plant, at the Western Treatment Plant. Untreated exhaust gas was led through a system of cooling, filtration, and compression, into the two separate algal culture systems. One consisted of seven 25 litre plastic column reactors, the other of a 250 litre pond reactor. The systems were mixed through air bubbling, exhaust gas inlet, as well as by a mechanical stirrer in the pond reactor. The algae were grown in partially treated wastewater. Factors determining the system design included simplicity in construction, use of cheap, available materials, as well as a three week design and construction deadline.
www.ima.kth.se

Malgrat representar només el 2,7% de la superfície del planeta, les ciutats del món són responsables del 75% del consum d'energia, i el 80% de les emissions de gasos d'efecte hivernacle.
Encara que el focus d'atenció per mitigar el canvi climàtic s'ha centrat en els combustibles alternatius, vehicles, i la generació d'electricitat; la millora del disseny urbà, representa una oportunitat important que sovint no es valora prou. Aquesta tesi estén l'anàlisi de l'Ecologia Industrial a l'avaluació ambiental de les obres civils en l'entorn urbà, incloent parcs de serveis en zones urbanes.
Pel que fa al sector serveis, el capítol II avalua, des de la perspectiva de l'Ecologia Industrial, l'eficiència energètica dels serveis dins del Parc urbà de Montjuïc i determina el seu impacte ambiental global. A més, aquest estudi determina quins són els serveis més intensius energèticament i analitza la seva eficiència per visitant o unitat de superfície.
El consum d'electricitat representa gairebé el 70% de l'energia total consumida pels serveis en el Parc de Montjuïc, i la superfície forestal necessària per absorbir les emissions de CO2 equivalent produïdes pel cicle de vida de l'energia consumida representa 12,2 vegades la superfície del Parc.
El capítol III analitza l'optimització ambiental de les voreres a les zones urbanes. Encara que una àmplia gamma de materials i solucions constructives estan disponibles per a la pavimentació de les voreres, aquest estudi es centra en tres solucions constructives de formigó molt comunes. Cada solució constructiva té característiques diferents que afecten la seva funcionalitat en: trànsit, característiques de la superfície, i manteniment.
Pel que fa a principals aportacions, aquest estudi fa una descripció general i proveeix l'inventari dels sistemes de vorera estudiats. Segons l'Anàlisi de Cicle de Vida (ACV), el sistema de panot és el que presenta valors més elevats d'impacte ambiental, tanmateix és el tipus de paviment de vorera més utilitzat en l'àrea d'estudi, degut principalment a les preocupacions estètiques i els imperatius del manteniment dels serveis urbans subterranis.
Restringir l'ús dels paviments de formigó per a vianants amb una major capacitat estructural a aquelles seccions de carrer que en realitat els exigeixen podria reduir els impactes ambientals fins un 73,8% a les àrees exclusives per vianants.
Els capítols IV i V utilitzen la metodologia de l'ACV per analitzar el tipus i origen dels impactes ambientals relacionats amb les xarxes de distribució de gas natural i calor.
Per a la xarxa de gas natural, els resultats mostren que l'impacte per habitatge en les categories ambientals estudiades és d'entre 1,9 i 4,8 vegades més gran en un barri de baixa densitat, en funció de la categoria d'impacte. A més, a les zones d'alta densitat el principal impacte s'origina a partir de components i materials relacionats amb els edificis i habitatges, mentre que en zones de baixa densitat el principal impacte s'origina a la xarxa de barri. Tenint en compte aquest últim resultat, s'avalua la conveniència de substituir la xarxa de barri per un sistema discontinu basat en tancs de propà. El resultat indica que quan es necessita una canonada de barri de més d'1 km per arribar a un usuari, és ambientalment preferible per a totes les categories d'impacte utilitzar el sistema de tancs de propà.
Per a la xarxa de distribució de calor, els resultats mostren que les fonts d'impacte no ubiquen especialment a la xarxa principal (menys del 7,1% de contribució a totes les categories d'impacte), que és el subsistema que ha centrat l'atenció en la literatura; sinó que aquest es troba a les plantes de generació energètica i als components dels habitatges. Aquests dos subsistemes contribueixen conjuntament entre un 40% i un 92% a l'impacte ambiental en funció de les categories d'impacte. Pel que fa als components, només un nombre reduït són responsables de la majoria dels impactes ambientals.
Com a conclusió general, l'enfocament de l'Ecologia Industrial aplicat als sistemes urbans, estudiant el metabolisme de les ciutats, barris, sectors econòmics o les infraestructures, proveeix de dades sobre el metabolisme dels sistemes urbans, assenyala els punts febles des d'una perspectiva ambiental i assenyala les oportunitats de millora dels nostres sistemes urbans. Per tant, l'Ecologia Industrial es converteix en el primer pas per orientar els processos de disseny ecològic a escala de barri o d'infraestructura.
