Industrial Symbiosis for Sustainable

Production
*Prof. Olli Dahl,
*MSc. Mikko Mkel, MSc. Gary Watkins and Dr. Roope Husgafvel
Dr. Jyrki Heino, University of Oulu
*School of Chemical Technology
Department of Forest Products Technology
Clean Technologies Group
P.O. Box 16300, 00076 Aalto, Finland
Phone +358 40 5401070
email: olli.dahl@aalto.fi

Content
Sustainability in industry
Industrial symbiosis
Existing industrial symbiosis systems
Future industrial symbiosis systems
Conclusions

Sustainability in industry - definitions

Barbier's view of sustainable development

(Holmberg & Sandberg, 1992)

Prism of sustainability
(Stenberg, 2001)

Many definitions, but how to select

the right one?
Egg of Sustainability
(Found et. al, 1997)

Sustainability in industry - metrics

Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI)

Global 100 index

has been designed to measure the performance of companies that meet globally recognized
corporate responsibility standards

Carbon Disclosure Leadership index

the 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World

FTSE4Good-index

provide asset managers with reliable and objective benchmarks to manage sustainability
portfolios

highlighting companies which have displayed the most professional approach to climate
change disclosure practices

World's Most Ethical Companies

designation recognizes companies that truly go beyond making statements about doing
business ethically and translate those words into action.

My claim is that existing metrics are planned for global money makers
and do not take care of local aspects at all!

Sustainability in industry - confusing example

How it is possible that a company that:
has shut down many mills (even profitable ones)
has made over 2000 white-collar workers redundant
has been suspected of using illegal means and to violate human rights
when acquiring land for forest plantations

Has been selected as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies

using various sustainability indexes?!

What do these indices really measure?

Should we develop better indices and metrics?

Sustainability in Industry new approaches

Balanced Sustainability (BS)
Launched by Pyry 2009 in its 2020 vision:
BS includes three aspects which are environmental, economic
and social.
BS is weighting values of different aspects - can vary depending
on the nature of the project and location.
BS defines social aspects as how solutions affect people,
institutions and cultures, economic aspects as how solutions
impact local and global economies, and environmental aspects as
how solutions impact nature and the environment
This metric also takes care of individual mills and their effects on
local aspects!

Industrial Symbiosis - definitions

Industrial ecology What should we do?

Industrial ecology is a broad, systemic and cross-industrial approach,

it studies industrial systems as ecosystems which encompass a
network of processes and flows, includes industrys wider links to
society Broad metaphor.

Industrial symbiosis What can we do?

Industrial symbiosis is a part of industrial ecology looking at the

interaction and utilization of processes and flows within the industrial
ecosystem such as recycling of residues for the development of new
symbiosis products A model.

Existing industrial symbiosis systems Copper

production - steps
Concentrate, silica sand

FLOW SHEET OF COPPER SMELTER

Feed mixture
Flue dust

Bag
filter

Oxygen
and air

SCREENING AND
GRINDING

Ba g
filter

Steam

CONCENTRATE
DRYING

WHB

FLASH SMELTING
FURNACE

PRESSURE
FILTER
Slag concentrate

Slag

Matte
Scrap, anode scrap

THICKENER

Silica sand,
coke, reverts
SLAG GRINDING

WHB

SLAG COOLING

EP

CONVERTER
Ni drying
HEAT
EXCHANGER

Ni Electric
furnace bins

ANODE CASTING

Propane, air
ANODE
FURNACE

Waste slag

Bag
filter

Air and oxygen

Blister

SLAG
CONCENTRATOR

Acid
plant

EP

Cu-ANODE

Existing industrial symbiosis systems Copper and

Nickel production today

Benefits:
Better environmental
efficiency
Better energy
efficiency
Better material
efficiency
Excellent example of
todays approach to
industrial symbiosis

Landfill

Future industrial symbiosis systems new symbiosis

products symbiosis with other industry fields
Power plant
fly ash

Pulp mill

lime waste

bottom ash

Paper mill
green liquer dregs

Carbon steel
plant

steel ladle slag

sludge

desulphurisation
slag

Symbiosis products
Mine

attle rock

Soil amelioration pellet

Inferior concrete
Mine filler

New symbiosis products:

New fertilizer (soil improvement pellets), lower grades concretes and mine
fillings

Avoid landfilling

Future industrial symbiosis systems new symbiosis

products symbiosis with other industry fields
Results via LCA calculation:
Symbiosis
products

Primary
products

GWP
(kg, CO2-Ekviv.)

Carbon footprint
(kg)

1.6

1.6

1.9

Mine filling

0.13

0.12

Soil improvement

12.2

11.4

NPK 15-15-15 fertlizer

1497

845

Precast concrete

124

119

Portland cement

899

885

Mine filling (portland)

1.5

1.4

3 141 303

2 816 680

Soil improvement
Lower grade concrete

Landfilling of slag

Barriers:

Existing laws (dilution of waste is forbidden, total concentration thinking!)

Old attitudes in industry and authorities in Finland

Lack of guidance for industry

Future industrial symbiosis systems and scales/levels

Symbiosis vs Ecology?
1 - IS Installation
2 - IS Local
3 - IS/IE Sub Regional
4 - IE Regional
5 - IE Transnational?
1>2>3>4>5->more systemic/complex

We want improvements on which scale? Inter-plant

symbioses or for a regional system? i.e. are suboptimal elements allowed in overall solutions?

Conclusions
Sustainability in industry

Too many metrics and indexes, which are made for money makers

Do not take care of local aspects

New indicators and indexes will be needed!

Industrial symbiosis

Good examples of industrial symbiosis have been developed

New symbiosis products will be coming to market

Industrial symbiosis and symbiosis products means:

Better material efficiency, Better energy efficiency, Better environmental efficiency

However new thinking will be needed by both industry and regulatory

authorities!

Thanks!
Antoine de Saint
Saint--Exupry
We do not inherit our land from our ancestors
We just borrow land from our children