Industrial Ecology

Pollution and Control Analysis

By Waqas Ali Tunio (07ME34)

Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science & Technology, Nawabshah -
Pakistan
Industrial Ecology
Industrial ecology involves designing industrial
infrastructure as if they were a series of
interlocking man-made ecosystems interfacing
with natural global ecosystem. Industrial ecology
takes the pattern of the natural environment as a
model for solving environmental problems,
creating a new paradigm for the industrial system
as a process
Tibbs (1993)
Industrial Ecology
Industrial Ecology is the means by which
humanity can deliberately and rationally approach
and maintain a desirable carrying capacity, given
continued economic, cultural and technological
evolution. The concept requires that an industrial
system be viewed not in isolation from its
surrounding systems, but in concert with them.
Allenby & Gradel 1993
Resource & energy flows
Linear model

unlimited unlimited waste

ecosystem
resources
Resource & energy flows
Semi-cyclical model

limited resources
limited
and energy
ecosystem waste
 Resource & energy flows
Cyclical model

energy ecosystem

Source: Graedel, T.E., “On the concept of industrial ecology”,

Annual Review of Energy and Environment, no. 21, 1996, p. 77.
Spaceship Earth as an Ecosystem
A closed system except for solar energy
A given natural capital stock of matter embodied in
biotic and abiotic materials
With a fixed stock it supports a fantastic number and
variety of life forms in a complex dynamic equilibrium
 Ecosystem Principles

Ecosystem members include producers, consumers,

and recyclers – closed loop systems
Population growth of members is limited by
carrying capacity of the ecosystem
Symbiosis between members
Close proximity of members
Decentralized decision-making among members
(no central planner)
Renewable energy input to system (i.e.solar)
No wastes – all by-products are inputs
Self-sustaining (sustainable growth)
Resilience
 But nothing lasts forever
In fact, it’s the Law!
(The Second Law of Thermodynamics, actually.)

Everything made, eventually decays and becomes

Waste

Hence the rub...

Industrial/economic systems

Transform energy and matter to

meet human needs, but….
Comparing ecosystems and industrial/economic systems
Members include producers, consumers, and recyclers – closed loop
systems
Population growth of members is limited by carrying capacity of the
ecosystem
Symbiosis between members
Close proximity of members
Decentralized decision-making among members (no central planner)
Renewable energy input to system (i.e.solar)
No wastes – all by-products are inputs
Self-sustaining (sustainable growth)
Resilience
 Industrial/economic systems
Transform energy and matter to
meet human needs, but….
Open loop systems
Growth with limited attention to the carrying capacity
of local and global ecosystems
Adversarial/exploitative relationship with biotic and
abiotic environment
Dependence on non-renewable resources
Wastes are generated (not recycled, non-recyclable,
toxic, harmful)
Industrial Ecology
Designing industrial systems using ecosystem analogy
Minimizing matter and energy use
(Dematerialization)
Key Concepts in Industrial Ecology
Systems analysis
Material and energy flows and transformations
Analogies to natural systems (creation of
industrial ecosystems)
Dematerialization of industrial output
Closed loop systems
Balancing industrial input and output to
natural ecosystem capacity
Multidisciplinary approach
Conclusion
The strength of Industrial Ecology lies in description of the material world. There
are large bodies of scholarly and proprietary literature describing material and
energy flows as well as chemical emissions on different spatial levels from
individual industrial processes at a single site to the global setting. Industrial
Ecology uses ecology as a metaphor to inform corporate and to a lesser extent
policy-level decision making. Industrial Ecology has begun to use mathematical
models both to improve description and also to analyze scenarios about the future.
Industrial Ecology aims to provide information for decision makers, especially in a
corporate setting, but also in public institutions and households. It has until now
not embraced systematic approach to studying the economic, social and
psychological aspects of decision making. These areas are outside the paradigm of
Industrial Ecology since they are not traditionally an area of expertise of engineers
and natural scientists. While Industrial Ecology is a truly interdisciplinary
enterprise, the concerns of social scientists are addressed only on its margins. This
fact is of fundamental importance for identifying areas for fruitful collaboration
between Industrial Ecologists and Ecological Economists.
 Industrial Ecology
Pollution and Control Analysis

By Waqas Ali Tunio (07ME34)

Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science & Technology, Nawabshah -
Pakistan