Industrial Symbiosis Track (ISDR Conference Hong Kong)- Abstract Submission deadline 31st March

Dear All

We have now received very good quality abstracts in good number and we are sure that the meeting at the ISDR conference in Hong Kong would be a great forum for an engaging discussion on the topic.

Due to huge interest, the online abstract submission system is kept open until March 31st 2010. So if anyone still wishes to submit an abstract, you could do so using the online system via http://papersubmission.hku.hk/sdconf10/ and by sending a copy of the abstract to me via a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk

I very much look forward to meeting many of you in Hong Kong.

Kind regards

Abhi

The Journal of Industrial Ecology announces a special issue on Material Flow Analysis (MFA) - Free Download

Material flow analysis (MFA), the tracking and analysis of materials through the environment and the economy at various scales, holds out the promise of a unique lens through which to examine environmental challenges, providing a valuable addition to the toolkit available to analysts and decision makers.

The Journal of Industrial Ecology announces a special issue on
applications of MFA. This special issue describes a variety of ways
in which MFA has addressed real world situations around the globe,
particularly relating to problems of resource scarcity, pollution
abatement and waste management.

Articles in the special issue are available for free download at
http://www.wiley.com/go/appsmfa for
a limited time. A modest number of free print copies are available
for students, researchers from developing countries and journalists
(contact: indecol@yale.edu).

Prof. Ester van der
Voet, of the Institute of
Environmental Sciences (CML) at Leiden University, the
Netherlands, Prof. Claudia Binder
of the Institute of Systems Sciences,
Innovation and Sustainability Research (ISIS) at the University of
Graz, Austria, and Dr. Kirsten Rosselot of
Process Profiles, Calabasas,
California, served as co-editors of the special issue.

The Journal of Industrial Ecology, a peer-reviewed international
scientific journal, is owned by Yale University, headquartered at the
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental
Studies and published by Wiley-Blackwell. It is the official journal
of the International Society for Industrial Ecology.

Support for this special issue was provided by the U.S. National
Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

====================
Reid J. Lifset, Assoc.
Dir. School of
Forestry & Env. Studies
Industrial Environmental Mgmt. Program Yale University
Editor, Journal of Industrial
Ecology 195 Prospect Street
203-432-6949 (tel) -5912 (fax) New Haven, CT 06511 USA
reid.lifset@yale.edu

PhD in Industrial Ecology in United States

Dear all,

I am a master student in Sweden in Environmental Management field and want to continue my education (Phd) in the field of Industrial Ecology in the United States. I have yet another year to finish my master, but I have to think from now about my thesis work.

United States is so huge and among thousands of web pages and college and university links I am a bit lost. I want to know where are the focal points of research in this field in the US and try to know the main trends so that I can choose my master thesis topic in such a way that increase my chances to continue my Phd in a very credible academic environment.

I am generally interested in Industrial Ecology, however I like to focus more in topics like Industrial Symbiosis, Crade-to-Cradle, Eco-Effectiveness and so on.

Can you please advise me about this. What schools in the United States are the leaders of research in this field?

If they are several (which surely they are) what are their focus areas (their strong fields) related to the mentioned topics?

I really appreciate your hints and advices.

(master student in Linkoping University, Sweden)

PhD Scholarships; resource recovery and environmental impacts assessments, LCA etc.; Deadline 15th March 2010

Please find below details of four PhD scholarships in the areas of resource recovery and environmental impacts assessments, LCA etc. Deadline 15th March 2010

3R Scholarships available (check www.3R.env.dtu.dk for more details)

PhD 16: Resource and environmental impacts assessment of recycling of construction and demolition waste (C&D waste).
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is one of the largest waste types in Denmark and the one showing the highest rate of recycling (>95%). However, the current recycling practice may be threatened by new regulation and lack of a holistic assessment of the overall benefits of recycling of C&D waste. Examples are: restrictive leaching test criteria cause testing of granulated concrete often to exceed limit values in particular for Cr; the extended producer responsibility applies also to reused concrete and may lead to excessive caution and thus with time may reduce recycling. A main aspect is that a careful mapping of C&D waste may show that only a very small part of the C&D waste stream may constitute a real risk while the remaining part is safely recyclable.

