Industrial ecology: innovation and sustainable development in industrial systems

La ecología industrial (EI) es un área interdisciplinaria que intenta asimilar el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas industriales al de los naturales, con una interrelación entre industrias, el medio social y natural que tiende a cerrar el ciclo de materia y que tiende al desarrollo sostenible. El cierre de ciclo de materia se consigue en parte usando los residuos de una industria como materia prima de otras. La EI utiliza diferentes herramientas como análisis de ciclo de vida, indicadores de desarrollo sostenible, análisis de flujo de materia, etc. La EI promueve la innovación en sistemas industriales a través de un cambio de concepción, donde el límite no está en la propia empresa. En este trabajo, basado principalmente en las visitas y trabajo en ecosistemas industriales reales, se muestra una aproximación al concepto de EI, se describen algunos sistemas ecoindustriales en el mundo y se citan algunas de las herramientas y estrategias que utiliza la EI.Industrial ecology (IE) can be defined as a multidisciplinary approach the ultimate goal of which is to have industrial systems operate like natural ecosystems by having industries, society and nature interact mutually in cycling matter and moving towards sustainable development. Closing the loops can be partly accomplished by having an industry use by-products and waste from another as a raw material. Industrial ecology tools include: lifecycle assessment, sustainable development indicators, material flow analysis, etc. IE innovates and promote a new way of thinking by expanding the limits from the firm to the industrial system. This paper describes the IE concept, some IE examples around the world and some IE tools and strategies. The work is based on real IE examples.Peer Reviewe

Ecología industrial: innovación y desarrollo sostenible en sistemas industriales

Industrial ecology (IE) can be defined as a multidisciplinary approach the ultimate goal of which is to have industrial systems operate like natural ecosystems by having industries, society and nature interact mutually in cycling matter and moving towards sustainable development. Closing the loops can be partly accomplished by having an industry use by-products and waste from another as a raw material. Industrial ecology tools include: lifecycle assessment, sustainable development indicators, material flow analysis, etc. IE innovates and promote a new way of thinking by expanding the limits from the firm to the industrial system. This paper describes the IE concept, some IE examples around the world and some IE tools and strategies. The work is based on real IE examples

Huella hídrica de un producto industrial: una metodología adaptada - Water footprint of an industrial product: An adapted methodology

La huella hídrica (HH) se define como un indicador de la apropiación de recursos hídricos y su efecto antropogénico. Existen dos metodologías para su cálculo, la primera es la descrita por la Water Footprint Network (WFN) y es referida para procesos, productos, consumidores, naciones y empresas. La segunda se basa en el análisis del ciclo de vida (ACV) enfocado al uso de agua a lo largo de la elaboración de un producto (Norma ISO-14046). Dado que la HH es un concepto reciente, las metodologías existentes no cubren ciertos aspectos de cálculo de HH para casos específicos. Por ejemplo, no se cuenta con una metodología explicada para el cálculo de la HH de un producto industrial tomando en cuenta el tipo de empresa (número de empleados y volumen de producción), y las tecnologías disponibles pertenecientes a una región geográfica delimitada. El objetivo de este trabajo se centra en establecer una metodología para el cálculo de la HH de un producto industrial que tenga en cuenta características referentes al contexto; por tanto, se describe una metodología detallada aplicable para un producto industrial procesado, teniendo en cuenta el tipo de empresa (número de empleados y volumen de producción), así como las tecnologías disponibles pertenecientes a una región geográfica delimitada, incluyendo aspectos del enfoque del ACV y de la WFN. La metodología descrita se aplicó en el estado de Guanajuato, al proceso de industrialización de la piel bovina curtida al cromo, con base en datos recopilados en un estudio de campo, calculando el tamaño de las empresas evaluadas, su índice de producción y la HH azul del proceso industrial. Lo anterior resultó en una HH azul del proceso de 11.29 m3 de agua azul utilizada por tonelada de piel curtida, siendo el subproceso de ribera el que más aporta a la HH con 6.7 m3/ton, y en cuanto al tipo de empresa, aquellas que son de categoria grande, representan el consumo más elevado del sector con 4.31 m3/ton. La comparación con estimados mundiales muestra que, para los subprocesos de ribera y curtido, la industria de curtido del estado de Guanajuato trabaja con estándares de alta eficiencia en uso de agua, mientras que el subproceso de acabado presenta estándares de baja eficiencia

Combining efficiency and resilience assessments in industrial symbiosis value chains: a comprehensive flow analysis

