Industrial Symbiosis Waste Exchange Identification and Optimization

Abstract

Industrial symbiosis is the concept that waste from industrial processes can be diverted and then reused as inputs into co-located industrial entities. While research to date has identified successful examples of industrial symbiosis and characterized formation processes, little is known about how new eco-industrial parks can be designed and their performance optimized. In this paper, we describe how industrial symbiosis can be modeled and optimized during the development phase to assist in the creation of eco-industrial parks. We present a database framework, waste exchange identification algorithm, and Python-based optimization system that generates a mixed-integer linear programming model to minimize the amount of non-recycled waste produced. We illustrate the functionality of the approach on three test cases that demonstrate increasing levels of complexity. The optimization model can also accommodate multiple objectives, allowing further exploration of the benefits of industrial symbiosis at the design stage.