PhD 17: LCA model for sewage sludge - an EASEWASTE extension.
The project addresses resources and environmental impacts associated with management of sewage sludge by developing a special version of the waste-LCA-model EASEWASTE (Kirkeby et al,. 2006) that can assess the management of various types of sewage sludge as they are generated at sewage works. The sludge may undergo dewatering, transportation, digestion, composting, incineration, nutrient-recovery, landfilling or be use on land. The various management options provide different possibilities with respect to resource and energy recovery and cause different environmental impacts.

PhD 18: Inclusion in LCIA of human health impacts from occupational indoor or outdoor exposure to chemicals, pathogens and dust in waste management systems.
The project addresses human health impacts following from occupational exposure to chemicals, dust or pathogens for operators involved in the centralized sorting of waste or in the different treatments of the resulting waste fractions. It is expected that these human health impacts for some waste treatment technologies may be at least as important as the human health impacts caused by emissions to the environment, but it is not supported by any of the existing methods for life cycle assessment (LCA) and hence also not addressed by the EASEWASTE tool for LCA of waste management systems.

PhD 19: Innovations in design for recycling, collection and automated central recognition and sorting
The project shall identify and test upcoming methods for ‘waste design & material tagging’ paired with technologies for recognition/identification for centralized automated sorting/separation of waste streams with the aim of enhanced material recovery. A set of scenarios for future waste design and sorting and collection systems will be developed, and the efficiency of automated sorting of the waste streams deriving from these systems into recyclable waste fractions in lab scale will be documented. Finally, the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of the developed waste system designs will be analyzed by a system analysis approach.

Regards

Abhi

New Article on Industrial Symbiosis

Dear All

I have recently got a paper on industrial symbiosis accepted in the Journal of Cleaner Production and this may be of interest. Authorship of the paper is Inês Costa, Guillaume Massard & Abhishek Agarwal. It is still not formated in the in-house style of the journal; however, it is available through the following link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2009.12.019

Also if you are planning to submit an abstract for the track 'Sustainable communities with - not despite - industry: industrial symbiosis & eco-industrial development / networking' at the International Sustainable Development Research Conference Hong Kong, 30 May – 1 June, 2010, please do so by 31st January 2010.

Please submit the abstract using the online system at http://www.kadinst.hku.hk/sdconf10/abstract_submission.html under the conference theme "Industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks and eco-industrial networking and regional sustainability"; and please email a copy of the abstract to Abhishek Agarwal via a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk

Papers submitted in the track will be considered for publication in a special issue of a reputed sustainable development journal.

Further information available at http://www.abhibiz.co.uk/2009/12/iseidein-track-at-sustainable.html

Kind regards

Abhi
www.abhibiz.co.uk

IS/EID/EIN Track at the Sustainable Development Conference, Hong Kong 2010‏‏‏‏‏ - Update January 2010

The deadline for abstract submission for the track 'Sustainable communities with - not despite - industry: industrial symbiosis & eco-industrial development / networking' at the International Sustainable Development Research Conference Hong Kong, 30 May – 1 June, 2010 has been extended to 31st January 2010.

Please submit the abstract using the online system at http://www.kadinst.hku.hk/sdconf10/abstract_submission.html and please email a copy of the abstract to my email at a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk

Papers submitted in the track will be considered for publication in a special issue of a reputed sustainable development journal.

Further information available at http://www.abhibiz.co.uk/2009/12/iseidein-track-at-sustainable.html

Kind regards

Abhi

Funding From The 2010 CIWM-Defra Programme of Support for Masters Theses

An Invitation To Submit Proposal For Funding From The 2010 CIWM-Defra Programme of Support for Masters Theses

This call for proposals relates to the 2010 CIWM-Defra programme of support for Masters Theses in areas related to Defra's Waste and Resources and Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Evidence Programmes. We would be grateful if you would circulate this email to all the relevant academics and departments within your university. Please go to the following document link for full details of how to apply. www.ciwm.co.uk/mediastore/FILES/18403.doc

Regards

Abhi

vacancies for Ph.D. students in industrial symbiosis

Dear All

Please see a message below from Leo Baas regarding positions for PHD students in industrial symbiosis at the Linköping University:

We have vacancies for Ph.D. students in industrial symbiosis and bio-fuels research fields starting in 2010. See the Linköping university website: www.liu.se/en/job

Also, the deadline for abstract submission for the track 'Sustainable communities with - not despite - industry: industrial symbiosis & eco-industrial development / networking' at the International Sustainable Development Research Conference Hong Kong, 30 May – 1 June, 2010 is 31st December 2009.