The viability of firms that participate in industrial symbiosis (IS) is influenced by the impact that by-product synergies have on the economic efficiency and resilience of those firms in the IS network. Systems theory, industrial ecology, and value chain dynamics constitute the necessary frameworks to analyze the viability of IS value chains through efficiency and resilience assessments. Using Mexico’s Altamira Industrial Port as a case study, we identify and describe three IS value chains A, B and C and build variables to measure viability through efficiency and resilience. We find that only the three participating firms in value chain B are both sufficiently efficient and resilient to constitute viability. Moreover, these three firms (CABOT, INSA, and CHEMTURA) represent an anchor in port’s/network’s IS viability through the integration of a resilience and efficiency analysis by value chain. The study attempts to get an improved systemic understanding of IS value chain viability if resilience is aggregated to the efficiency analysis of by-product synergic exchanges of each firm involved in the IS. Finally, we recommend applying modular assessments on efficiency and resilience to firms participating in IS value chains, because according to the size and length of stressors influencing the IS dynamics, different actions should be implemented in the industrial ecosystem to anticipate potential scenarios where short-term, long-term, and structural stressors will endanger the viability of the IS network/value chainThis project has received funding from the KTU School of Economics and Business, grant holder of the European Research Area Grant – ERA chairs – “Industry 4.0 impact on management practices and economics” and the ERASMUS + Program of the European Union (Jean Monnet Excellence Center on Sustainability, ERASME) and CAP 20-25 AcademiaPostprint (author's final draft

Energy and material flows of megacities

Understanding the drivers of energy and material flows of cities is important for addressing global environmental challenges. Accessing, sharing, and managing energy and material resources is particularly critical for megacities, which face enormous social stresses because of their sheer size and complexity. Here we quantify the energy and material flows through the world’s 27 megacities with populations greater than 10 million people as of 2010. Collectively the resource flows through megacities are largely consistent with scaling laws established in the emerging science of cities. Correlations are established for electricity consumption,heating and industrial fuel use, ground transportation energy use, water consumption, waste generation, and steel production in terms of heating-degree-days, urban form, economic activity, and population growth. The results help identify megacities exhibiting high and low levels of consumption and those making efficient use of resources. The correlation between per capita electricity use and urbanized area per capita is shown to bea consequence of gross building floor area per capita, which is found to increase for lower-density cities. Many of the megacities are growing rapidly in population but are growing even faster in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and energy use. In the decade from 2001–2011, electricity use and ground transportation fuel use in megacities grew at approximately half the rate of GDP growthPostprint (published version

“By-product synergy” changes in the industrial symbiosis dynamics at the Altamira-Tampico industrial corridor: 20 years of industrial ecology in Mexico

The Industrial symbiosis emergence constitute a complex and dynamic process that we set in four different phases in this paper: Emergence, Regional efficiency, Regional learning, and Sustainable Industrial District. Embedded in a theoretical framework concerning the industrial symbiosis dynamic, this paper triggers a historical sequence of consequences in the industrial ecosystem evolution encompassing micro and macro elements, which also depends upon the individual actors’ intervention in the network. The industrial symbiosis at Altamira is depicted here as a centralized and ancillary industrial symbiosis embedding a socio-technical and environmental model, one of the most complete biophysical, social, and economic symbiotic case studies in Latin America. The further historical analysis uses the number of actors composing the industrial network and the amount of material and energy exchange flows as a proxy for the success of the Altamira By-Products Industrial Symbiosis as a way to approach sustainability in the industrial ecosystem and attractiveness in the territory. According to the analysis of those proxies in Altamira, the actors involved in the network decrease at the Regional efficiency stage, with the highest synergies rate. The Regional learning phase follows the dynamic through an eco-innovative ecosystem strategy, encompassing small and medium size firms in the region, as the mechanisms for improving learning and innovation, decreasing transaction costs and boosting sustainabilityPostprint (author's final draft

Tannery and technological innovation in Guanajuato

La innovación tecnológica comprende la incorporación de nuevas tecnologías y productos que respon-den a las necesidades que surgen en la sociedad y en el mercado y que se extendiende a todos los sectores de la industria manufacturera. En este contexto se analiza la capacidad de respuesta que las empresas de la industria de la curtiduría en México observan en un escenario donde el crecimiento de las tecnologías y los productos amigables con el ambiente supera las tasas de crecimiento de otros sectores de la economía. Se analizan los factores de carácter social y económico que determinan la transición de esta industria hacia procesos y tecnologías más limpios. Los resultados apuntan a señalar que el sector concentra dos grupos claramente definidos; las grandes empresas, ligadas a la Cámara de Industriales de la Curtiduría -cicur-, que cuentan con una política ambiental, tecnologías de punta y estrategias de cumplimiento de la normativa ambiental; por otro lado las pequeñas y medianas empresas con una orientación tradicional, ligadas a la Asociación Nacional de Curtidores, que muestran una mayor resistencia a adoptar prácticas ambientales y orientadas al mercado nacional. Se concluye, entre otros factores, que el tipo de mercado influye más que la misma normativa nacional para incursionar en prácticas de innovación ambientalTechnological innovation comprises the introduction of new technologies and products that respond to the emerging needs of society and market, and extends to all sectors of the manufacturing industry. The responsiveness of companies in the tannery industry in mexico in a setting where technology and environment-friendly products growth surpasses the growing ratio of the other economy sectors is analized in this context. We analize the social and economical factors that determine the transition from this industry to one with cleaner processes and technologies. Results point towards the fact that the sector gathers in two clearly defined groups; big companies linked to the “Cámara de Industriales de la Curtiduría”, which hold an environmental policy, novel technologies and strategies to observe the environmental norm, and small and medium sized companies with a traditional orientation, linked to the “Asociacion Nacional de Curtidores”, which show a greater resistance against the adoption of environmental practices and are oriented towards national market. it is concluded, among other factors, that the kind of market is a greater influence into adopting environmental innovative practices than the national normative itselfPostprint (published version

