The pollution and degradation of the environment are two of the most pressing problems that we face today and, one of its main promoters, we find it in the industry, which is by far the economic sector that has the most impact on the environment and in the health of the planet. Therefore, new models of manufacturing and management of raw materials that are focused on reducing the impact of this sector of human economy are being implemented. A good example of this is the so -called industrial ecology, which is an industrial model that integrates different elements in order to reduce its impact on the most immediate environment. If you want to know a little more about What is industrial ecology with examplesand know some examples of success where it is already being applied, continues to read ecology and we tell you.
What is industrial ecology
The industrial ecology It is an industrial system that intends imitate the way an ecosystem works. To do this, industrial activity is developed associating with each other. That is, factories do not work independently, but a Mutua cooperation relationship reminiscent of the trophic chains that occur in natural ecosystems with a wide range of biodiversity.
In this way, there is an industrial model that reduces its impact on the environmentsince the generation of waste and energy dependence is reduced. In addition, this also has an important economic impact, since it is a model that is highly profitable by reducing infrastructure maintenance costs.
How an industrial ecology system works
Thinking about an industrial ecology system is inevitable to think about natural ecosystems. Natural ecosystems feed on themselves, that is, they take the initial energy of the available renewable resources and, from there, Each link in the trophic chain feeds the next And so on. Finally, the one that could be considered as “last link”, feeds the initial link and, in this way, A circular system is established which allows the introduction of new assets to be necessary in the form of raw material or energy beyond the one that is naturally found in the middle.
Industrial ecology works in the same way. His priority is that Industrial waste of an activity serves as raw material on the other and, in turn, the waste of this second is the raw material of a third, and so on. This entails the reduction of dependence on exterior raw materials, since the main bulk comes from the reuse of waste from another industry.
This is achieved by developing a properly managed industrial plan. That is, there must be closeness and communication between the different industries that form the tissue of the industrial ecosystem, just as it happens in nature. In this way, an environment of industrial ecology can be successfully established, since All industries are connected to each other voluntarily, which guarantees that the waste of one can be used by another.
Example of Industrial Ecology: Kalundborg
The environments that have implemented Industrial Ecology Models They go far beyond the classic industrial polygons. A good example is found in Kalundborg, a town of about 20,000 people located at Northern Denmark.
The industrial ecology model began to be implemented in the 60s of the twentieth century and, little by little, it has been perfected until it becomes what is today, one of the more efficient industrial ecology environments that we can find in Europe. Kalundborg has an eco -industrial park that works just like a trophic chain of a natural ecosystem.
In Kalundborg there are:
- An electricity plant.
- An oil refinery.
- A sulfuric acid factory.
- A cement.
- A plaster cardboard factory (PLADUR).
- A biomass factory.
- Local farms.
In addition, roads are also manufactured and repaired, as well as services to the city of Kalundborg. The really interesting thing about all this is that, all these buildings and their activities are related to each other.
To get an idea, the power plant It produces steam as waste. However, this steam is used by the oil refinerythat supplies both the power plant itself and the plaster cardboard. In addition, the refinery produces sulfur as waste, but which is the raw material of the sulfuric acid factory.
On the other hand, the same steam generated by the power plant is used in the biomass factorywhich produces yeast as waste, although this yeast serves as food to pig farms. Likewise, as a result of the activity of the biomass factory, fermented sludge are also produced that are residues that reuse local farms.
In the case of the power plant, the volatile compounds that would contaminate the atmosphere are reused in the Cement manufactureand solid waste are part of the raw material with which the asphalt of the roads is recovered. At the same time, the remaining heat produced by the power plant is used to offer a heating service to the city’s buildings, which in turn forward the residual heat to the central itself so that it can use it and thus also reduce its production.
In short, as can be seen, it is an industrial ecosystem in which All industries are connected to each other. This does not mean that they are completely self -sufficient, but they do more reduce their dependence on raw materials and external energy by using waste from other activities for their own benefit. The result is an industrial model with a much lower environmental impact that traditional models and that, in addition, it results in the benefit of all the social and economic agents involved.
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