A pesar de representar sólo el 2,7% de la superficie del planeta, las ciudades del mundo son responsables del 75% del consumo de energía, y el 80% de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero.
Aunque el foco de atención para mitigar el cambio climático se ha centrado en los combustibles alternativos, vehículos, y la generación de electricidad; la mejora del diseño urbano, representa una oportunidad importante que a menudo no se valora suficientemente. Esta tesis extiende el análisis de la Ecología Industrial en la evaluación ambiental de las obras civiles en el entorno urbano, incluyendo parques de servicios en zonas urbanas.
En cuanto al sector servicios, el capítulo II evalúa, desde la perspectiva de la Ecología Industrial, la eficiencia energética de los servicios dentro del Parque urbano de Montjuïc y determina su impacto ambiental global. Además, este estudio determina cuáles son los servicios más intensivos energéticamente y analiza su eficiencia por visitante o unidad de superficie.
El consumo de electricidad representa casi el 70% de la energía total consumida por los servicios en el Parque de Montjuïc, y la superficie forestal necesaria para absorber las emisiones de CO2 equivalente producidas por el ciclo de vida de la energía consumida representa 12,2 veces la superficie del Parque.
El capítulo III analiza la optimización ambiental de las aceras en las zonas urbanas. Aunque una amplia gama de materiales y soluciones constructivas están disponibles para la pavimentación de las aceras, este estudio se centra en tres soluciones constructivas de hormigón muy comunes. Cada solución constructiva tiene características diferentes que afectan a su funcionalidad en: tráfico, características de la superficie, y mantenimiento.
En cuanto a principales aportaciones, este estudio hace una descripción general y provee el inventario de los sistemas de acera estudiados. Según el Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV), el sistema de pavimento hidráulico es el que presenta valores más elevados de impacto ambiental, sin embargo es el tipo de pavimento de acera más utilizado en el área de estudio, debido principalmente a las preocupaciones estéticas y los imperativos del mantenimiento de los servicios urbanos subterráneos.
Restringir el uso de los pavimentos de hormigón para peatones con una mayor capacidad estructural a aquellas secciones de calle que en realidad los exigen podría reducir los impactos ambientales hasta un 73,8% en las áreas exclusivas para peatones.
Los capítulos IV y V utilizan la metodología del ACV para analizar el tipo y origen de los impactos ambientales relacionados con las redes de distribución de gas natural y calor. Para la red de gas natural, los resultados muestran que el impacto por vivienda en las categorías ambientales estudiadas es de entre 1,9 y 4,8 veces mayor en un barrio de baja densidad, en función de la categoría de impacto. Además, en las zonas de alta densidad el principal impacto se origina a partir de componentes y materiales relacionados con los edificios y viviendas, mientras que en zonas de baja densidad el principal impacto se origina en la red de barrio. Teniendo en cuenta este último resultado, se evalúa la conveniencia de sustituir la red de barrio por un sistema discontinuo basado en tanques de propano. El resultado indica que cuando se necesita una tubería de barrio de más de 1 km para llegar a un usuario, es ambientalmente preferible para todas las categorías de impacto utilizar el sistema de tanques de propano.
Para la red de distribución de calor, los resultados muestran que las fuentes de impacto no se ubican especialmente en la red principal (menos del 7,1% de contribución en todas las categorías de impacto), que es el subsistema que ha centrado la atención en la literatura, sino que éste se encuentra en las plantas de generación energética y los componentes de las viviendas. Estos dos subsistemas contribuyen conjuntamente entre un 40% y un 92% al impacto ambiental en función de las categorías de impacto. En cuanto a los componentes, sólo un número reducido son responsables de la mayoría de los impactos ambientales.
Como conclusión general, el enfoque de la Ecología Industrial aplicado a los sistemas urbanos, estudiando el metabolismo de las ciudades, barrios, sectores económicos o las infraestructuras, provee de datos sobre el metabolismo de los sistemas urbanos, señala los puntos débiles desde una perspectiva ambiental y señala las oportunidades de mejora de nuestros sistemas urbanos. Por tanto, la Ecología Industrial se convierte en el primer paso para orientar los procesos de diseño ecológico a escala de barrio o de infraestructura.
Despite representing only 2.7% of the world's surface area, the world's cities are responsible for 75% of the world's energy consumption, and 80% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Although much attention on mitigating climate change has focused on alternative fuels, vehicles, and electricity generation, better urban design represents an important yet undervalued opportunity. This thesis extends the analysis of Industrial Ecology to the environmental assessment of civil works in the urban environment, including service estates in urban areas.
Concerning the service sector, chapter II evaluates, from an Industrial Ecology perspective, the energy performance of the services inside the Montjuïc urban park and determines their global environmental impact. Additionally, this study determines which are the most energy demanding services and the efficiency of their energy use per visitor and per surface area unit.
