Towards Climate Neutrality: A Comprehensive Overview of Sustainable Operations Management, Optimization, and Wastewater Treatment Strategies

Various studies have been conducted in the fields of sustainable operations management, optimization, and wastewater treatment, yielding unsubstantiated recovery. In the context of Europes climate neutrality vision, this paper reviews effective decarbonization strategies and proposes sustainable approaches to mitigate carbonization in various sectors such as building, energy, industry, and transportation. The study also explores the role of digitalization in decarbonization and reviews decarbonization policies that can direct governments action towards a climate-neutral society. The paper also presents a review of optimization approaches applied in the fields of science and technology, incorporating modern optimization techniques based on various peer-reviewed published research papers. It emphasizes non-conventional energy and distributed power generating systems along with the deregulated and regulated environment. Additionally, this paper critically reviews the performance and capability of micellar enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) process in the treatment of dye wastewater. The review presents evidence of simultaneous removal of co-existing pollutants and explores the feasibility and efficiency of biosurfactant in-stead of chemical surfactant. Lastly, the paper proposes a novel firm-regulator-consumer interaction framework to study operations decisions and interactive cooperation considering the interactions among three agents through a comprehensive literature review on sustainable operations management. The framework provides support for exploring future research opportunities

Implementation Barriers of Industrial Symbiosis: A Systematic Review

Industrial Symbiosis is a regional inter-firm approach towards a more sustainable industry. However, the implementation of industrial symbiosis is hampered by a multitude and variety of barriers. Although, prior work has dealt with identifying barriers, an encompassing overview is missing to date. Therefore, this study provides a comprehensive overview and description of barriers of industrial symbiosis by reviewing the scientific literature. Barriers were identified and grouped through content analysis. In total, ca. 400 barriers for the implementation of industrial symbiosis were identified and categorized into three main categories and nine subcategories. The insights gained can be used to develop strategies and tools for further development and advancement of current industrial symbiosis practice to overcome existing barriers

Towards a territorial definition of a circular economy: exploring the role of territorial factors in closed-loop systems

This paper deals with the territorial dimension of a circular economy. We review the territorial factors shaping closed-loop systems, upon which a territorial definition of a circular economy is developed. We consider six categories of territorial factors: (1) Land-based factors emphasize the significance of physical endowment to satisfy the growing demand of secondary and biotic materials in a circular economy; (2) agglomeration factors are important determinants for a circular economy, as these provide circular businesses with the necessary access to resources, knowledge and collaboration, as well as viable markets; some of these functions are enabled by (3) hard territorial factors, in particular by accessibility and connectivity infrastructures as well as by (4) access to state-of-the-art technologies; softer territorial factors, including (5) knowledge-related factors and (6) governance and institutional arrangements, support collaboration among companies and between them, as well as among consumers and public institutions. Our review shows that agglomeration and land-based factors contribute to define the framework conditions of circular transformations, the harder territorial factors (accessibility and technologies) enable the circular economy in practice, and the softer factors (knowledge, awareness, governance and milieus) contribute to catalyse circular transformations. These findings base and complement research done in the ESPON CIRCTER project.This work was supported by ESPON 2020 Cooperation Programme

Shortcomings of Transforming a Local Circular Economy System through Industrial Symbiosis: A Case Study in Spanish SMEs.

Defining the circular economy (CE) as a material and energy model coincides with the definition given by multiple authors in which Industrial Symbiosis (IS) has been deemed as a foundational strategy to support the implementation of the CE. The consumption of secondary materials is essential to achieve a successful transformation from a linear economy to a CE focused on IS practices. In this scenario, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a major role as stakeholders in developing CE systems as it is not possible to create this model with each company working in isolation. However, there is a lack of empirical studies on the role played by relevant local stakeholders such as individual firms interacting in the development of a local CE system. This study aimed to study the challenges that SMEs face in developing a CE system. A case study is selected as a research strategy using a mixed-method approach: a sequential quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) data collection techniques were employed for this research. It was observed that an absence of inter-organisational collaboration and a misunderstanding of the roles played by SMEs may impede the implementation of a local CE system level

