Assessment of industrial by-product synergies from process engineering and sustainability principles

Abstract

Industrial synergy has long been one of the applications of industrial ecology; popularised in the 1980’s. Industrial synergy increases the interaction between industries through the utilisation of wastes/by-products, thereby offering a closed-loop system. A target application for industrial synergy is Primary industry which generates a huge amount of waste. Historically however, most existing synergies have been unplanned and were established by interested industries. To date, new symbiotic relations have not been considered in any depth due to a lack of systematic analysis and implementation procedures. This research aims to bridge this gap by developing a framework for the evaluation and implementation of new synergies, incorporating both process engineering concepts and sustainability principles. The framework will use the Kwinana Industrial Area (KIA) of Western Australia as a case study, whereby four by-products will be identified and pre-evaluated for their potential synergies. The sustainability benefits of these synergies will then be assessed from a social, economic and environmental perspective.