Eficiência racional em um processo agroindustrial com corrente de frio : medição termodinâmica e exergoeconômica

1 recurso en línea (páginas 39-49).The cold chain is the succession of links such as pre-cooling, refrigeration, freezing, and refrigerated transport. The physical variables of the heat transfer process are temperature control, relative humidity, dew point, and cooling surface. This paper aims at highlighting the use of thermodynamic tools such as exergy, anergy and entropy to measure rational efficiency in the different equipment and flows of a thermal process, through a transversal methodology that quantifies efficiencies in a relative, absolute, and comparative way. This study focused on the production structure of the agro-industrial cold chain by steam compression (refrigerant R404A), for the meat processing in channel, in the “Rastro Frigorífico Servicios Integrales del Bajío-TIF 333” in the city of Leon-Guanajuato, central region of Mexico. The results from the literature allowed to classify the critical points of greater exergy destruction, and the unproductive teams responsible for inefficiencies and residues production, which impact the hidden cost structure of the process, and affect negatively the process sustainability. This work integrates the thermoeconomic and productivity concepts that direct the nonlinear learning of thermodynamic science, relevant in the formation of an engineer.A corrente de frio é uma sucessão de elos, como pré-resfriamento, refrigeração, congelação e transporte refrigerado. As variáveis físicas do processo de transferência de calor são: temperatura, humidade relativa, ponto de condensação e superfície de refrigeração. O propósito do artigo é visibilizar o uso de ferramentas termodinâmicas, como exergia, anergia e entropia, para medir a eficiência racional nos diferentes equipamentos e fluxos de um processo térmico, mediante uma metodologia transversal para quantificar as eficiências em forma relativa, comparada e absoluta. Partiu-se de uma estrutura produtiva de corrente de frio agroindustrial por compressão de vapor (com refrigerante R404A), para o processamento de carne em carcaça, no “Rastro Frigorífico Servicios Integrales del Bajío-TIF 333”, na cidade de León-Guanajuato, centro do México. Os resultados obtidos e contrastados permitem classificar os pontos críticos de maior destruição de exergia e os equipamentos improdutivos responsáveis de ineficiências e produção de resíduos, com incidência na estrutura de custos ocultos do processo e impacto negativo sobre a sustentabilidade do processo. Este trabalho integra conceitos como termoeconomia e produtividade, que direcionam a aprendizagem não lineal da ciência termodinâmica, relevante na formação do engenheiro.La cadena de frío es una sucesión de eslabones, como preenfriamiento, refrigeración, congelación y transporte refrigerado. Las variables físicas del proceso de transferencia de calor son: temperatura, humedad relativa, punto de rocío y superficie de refrigeración. El propósito del artículo es visibilizar el uso de herramientas termodinámicas, como exergía, anergía y entropía, para medir la eficiencia racional en los diferentes equipos y flujos de un proceso térmico, mediante una metodología transversal para cuantificar las eficiencias en forma relativa, comparada y absoluta. Se partió de una estructura productiva de cadena de frío agroindustrial por compresión de vapor (con refrigerante R404A), para el procesamiento de carne en canal, en el “Rastro Frigorífico Servicios Integrales del Bajío-TIF 333”, en la ciudad de León-Guanajuato, centro de México. Los resultados obtenidos y contrastados permiten clasificar los puntos críticos de mayor destrucción de exergía y los equipos improductivos responsables de ineficiencias y producción de residuos, con incidencia en la estructura de costos ocultos del proceso e impacto negativo sobre la sostenibilidad del proceso. Este trabajo integra conceptos como termoeconomía y productividad, que direccionan el aprendizaje no lineal de la ciencia termodinámica, relevante en la formación del ingeniero.Bibliografía: página 49

Experiències en assignatures de desenvolupament sostenible en format presencial i semipresencial

En aquesta ponència es desenvolupen les diferents modalitats presencials i semipresencials, amb les seves característiques particulars, que un grup de professorat de la Càtedra Unesco de Sostenibilitat de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) utilitzen per impartir la docència de les assignatures “Desenvolupament Sostenible” i “Desenvolupament Sostenible i Globalització” a diferents escoles de la UPC.Peer Reviewe