Studying Supply Chain and Tourism Cluster Development

Supply chain and tourism cluster are the two important ways to enhance the competitiveness of regions or industries. By discussing the differences and links between the two, this paper concludes that tourism cluster and supply chain carry features of compatibility and symbiosis. The importance of this research paper is determined by the fact that a significant number of tourism clusters established in the territory of the Russian Federation are not always successful as catalysts for the tourism sector development. This study aims to determine methods for conducting research on specialization as a factor in tourism cluster development, taking into consideration the existing research approaches and findings in this area. The systemic, structural, functional and analysis methods were used, along with a general theoretic approach to researching tourism cluster development. The selected methods made it possible to identify approaches to forming the relevant research methodologies. Based on the presented approaches, it is possible to choose research methods and the coherence of research activities in this area, with a view to identify key development indicators for tourism development and various tourism-related processes taking place within the territory of a tourism cluster. The research findings will provide necessary tools and mechanisms for developing tourism clusters based on the diversification of their specialization. The findings of the study are directed at increasing the effectiveness of decisions taken to assess and forecast tourism cluster development and can also be of use to all those interested in this field. The materials of the present study can be used by regional administrations to monitor and make effective management decisions aimed at improving regional tourism development programs. Experts and scholars could also benefit from the findings of this study to analyze and develop projections and to promote topic-related methodological approaches. The article will be of practical value for the specialists in tourism planning, tourism administration and tourism enterprise managers

Tendencias y dinámicas de los flujos de materiales y energía en un contexto urbano: un estudio de caso de una ciudad con una economía emergente

Antecedentes: Actualmente, la mayor parte de la población mundial vive en ciudades, y la rápida urbanización de la población está impulsando aumentos en la demanda de productos, bienes y servicios. Para diseñar eficazmente políticas de sostenibilidad urbana, es importante comprender las tendencias de los flujos de energía y materiales a medida que entran y salen de una ciudad. Este El conocimiento es fundamental para determinar los elementos clave que caracterizarán el futuro crecimiento urbano y abordarán el futuro. desafíos de suministro. Métodos: Este trabajo presenta un análisis de los flujos de energía y materia en la ciudad de Bogotá a lo largo del tiempo. de 2001 a 2017. Los flujos urbanos también se caracterizan en función de su evolución temporal con respecto a la población crecimiento para comparar e identificar cambios en los principales flujos de insumos, producción de riqueza, emisiones y residuos en el ciudad. Resultados: Los resultados del análisis se comparan luego con los de otras grandes aglomeraciones urbanas seleccionadas en América Latina y el mundo para resaltar similitudes y hacer inferencias. Los resultados muestran que en Bogotá había disminución de algunos de los flujos de materiales, como el consumo de agua y la generación de vertidos, en los últimos años, mientras que hubo un incremento en el consumo de energía y cemento y en la producción de emisiones de CO2 y materiales de construcción. La producción de residuos sólidos se mantuvo relativamente estable. En comparación con las otras grandes ciudades. considerado, observamos que las tasas de crecimiento de 10 años de los flujos en relación con el crecimiento de la población son más bajas en Bogotá, particularmente si se compara con otras aglomeraciones urbanas de América Latina. Conclusiones: Los hallazgos de este estudio son importantes para avanzar en las caracterizaciones de las tendencias de materiales y los flujos de energía en las ciudades, y contribuir al establecimiento de un referente que permita definir y evaluar los diferentes impactos de las políticas públicas y promover la sostenibilidad de Bogotá en las próximas décadas.Background: Currently, most of the world’s population lives in cities, and the rapid urbanization of the population is driving increases in the demand for products, goods and services. To efectively design policies for urban sustainability, it is important to understand the trends of fows in energy and materials as they enter and leave a city. This knowledge is essential for determining the key elements characterizing future urban growth and addressing future supply challenges. Methods: This paper presents an analysis of the energy and material fows in the city of Bogotá over the time span from 2001 to 2017. Urban fows are also characterized in terms of their temporal evolution with respect to population growth to compare and identify the changes in the main input fows, wealth production, emissions and waste in the city. Results: The results of the analysis are then compared with those for other selected large urban agglomerations in Latin America and worldwide to highlight similarities and make inferences. The results show that in Bogotá, there was a decrease in some of the material fows, such as the consumption of water and the generation of discharge, in recent years, while there was an increase in the consumption of energy and cement and in the production of CO2 emissions and construction materials. Solid waste production remained relatively stable. With respect to the other large cities considered, we observe that the 10-year growth rates of the fows with respect to population growth are lower in Bogotá, particularly when compared with the other urban agglomerations in Latin America. Conclusions: The fndings of this study are important for advancing characterizations of the trends of material and energy fows in cities, and they contribute to the establishment of a benchmark that allows for the defnition and evaluation of the diferent impacts of public policy while promoting the sustainability of Bogotá in the coming decades