Please submit the abstract using the online system at http://www.kadinst.hku.hk/sdconf10/abstract_submission.html and email a copy of the abstract to my email at a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk

Further information available at http://www.abhibiz.co.uk/2009/12/iseidein-track-at-sustainable.html

Kind regards

Abhi

IS/EID/EIN Track at the Sustainable Development Conference, Hong Kong 2010‏‏‏‏‏

Call for Papers: Industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks and eco-industrial networking and regional sustainability

The 16th Annual
International Sustainable Development Research Conference
Hong Kong, 30 May – 1 June, 2010
www.kadinst.hku.hk/sdconf10/indexin.html

“A New Agenda for Global Governance”

Track: Sustainable communities with - not despite - industry: industrial symbiosis & eco-industrial development / networking

Chaired by:
Abhishek Agarwal, Aberdeen Business School, The Robert Gordon University, UK: a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk
Ms Tracy Casavant, President, Eco-Industrial Solutions, Canada: tracy@ecoindustrial.ca
Professor Yong Un Ban, Chungbuk National University, Korea: byubyu@cbu.ac.kr
Professor Geng Yong, Chair Professor on Circular Economy and Industrial Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China: gengyong@iae.ac.cn

Overview

The last two decades have seen an ever increasing interest in Industrial Symbiosis (IS) / Eco-industrial Development (EID) / Eco-industrial Networking (EIN) by policy makers, industry leaders and academics alike. This has led to the implementation of IS programmes and development of eco-industrial parks / networks in many countries.

In attempting to encourage the adoption of industrial ecology (IE) principles such planned initiatives by Government have been supported by the use of a range of ‘new’ environmental policy instruments, with many reported corporate and environmental success stories to date. In addition to government policy and programmes, multi-stakeholder efforts have played a key role in the development of IS/EID/EIN initiatives. This provides a rich area of research, especially in examining the performance of such policy instruments, cross-sectoral partnerships and governance around IS/EID/EIN initiatives, and associated corporate strategies and programmes utilised by the international business community in contributing to broader Sustainable Development aspirations.

This Track seeks to attract high quality papers which aim to be both critical and reflective of recent IS/EID/EIN projects and policy initiatives around the globe. This is important for those of us who are keen to see IE/IS as a meaningful concept in the pursuit of sustainability rather than merely a public relations exercise for Government, Facilitators and Corporate Actors. Both theoretical and empirical papers are welcome, either in full or developmental form, in the following areas:
• Government Policy and Programmes to promote IS/EID/EIN:
- The Performance of New Environmental Policy Instruments e.g. Regulation, Market-based Instruments, and Voluntary Codes of Conduct
- Government involvement in promoting IS/EID/EIN initiatives
- Government-supported education and outreach
- Development of Performance Evaluation Indicators for Eco-industrial Parks/Networks
• Regional multi-stakeholder efforts to promote industrial sustainability
- Cross-sectoral partnerships and governance for IS/EID/EIN
- Regional government and other stakeholders’ role in the development of IS/EID/EIN initiatives
- Role of facilitators in IS/EID/EIN initiatives and success of the facilitation process
- Planning and development of eco-industrial parks / networks; land use planning
- Transformation of existing industrial parks into eco-industrial parks
- Transferability of IS/EID/EIN successful practices from one context (place) to another
• Cases from industry sectors / corporate actors
- IS/EID/EIN success/failure (case studies)
- The impact of IS/EID/EIN initiatives on Corporate / Environmental Performance and regional sustainability
- Reducing ecological / carbon / water footprint using IS/EID/EIN
• Tools and Techniques of IE/IS e.g. internet based resource / by-products matching system
• Evaluation tools and techniques for IS/EID/EIN projects, including environmental impact assessment and life cycle assessment

When submitting your abstract, please categorise it as TRACK “Sustainable communities with - not despite - industry: industrial symbiosis & eco-industrial development / networking” or THEME "Industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks and eco-industrial networking and regional sustainability"

Detailed information and link about how to submit an abstract is available at:
http://www.kadinst.hku.hk/sdconf10/abstract_submission.html

In addition to submitting abstract online, please send a copy of abstract by email to a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk

Deadline for submitting abstracts: January 31, 2010

For further information please contact:
Abhishek Agarwal, Email: a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk

Publication

Papers (accommodating the discussion at the conference) will be considered for publication in a special issue of a reputed journal.