Electricity consumption represents nearly 70% of the total energy consumed by the services at Montjuïc Park. The forest surface area required to absorb the CO2-equivalent emissions produced by the life cycle of the energy consumed at Montjuïc Park represents 12.2 times the Park's surface area.
Chapter III analyzes the environmental optimization of concrete sidewalks in urban areas. Although a wide range of materials and constructive solutions are available for sidewalk paving, this study focuses on three very common concrete-based systems with different functionalities in terms of traffic, surface characteristics, and maintenance.
In terms of main findings, this study provides a comprehensive description and inventory of the sidewalk systems under study. According to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the slab system has the highest environmental impacts; this happens to be the most widely used sidewalk type in the area studied, mainly due to aesthetic concerns and the imperatives of maintaining underground urban services. Regardless of the thickness of the concrete base, the slab system has the highest impact in all categories compared with the other two sidewalk types.
Restricting the use of concrete sidewalks with high structural capacity to street sections that actually require them could reduce environmental impacts by up to 73.8% in pedestrian-only areas.
Chapters IV and V use the LCA methodology to analyze the type and origin of environmental impacts related to natural gas and district heating distribution networks.
For the natural gas network the results show that the impact per dwelling in the environmental categories studied is between 1.9 and 4.8 times higher in a low density neighborhood, depending on the impact category. Besides, in high density areas the main impact originates from components and materials related to the buildings and dwellings, whereas in low density areas the main impact originates on the neighborhood network. Given this last result, the advisability of substituting the neighborhood network by a discontinuous system based on propane tanks has been evaluated, obtaining as a result that when a single neighborhood pipe, longer than 1 km, is required to reach one user, it is environmentally preferable for all the studied environmental categories to use the propane tank system.
For the district heating network, the results show that the sources of impact are not particularly located in the main grid (less than 7.1% contribution in all impact categories), which is the focus of attention in the literature, but in the power plants and dwelling components. These two subsystems together contribute from 40% to 92% to the overall impact depending on the impact categories. Concerning the components, only a reduced number are responsible for the majority of the environmental impact.
As a very general conclusion, the Industrial Ecology approach applied to urban systems, studying the metabolism of the cities, neighborhoods, economic sectors or infrastructures, provides clarifying data about the metabolism of urban systems; identifies the environmental flaws and improvement opportunities of our urban systems and becomes the first step for guiding ecodesign processes on an infrastructural or neighborhood scale.

The intent of this thesis and its attendant body of practical work was to examine and test ideas and practices that can inform and expand the artists' role in the post-industrial public realm and its environmental context. The general focus was on transformative approaches to contemporary public art. The specific interest (and area of practice) is defined by artwork that takes an interdisciplinary approach to new forms of social creativity in the context of post-industrial environmental change. This dissertation begins with a broad literature review to understand public art and its relationship to: the public realm, ecology, nature and the environment. The intent was to understand the theory and process that inform answers to questions regarding the artists' ability to affect public policy; the ability to expand the creative act beyond singular authorship and finally the question of can we verify the impact of art? The thesis closes with two chapters describing practical work on 'Nine Mile Run' a project that developed an ecolo nPical restoration approach to post-industrial public space; also'3 Rivers 2n Nature'which focused upon the emancipation of, and a means to advocate for post industrial nature. These projects were developed with the intention to test theory through application and value through outcome. The goal was to provide a better understand of ideas that define and enable collaborative or inter-relational approaches to transformative art practice. The intention was to make a small contribution to the theoretical framework that informs the conceptualization, experience and valuation of transformative public art practices that intend to affect the material and conceptual forms of the postindustrial public realm. It is through intellectual study and ongoing practice that the three original questions are addressed with a cautionary affirmative. Other specific findings include the following. " The ongoing tension between individual freedom and social interaction is best addressed through a moral commitment to creativity in relationship to the emancipation of people, places and things. " Visual evidence can not be the sole focal point of critical engagement with transformative practice. " Transformative practices that undertake an inter-relational methodology demand ethical, responsible and distributed outcomes.