Promoting Industrial Symbiosis: Using the Concept of Proximity to Explore Social Network Development

Industrial symbiosis (IS) has been identified as a strategy for promoting industrial sustainability. IS has been defined as the development of close working agreements between industrial and other organizations that, through the innovative reuse, recycling, or sharing of resources, leads to resource efficiency. Key to IS are innovation and social network development. This article critically reviews IS literature and concludes that, to inform proactive strategies for promoting IS, the understanding of the social processes leading to resource innovation needs to be improved. Industrial ecologists generally believe that close geographical proximity and trust are essential to the development of IS. This article argues, however, that there is a need to learn more about the meaning of, need for, and specific role of geographical proximity and trust in IS and, additionally, that other potentially important social factors have remained underexplored. To move IS research forward, this article suggests to engage with research in economic geography on the concept of ‘proximity,’ which draws attention to the ways in which geographical, cognitive, institutional, social, and organizational distances between actors might affect innovation. Arguably, the analytically distinct, but flexible, dimensions of proximity can be useful to explore how and why IS develops. The resulting qualitative knowledge would form a basis for researching whether general patterns for IS development exist and, more important, could inform public and private strategies that indicate which actions could be taken, as well as when and in what way to promote resource synergies and sustainable industrial development

The adoption of a regulatory framework for industrial parks network in the Ave Valley, Portugal

Industrial parks are perceived as an integral part of the regional development strategies and are recognized as an effective tool to promote the economic growth, the urban renewal and the spatial organisation. The aim of this paper is to present the main conclusions of a study realised in the Ave valley, a traditional industrial area settled in the North of Portugal, in order to create an industrial park network. The results obtained clearly show the advantages of developing a regional network approach, reducing the impact of certain local debilities. Based on a multi-criteria analysis, some sceneries and measures are described as future challenges to create more innovative and attractive industrial park accommodations in the Ave valley

Forms and role of the cluster initiatives in fostering innovation in post-industrial regions: A comparative study of environmental clusters in British West Midlands and Spanish Basque country. ACES Working Paper No. 8, August 2008

The objective of this research is to present cluster initiative approaches in post industrial regions characterized by similar economic history and challenges, with additional emphasis on their role in promoting innovation among regional businesses. The research is based on a comparison study of two environmental industry clusters: Environmental Technology Cluster (ET) from British West Midlands and ACLIMA from Spanish Basque Country. The study analyzes clusters' design and their role in fostering innovation based on environment industry clusters. In both regions environmental industry clusters represent strong potential for further dynamic development with grow opportunities driven by legislation introduced at EU, national or regional levels. The paper compares clusters' heterogeneity, goals and priorities, financing schemes, management structure, types of projects, character of private-public partnerships, challenges, as well as clusters' collaboration at regional/national/international levels. Also focus is given on how the clusters enhance innovation and what types of projects are executed by the regions in this field

Conceptualizing catalytic, sustainable development in Mexico's second tier

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Vita. Page 168 blank. Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-149).What is the present role of technical change - particularly change in integrated Information-Communication Technology (ICT) - in facilitating sustainable urbanism in the developing world? Technological advancements are altering consumer demand and behavior, transforming the products, services, entertainment and information consumed as well processes related to consumption. Technical change is further altering the production processes of goods, services, entertainment and information, and therefore the spaces of those processes, allowing industry to be reintroduced into the city. As the first two points suggest, technical change thus alters the use of urban space, eroding traditionally suitable adjacencies or separations, public/private distinctions, and the conventions of the public realm. Collectively, these and other trends are most apparent in 'New Century City' (NCC) Projects, where technological innovation as industry, as method, as place-maker and as way of life are being fused to create a new type of urban experience. This project surveys current discourses in sustainable urbanism and international development, using lessons learned from several NCC projects to derive a flexible model for advanced industry cluster development in second tier Mexican cities. This prototype is demonstrated via a projective proposal for Ciudad del Diseño (the City of Design), a development initiative recently launched by the city of Puebla. The objective of this study is to use design to develop and demonstrate principles for catalytic, sustainable development in the mid-sized cities of Mexico, and Latin America more broadly.by Allison N. Albericci.S.M.M.C.P