The 16th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2010 (30 May – 1 June 2010)

The 16th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2010 (30 May – 1 June 2010)

The Kadoorie Institute of the University of Hong Kong, in association with the International Sustainable Development Research Society, will be organizing this international conference between 30 May – 1 June, 2010 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong.

The theme of the conference is "A New Agenda for Global Governance". We are seeking offers of papers from researchers and practitioners in the fields of sustainable development, environmental policy and industrial ecology. We invite contributions relating to integrated policies, cross-sectoral governance and issues concerning climate change. Papers on the latest developments associated with sustainable development and the innovations and practical measures addressing global challenges are welcome. For details, please visit our conference website.

International Sustainable Development Conference 2010
http://www.hku.hk/sdconf10

Or you may download the conference pamphlet from
http://www.kadinst.hku.hk/sdconf10/PDF_file/Conference_Flyer.pdf

Deadline for abstract submissions: December 31, 2009

A training workshop for Ph.D. students has been arranged on the Saturday afternoon before the conference. Interested local and overseas students will have the opportunity to obtain experience from world famous scholars and experts. The workshop is tentatively named “The Survival Tips for a PhD Life” and will accommodate up to 30 local and overseas PhD student-participants for the conference.

For further enquiries, please contact:

Mr. Timothy Ho
The Kadoorie Institute
The University of Hong Kong
Email: sdconf10@hku.hk
Tel: (852) 22194764
Fax: (852) 28272521

Water Fluoridation and Industrial Symbiosis

Water fluoridation is the generally well-regarded practice of adding fluoride to water supplies in order to combat tooth decay. Tooth decay, or dental caries, is the gradual degradation of dental material that can result in discoloration and the physical decomposition of teeth. Studies have shown that adding an optimal amount of fluoride to a water supply is a cost-effective way to help combat dental caries. Additionally, fluoridated water has no perceivable taste, odor or color. Obtaining bulk amounts of fluoride to add to water supplies can be problematic, because bulk fluoride production can be expensive and complicated, but fortunately other industries produce fluorides as unneeded byproducts. This exchange can be viewed as an industrially symbiotic relationship.

Dental Caries and Fluoride

Dental caries is a term for a problem involving tooth decay, discoloration and physical degradation of teeth. Dental caries is generally the result of increased plaque, which is an organic mixture of bacteria, food items, cells and saliva. Plaque adheres to dental surfaces and, if left unchecked, grows and begins the gradual process of tooth demineralization. This dissolving is because the bacteria produces acids that colonize tooth enamel and destroy the minerals that comprise it. Low level tooth decay can result in discolorations and lesions, while untreated tooth decay can produce cavities in teeth and the death of dental nerves, causing great pain to the sufferer.

Dental caries is a common problem that affects a large percentage of the population. Roughly 85 percent of adults in the United States have suffered some degree of dental caries. While generally anyone can suffer from dental caries, studies have shown that people of low socioeconomic backgrounds and children are the most susceptible to the disease, as they don’t have the means to adequately limit risks and treat symptoms or are developing and do not have the biological ability to do so.

For over a century, scientists have noticed fluoride’s ability to both slow and prevent dental caries’ development as well as, in some cases, reverse its effects. This effect occurs because fluoride attacks plaque and the bacteria it carries in several ways. Fluoride is carried by saliva and attaches to plaque material as it demineralizes and dissolves enamel. As this process occurs, acids release from the plaque along with fluoride minerals. When this fluoride is ejected, it mixes with dissolved enamel and adheres to stable enamel, creating a new tougher, more durable enamel coating. This increase in strength is because the newly created enamel contains less minerals that attract plaque and is more acid resistant. Because of this creation of new enamel, when dental caries are exposed to a continued assault of low level fluoridation, the process can be reversed and repair old damage already incurred.

Water Fluoridation

Due to these findings, many municipalities have mandated active water supply fluoridation as an inexpensive method of limiting high percentages of tooth caries in populations. According to a report on tooth decay prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), water fluoridation has been found to decrease the amount of dental caries at a lower cost than dental procedures, because the water fluoridation process is inexpensive.

Water fluoridation is achieved by adding fluoride minerals to a water supply in a recommended dose. Water treatment facilities generally add one of three different types of fluoride to a water supply: sodium fluoride, fluorosilicic acid, or sodium fluorosilicate.