The take-make-waste approach to resource management in human production and consumption systems is contributing to a variety of environmental and social problems worldwide. Additionally, as the world’s population and affluence increase, so do the negative impacts of poor resource management. Lifting the waste management (WM) sector into a new phase of development, which takes its lead from the ideals of Industrial Ecology and circular economy, is seen by many scholars and practitioners as one potential to assist in alleviating these impacts. While there are many studies on how more efficient inter-organizational resource management is (or could be) constructed, there are relatively few business development studies which have explored novel approaches (from roles to tactics) that WM organizations might operationalize toward more efficient resource management. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the development of knowledge and understanding of how the waste management sector can operationalize more effective and efficient resource management. In approaching this aim, two research questions guided the exploration of: 1) novel roles for WM and 2) support tactics for such roles. Grounded in the broader context of Industrial Ecology (IE) and Business Development, five studies were performed. Two studies, focused on the novel roles of inter-organizational resource management and high value secondary resource extraction, were performed through literature review and interviews, and market driver analysis respectively. In exploring support tactics, two design and proof of concept studies were carried out to investigate data analysis tools for inter-organizational resource management, and one long-term action research engagement project was coordinated to study hands-on inter-organizational collaboration tactics. The studies highlighted that the Swedish WM sector holds some key capacities for operationalizing (and in some cases, is already developing) the novel resource management roles identified: industrial symbiosis facilitator, eco-industrial park manager, holistic facility management, and high value resource extractor. However, depending on the portfolio of services to be performed in such roles, several capacities may need to be developed or strengthened. Main opportunities seen for these roles were – staying ahead of market developments, and aligning activities with organizational goals. The main general risk related to these roles was insufficient returns on investment. Looking forward, the main enablers identified were policy leadership for more balanced market mechanisms, increasing use of external knowledge, developing long term partnerships, lobbying, stockpiling resources, and carefully crafting new business models. The tools developed for strategically applying external information toward the identification of opportunities within new roles showed tactical potential. However, their implementation in broader development processes has yet to be fully validated. The hands-on exploration of change oriented collaboration, highlighted collective system framing and goal setting and face-to-face interaction as key activities for inter-organizational approaches within roles such as industrial symbiosis facilitator. Throughout the studies, several novel roles were investigated. Each of these roles will need to be individually evaluated by directing bodies of WM organizations, and evaluated from the organization’s vision and strategy. If certain roles are chosen to be explored in more detail, they will need to be developed within full business models - addressing issues such as income structure, internal processes and capacities to be developed, and key customers. Through applying IE and business development concepts and findings, WM organizations have possibilities to translate ambitious visions into novel offerings.

A collaborative approach to industry-environment issues is acknowledged as a key aspect of sustainable development. Sincerely, resource sharing among firms offers the potential to increase stability of operations, especially in supply-constrained areas, by ensuring that access to important inputs such as water, energy and raw materials are guaranteed. Industrial Symbiosis (IS), a sub-field of Industrial Ecology, is primarily concerned with the cyclical flow of resources through networks of industrial units as a means of cooperatively approaching environmentally sustainable industrial activity. In line with this principle, a critical assessment of the change in environmental performance brought about by industrial symbiosis (IS) was conducted in nineteen selected eco-industrial park case studies identified in all regions of the world with the exception of the African continent. Case study selection criteria were based on models of eco-industrial parks proposed by Chertow (2000). A description of the type of material exchanges that go on in each case study was carried out which revealed evidence of implemented synergies in respective case studies. A comparative assessment of cross-case patterns which is a semi-quantitative matrix used to quantify the degree of environmental performance showed that there was a clear evidence of improved environmental performance among respective case studies investigated where water, energy and material flows served as indicators. Results obtained from the study showed a common pattern of industrial presence in respective case studies reflecting the occurrence of heavy process industries such as oil refineries, cement industries, petrochemical industries, and steel industries. The principle of “anchor tenant” proposed by some experts in the field of industrial ecology was strongly supported by the obtained results. Symbiotic cooperation among participating firms in respective case studies were mainly on areas like cogeneration, re-use of materials, recycling and wastewater treatment and re-use.

Non timber forest products are the neglected resource of Scotland’s woodlands, used by many, but with little provision in law, policy or management. Drawing on new research conducted in Scotland, and comparative studies in Finland, the Pacific Northwest USA and Canada, this thesis examines issues relating to the practice, politics and ecology of NTFPs. The methodological approaches used in the field research are set out in Chapter One. Chapters Two to Five explore the perspectives of stakeholder groups, who either use NTFPs directly or who influence the availability of resources and the ability of others to access them. The first of these groups is harvesters, with Chapter Two examining how issues of legal pluralism or the coexistence of both legal and customary rights for harvesting has resulted in the dominance of common practice over management and policy. Chapter Three discusses buying and processing activity, focussing on its contribution to both livelihood and lifestyle and its position ‘somewhere in between’ commercial and non-commercial benefit. The influence of land managers is examined in Chapter Four, reviewing the contrast between the privileged knowledge that enables harvesters to use resources, and the reliance on professionalised knowledge that renders land managers comparatively powerless. In Chapter Five the influence of organisations is explored, particularly in relation to the difficulty of accommodating the interests of such disparate groups without formal channels for representation. The thesis concludes by addressing policy and management concerns, both practical and ideological, and considering mechanisms for the management of NTFPs as a resource. It demands that ethical questions over benefits, values and rights be addressed, as well as issues surrounding sustainability and resource use. The conclusion seeks to present a new system for the self-governance of NTFP resources by the stakeholders themselves.