The recommended fluoride dose is different for each community, depending on local climate, geography, geology. For instance, in warmer climates, people tend to drink more water, so fluoridation is lower than in colder climates. Water pulled from deep wells generally has a higher fluoridation quantity than water taken from rivers and lakes.

Obtaining Fluoride

Dedicated fluoride production is a very expensive and intensive process, and without the interaction between different industries water fluoridation would be considerably more expensive. However, because fluorides considered appropriate for drinking water are created as byproducts in other manufacturing processes, water treatment facilities have reasonable access to necessary raw materials. Sodium fluoride, for instance, is a byproduct of aluminum production. Sodium fluoride was originally considered a very negative byproduct, because its disposal is quite expensive. Scientists recognized the mutual benefits between these problems and sodium fluoride was identified as the ideal candidate for water fluoridation. As a result, it was processed into salts and slow-release tablets and sold by the aluminum industry to water treatment plants in order to facilitate fluoridation. Fluorosilicic acid and its liquid form of sodium fluorsilicate are byproducts produced by the fertilizer industry. Like sodium fluoride and aluminum, they are generally expensive to dispose of and cannot be produced in dedicated facilities.

The availability of all three of these chemical compounds for fluoridation purposes has made water fluoridation a completely cost effective process. In the United States, the average cost of public fluoridation per person per year is $0.94, compared to the costs of treating just one carious surface, which can cost $8 to $12 more.

Special thanks to B. Lane at ThomasNet.com's Need to Know Guides.

Successful industrial symbiosis meeting in Kalundborg

Hello Everyone

I have just found some pictures that are being uploaded from industrial symbiosis symposium held in Kalundborg, Denmark. Although I was not lucky to be able to attend, it appears to have been a successful event. We will have an update from the symposium by one of the members shortly.

In the mean time you can have a glimpse of the pictures from the meeting by clicking here

Also I will return shortly with more details of the next IS symposium which is kindly hosted by Professor Fujita in Japan next year.

Any thoughts and/or updates from anyone attended the symposium this year would be much appreciated.

Regards

Abhi

IS group on LinkedIn

I would like to take this opportunity to inform the IS researchers / practitioners that I created an IS discussion group on LinkedIn, so if you have an account on LinkedIn, feel free to join!

Recently Published Articles

You may find some of the articles published recently in a special issue of the journal "Regional Studies" useful:

Editorial: Industrial Symbiosis - An Environmental Perspective on Regional Development pp. 1295-1298(4) Authors: Deutz, Pauline; Lyons, Donald

Industrial Symbiosis in Puerto Rico: Environmentally Related Agglomeration Economies pp. 1299-1312(14) Authors: Chertow, Marian; Ashton, Weslynne; Espinosa, Juan

Industrial Ecology and Regional Development: Eco-Industrial Development as Cluster Policy pp. 1313-1328(16) Authors: Deutz, Pauline; Gibbs, David

The Humanistic Side of Eco-Industrial Parks: Champions and the Role of Trust pp. 1329-1342(14) Authors: Hewes, Anne; Lyons, Donald

Regards

Abhi

6th Annual Warmnet Conference: Tackling Waste 2009

6th Annual Warmnet Conference: Tackling Waste 29th - 30th June 2009
University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus, Nottingham, UK

Sixth annual conference showcasing novel and innovative approaches to tackling waste.

Call For Papers

Postgraduate and new researchers are invited to submit a 200 word abstract on novel and innovative approaches to tackling waste, we particularly welcome submissions demonstrating a business focussed approach. Tackling Waste 2009 presents a unique opportunity for waste management researchers and businesses to showcase their research and achievements in innovative waste management

Submit abstracts to: tacklingwaste@northampton.ac.uk
Abstracts should be in MS Word format and 200 words maximum
Deadline for submission: 27th April 2009

ACE - Eco-Partnerships Industrial Symbiosis Project

Hello again

I guess, most of us must be excited to go back to Kalundborg for the IS research symposium. At the same time, some of us (especially students) might not make it due to limited funds and we may have to make a choice between the ISIE conference and the IS symposium. Hope most of us will make it and the tradition of IS symposium continues with the same success as in the past.

On a separate note, I wish to inform you of a new IS initiative that is being launched in Scotland. Funded jointly by the University of Abertay, Dundee and the European Union to the value of 1.1 million, the IS initiative, known as ACE Eco-Partnerships, aims to explore opportunities for industrial symbiosis, where the wastes or outputs from one SME can be used by a neighbouring SME. More information about the project can be accessed through their website http://eco-partnerships.abertay.ac.uk/about_ace.htm

A press release detailing the launch of the ACE Eco-partnerships is available through the following link: News Release

Regards

Abhi

http://www.abhibiz.co.uk/

Industrial Symbiosis Research Symposium 2009

Please find below information about the next industrial symbiosis research symposium:

Dear Colleagues:

The Sixth Annual Industrial Symbiosis Research Symposium “Contributing to CO2 Reduction and Sustainability” will be hosted by The Symbiosis Institute in Kalundborg, Denmark June 18-20th, 2009.

Under this title researchers from all over the world will discuss and exchange experiences on the contribution of industrial symbiosis to the reduction of greenhouse gases and other sustainability issues.

The Symposium will begin midday on 18 June and close at lunch on 20 June. The Symposium is organized in cooperation with Yale University's Center for Industrial Ecology and the International Society of Industrial Ecology - Section on IS/EIDC. The International Society for Industrial Ecology will hold its 2009 Conference "Transitions toward Sustainability" immediately following the Symposium from June 21-24 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Visit The Symbiosis Institute of Kalundborg’s website at http://www.symbiosis.dk/ and click on "upcoming events" at the top of the screen for more information on the Symposium and registration information. Deadline for registration is April 20, 2009. Registration fees are $75USD and local hotel discounts have been arranged for participants so that the price for per room is about $100 per night.

A detailed agenda is to follow. Please forward this mail to any colleagues who might be interested in this event as researchers in industrial symbiosis.

For more information on the ISIE Conference in Lisbon June 21-24, 2 009 please visit: http://www.isie2009.com

We look forward to seeing you in June,

The 2009 Organizing Committee

John Kryger, Chair and Director, Symbiosis Institute in Kalundborg

Marian Chertow, Yale University

Jørgen Christensen, JC Consult and Symbiosis Institute

Ray Côté, Dalhousie University, Symposium Chair 2007

Gabriel Grant, Yale University

Peter Lowitt, Devens Enterprise Commission, Symposium Chair 2008

Melanie Quigley, Yale University

Accessing / Posting info on the blog and podcast from Marian

Hello All

Please find below a direct link to the IS blog for accessing information / updates and /or if you wish to post any information.

http://www.abhibiz.co.uk/IS.html

You can also visit my personal website www.abhibiz.co.uk and access this and other blogs if of interest, from the menu.

In addition to that I am also upoloading a podcast by Marian Chertow from Yale about IE /IS. It covers an introduction of IE /IS and the origin of how this field has developed in last few decades and what it has to offer. It also covers details about the research that Marian is involved with. It is a useful resource for any of us and for anyone new to the field of industrial ecology.

Chertow.mp3

It has been confirmed that the above podcast has the most downloads in the Yale series.

You may find it interesting.

Best,

Abhi

www.abhibiz.co.uk

2009 and the UK-NISP

Hello Everyone

It is quite a while not to have posted any updates. I guess it is still not too late to wish you a productive 2009. I think all of us are looking forward to the ISIE and ISDR conferences in 2009. Unfortunately, they are very close to each other perhaps restricting some of us to attend both.

A good news is that we have few new members who have joined the blog recently making a total of 30 contributors. Your support is greatly appreciated. I would encourage you to write small entries and update about industrial symbiosis and waste / resource efficiency efforts in your respective areas and also to send details of any research projects you are involved with, papers recently published etc. to keep each other updated and perhaps to seek collaboration e.g. for conducting comparative studies.

Also it would be useful to send me any links that you think are relevant to this blog and/or any papers and / or reports on industrial symbiosis and I can upload these on the blog for easy access for all.

In the mean time I have a little update on NISP activities / strategies / scope below:


1. Intelligence Based Industrial Symbiosis

NISP is moving their focus from demand led approach to Intelligence Based Industrial Symbiosis. Regional Economic Development through the Intelligence Based Industrial Symbiosis (RED IBIS) is their next slogan. And this perhaps demonstrates the change in the NISP strategy that may be required for the continuation of funding in the UK and to introduce / market NISP services in other countries.

Peter Laybourn said:
“East Midlands Development Agency and Advantage West Midlands (in the UK) are among the first to recognise the potential of a RED IBIS type approach. The former has commissioned a study on resource mapping and the latter has commissioned market ‘intelligence' based IS for two industry sectors.

It is anticipated that if the UK adopts the full RED IBIS approach then countries that are already emulating NISP, such as China and Mexico, will follow suit based on the UK's learning experience.” Peter Laybourn*

2. Scope of NISP Activities

The UK National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) has been making significant efforts to transpose the UK IS model in other countries of the world. Some of the NISP initiatives that are taking place internationally are outlined by Peter Laybourn:

“Chicago is home to the US's first ‘UK style' IS programme, ‘Waste to Profit'. Run in conjunction with the City of Chicago, the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD) and the Chicago Manufacturing Center with support from NISP, it is now in its third year. The Chicago Waste to Profit Network aims to continue to grow and promote economic development for the whole State of Illinois.

The US BCSD is soon to meet the new President, Barack Obama, and present a proposal to establish and develop a national US IS scheme based on the UK model developed by NISP. If successful, this could catapult IS onto a widely visible world stage.

IS regional schemes have also been established in China, Mexico and Brazil. Lessons learned in the UK helped shape a ‘circular economy' initiative in the Yunnan Province of South West China.” Peter Laybourn**

3. NISP Synergy Workshop

I attended / assisted with ((actually hosted a table)) a NISP synergy workshop recently which was focused on identifying the “WANTS” and “HAVES” within the food and drinks sector. NISP being publicly funded, it was obviously a free event (with free lunch) for anyone to attend. It was attended by food sector professionals, environmental consultants, waste service providers (representatives of companies that provide services e.g. In-vessel composting, anaerobic digestion etc.). The approach used involved discussing and identifying the wants and haves of the companies and mixing and matching the use of by-products. Appears to be quite an effective approach overall and NISP claims to have identified 100 potential synergies. Now the question is how many of these go forward to fruition; and are we lacking in the cross-sectoral and thus innovation approach to IS as this approach just seems to link the waste producers to waste sorters? Am I understanding this right? Any views?

That’s all from me today. Hope you find this interesting to read. I look forward to any of your views on the above and any updates from your respective areas / countries.

Thank you for your support.

Best

Abhi

www.abhibiz.co.uk

References:

* Laybourn, Peter (2008) RED IBIS set to become second generation industrial symbiosis, Environmentalist, Issue No. 63 Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment

**Laybourn, Peter (2009) Industrial Symbiosis – coming to a country near you!, Environmentalist, Issue No. 71, Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment

Call for Papers: AISDRC 2009, Netherlands; Track: Industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks and eco-industrial networking and regional sustainability

15th Annual International Sustainable Development Research
Conference July 5-8, 2009, Utrecht, Netherlands

“Taking up the Global Challenge: Analysing the implementation of
innovations and governance for Sustainable Development”

CALL FOR PAPERS

Track nr 4C: Industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks and eco-industrial networking and regional sustainability

Pauline Deutz (University of Hull, UK: p.deutz@hull.ac.uk)
Donald Lyons (University of North Texas, USA: dlyons@unt.edu)
Sally Randles (University of Manchester, UK: sally.randles@manchester.ac.uk)
Abhishek Agarwal (Robert Gordon University, UK: a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk)

Industrial Symbiosis draws its conceptual foundation from the ecological metaphor of biological symbiosis, where unrelated organisms can find mutual benefit through the exchange of by -products. That is, one organism’s waste can be another’s resource. Networks of companies engaging in industrial symbiosis can be distributed across a city or region or co -located in an eco-industrial park. Industrial symbiosis offers potential environmental and economic efficiencies that have attracted policy interest across the world, both as economic development and regional sustainability initiatives. Whilst de novo eco -industrial park policy initiatives world -wide have struggled to establish significant by-product exchange networks, self-organized kernels of local and regional networks have been far more successful, leading industrial symbiosis proponents to reflect on the relative merits of planned versus more self -organized approaches.

Given the potential for industrial symbiosis to contribute to regional sustainability, the difficulties in realising that potential are frustrating. The concept is in danger of being dismissed by policy makers and academics as an inspired but impractical, and being left to industry to exploit to the extent that it is economically viable. However, if our goal is regional sustainability, then industrial symbiosis in whatever form becomes a means to an end, not the goal in and of itself.

This session aims to critically appraise Industrial Symbiosis as a tool for regional sustainability and to position the concept within ongoing policy developments. For example, given that industrial symbiosis arose as a resource conservation practice, how does the concept relate to policy frameworks increasingly dominated by strategies to reduce carbon emissions. Furthermore, under what circumstances does Industrial Symbiosis have a role to play in regional sustainability, how can the most appropriate form for a given setting be determined, and how pro -active should the state be in promoting Industrial Symbiosis ?

Important questions for further research include:

 Given the potential public good from Industrial Symbiosis what should be the role of the state in its promotion? What form of policies would effectively engage business in Industrial Symbiosis practices, and how would they vary according to the context or particular places?

 Are the lessons from successful self -organized Industrial Symbiosis kernels transferable nationally and/or internationally?

 What is the role of the region in the development of Industrial Symbiosis?

 What are the implications of international commodity flows for regional sustainable development and regional Industrial Symbiosis networks?

 Should the scope of Industrial Symbiosis be broadened to incorporate post consumer and industrial waste?

 What would be the role for the existing materials recycling and recovery industries within an economy where by -product exchange were increasingly the norm?

 How can the energy cascade component of Industrial Symbiosis be promoted as part of broader policies aimed at carbon emissions reductions?

 Should Industrial Symbiosis focus more on energy cascade exchanges in light of the current attention to carbon emissions?

Please see the conference website for more information and details of how to submit an abstract.

Abstract deadline: 1st January, 2009

Excellent Opportunity in Waste Management / Engineering - Case Studentship in Leeds

Great Opportunity - Please pass it on to anyone who may be interested:

Project Title: The Development of Geopolymer Systems for the Immobilisation of Waste Streams – A Win-Win-Win Situation

School/Department/Institute: Civil Engineering (Civil Engineering Materials Group)

UK/EU/International (please indicate) UK + EU

Award type: EPSRC industrial CASE Studentship

Number of Awards: 1

Supervisor Name: Dr Leon Black

Value: £12,900 + £1200 industrial top up

Application deadline: (open until filled)

Project Description (300 words maximum):
The combustion of municipal waste to produce energy reduces amount of material sent to landfill. However, it produces a material which may be classed as hazardous. Furthermore, there are demands to reduce the amount of material, especially hazardous material, sent to landfill. This project aims to develop geopolymerisation of incinerator residues and other waste streams, to produce stable, inert materials suitable for construction of waste management infrastructure. Achieving these aims will be a win-win-win situation, using waste to treat waste, diverting material from landfill, and producing a useable material.
The Materials group within the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds has a long history in the field of cementitious materials. The group are experts on the microstructure and stability of a wide range of cements and blended cements, i.e. cements incorporating materials such as slag or fly ash. The group is ideally placed at the interface between materials’ science and civil engineering, and this fusion of materials’ science and engineering to understand waste stream stabilisation is one of the key points of this project. A number of techniques are available within the department to investigate the microstructural, chemical and engineering properties of the stabilised wastes, e.g. electron microscopy, thermal analysis, porosimetry, compressive strength and leaching behaviour, etc.
The project is supported by a major waste management company, who are incredibly keen to develop novel and innovative approaches to waste management. The novel use of waste materials in this project excites them, and their continued enthusiasm and drive to see a successful outcome is ensured. As operators of a number of incinerators, the sponsors have a thorough knowledge of the environmental and legislative aspects of the project. They are also committed to training and supervision within their company, both in terms of sample testing and in providing a thorough grounding in the operation and regulation of the waste industry.
The project is at the interface between chemistry, engineering and waste management. As such it suits any physical / environmental sciences or engineering background. Most important is the ability to think logically.

How to apply:
Graduate School Office, Faculty of Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT

Email address:
Further information contact: Dr Leon Black
Name: Leon Black
Email: l.black@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone: 0113 343 2283

A new framework for waste management in the EU

Dear All

This is just to inform you about the revised EU framework for waste management (doc. 3646/08) launched on the 20th October 2008 that repeals the current waste framework directive (2006/12/EC), the directive on hazardous waste (91/689/EEC) and part of the directive on waste oils (75/439/EEC).

The new legislation also considers energy efficient waste incineration into the 5 step hierarchy of waste management options.

Please click here to download the directive in PDF format.

Regards

Abhi

ETAP Newsletter

Dear friends, the latest issue of the ETAP Newsletter "Clean, Clever and Competitive" features a piece of our own Peter Laybourn on NISP.

You can download it here