The dynamics of industrial symbiosis: a proposal for a conceptual framework based upon a comprehensive literature review

In January, the Journal of Cleaner Production accepted an article written by Frank Boons, Yannis Mouzakitis and myself that I want to bring to your attention here. We offer a systematic review of literature on industrial symbiosis, assessing the concepts and theoretical insights that have been proposed to aid understanding of the phenomenon of industrial symbiosis. In addition, we introduce a new theoretical framework that can serve as a basis for understanding the dynamics through which industrial symbiosis in regional industrial systems comes about (see the abstract and the link to the full article below).

The theoretical framework will also serve as the theoretical basis of my own PhD-project, which started in August, 2010. In my PhD-project, I will analyze the influence of processes of institutional capacity building, and the concrete organizational arrangements that result from them, on the evolution of industrial symbiosis in regional industrial systems in the Netherlands. I will present about my research project during the ISIE 2011 Conference in Berkeley on June 7-10.

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that throughout the world, firms, governmental agencies and NGOs are seeking to stimulate industrial symbiosis. This concept and its application have also been the topic of extensive research. Up till now, this work lacks a more comprehensive theoretical framework, and this paper fills this gap. We provide a theoretical basis for understanding the dynamics through which regional industrial systems change their connectiveness in an attempt to reduce their ecological impact. We position our framework within the field of industrial symbiosis based on a comprehensive literature search in the ISI Web of Science database for publications that listed ‘industrial symbiosis’, ‘eco-industrial park’, or a combination of ‘industrial-ecology’ and ‘regional’ as a topic.

The framework conceptualizes industrial symbiosis as a process at two levels: (1) the level of the regional industrial system (RIS), and (2) the societal level where the concept and routines of industrial symbiosis diffuse. We link the dynamics at these levels to changes in ecological impact and increase in institutional capacity. We conclude with a research agenda based on the variables and their basic relationships specified in our framework. The main line of research we propose is to systematically investigate how institutional capacity evolves over time in regional industrial systems and how it affects the ecological impact of such systems. We also propose to investigate how insights from existing literature about stimulating and impeding factors to industrial symbiosis can be understood in terms of mechanisms of transmission and how these mechanisms interact to create nationally distinct patterns of diffusion of industrial symbiosis.

Link to full article

17th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference, Call for Papers (industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial networking / development)

What does it take to master the challenge of sustainable development?

We invite you to contribute your research on the nature of the sustainable development challenge and its potential solutions to the 17th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference, to be hosted by The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York City, in partnership with the International Sustainable Development Research Society and which will take place from May 8 to 10, 2011.

The conference will serve as a forum for open and diverse intellectual discourse on the theme of Moving Toward a Sustainable Future: Opportunities and Challenges, with special focus on identifying steps towards sustainability that are ready for implementation on the local, regional and global scale. At the same time ISDRC17 will explore how progress in the field of sustainable development can be translated into political action in preparation for the Rio+20 conference in 2012.

Event details:
17th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference
Moving Toward a Sustainable Future: Opportunities and Challenges
May 8-10, 2011
Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Website: isdrc17.ei.columbia.edu; Email: ISDRC17@ei.columbia.edu

We invite you to submit abstracts of your recent work and join the exchange of experiences.

Abstracts must be submitted online for peer review by January 17, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. EST. Papers for the conference will also be considered for publication in special issues of international scientific peer-reviewed journals organized by the theme leaders and session chairs. If your abstract relates to the areas of industrial symbiosis and eco-industrial networking / development, please choose track 5D - Bridging Organisations for high quality and lively discussion. Editor-in-Chief of Progress in Industrial Ecology - An international journal has also invited us to compile a special issue of the journal from the papers arising from this track. Please email abhishek.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk for any track related information.

Full details on the conference themes, abstract submission, fees and more can be found by visiting the conference website at isdrc17.ei.columbia.edu. Please email ISDRC17@ei.columbia.edu with any questions.

We hope you will consider joining us in May!

Update January 2011

Dear All

Wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

This Christmas was a bit extra special for me as it was my baby daughter’s first Christmas. We had great time and I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season too.

The research and practice around the concept of industrial symbiosis is definitely on the rise. Response to our call for papers for the JIE special issue on industrial symbiosis witnesses both the quantity and quality of industrial symbiosis work being undertaken across the world. This special issue would compile state of the art research on industrial symbiosis which you could look forward to reading towards the end of this year.

I mentioned about the International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference being hosted by the Earth Institute in Columbia University, New York in my last update. I will send you full details of how to submit an abstract in a separate post. Alfred Posch and I have been invited to chair the session “Bridging Organizations” at the conference. This session would focus on eco-industrial networking / development and industrial symbiosis among other areas. Deadline for submitting an abstract is 17th January 2011.

Best Wishes

Abhi
www.abhishekagarwal.co.uk

industrial symbiosis update October 2010

Dear All

It is after a while I am back to provide an update on industrial symbiosis. It is after a wee celebration on the birth of my baby girl “Ella” in August. Yes, difficult days but really happy days.

Well going back to the topic of industrial symbiosis; research and developments in the area of industrial symbiosis is gaining further momentum and I have got a few updates:

I am guest editing a special issue of Journal of Industrial Ecology (JIE) on industrial symbiosis with Shi Han of City University of Hong Kong, Donald Lyons of the University of North Texas and Rachel Lombardi of the University of Birmingham. JIE invites International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) members to submit papers to be considered for the special issue by November 30, 2010. Full call for papers is available at http://www.yale.edu/jie/CFPs/cfp-industrialsymbiosis.html

I believe most of you are informed about the Industrial Symbiosis Research Symposium to be held in Kawasaki Japan on November 5-6, 2010. Deadline for registration is extended to October 15. Most information is available through the symposium website http://www.iseid2010.com/

Recently came across an article on industrial symbiosis written by Peter McKenzie-Brown. He focuses on “Why waste management in the oilsands industry could better echo the mutually beneficial relationships in nature”. The article is published in Oilsands Review and also available to view via:
http://languageinstinct.blogspot.com/2010/08/industrial-symbiosis.html

International Synergies Ltd. (Managing organisation for the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme) and Staffordshire University have joined forces to offer an undergraduate course on Applied Industrial Symbiosis. The module is a 16 week course entitled Industrial Symbiosis: A Practical Introduction. More details available at
http://www.international-synergies.com/article/publish/news/International
_Synergies_and_Staffordshire_University_offer_undergraduate_course_
in_Applied_Industrial_Symbiosis.shtml

An up-to-date report has been published recently on NISP entitled “Innovative UK Industrial Symbiosis Model Exported”. Information about the report is available via
http://www.verdantix.com/index.cfm/papers/Products.Details/product_id/
142/innovative-uk-industrial-symbiosis-model-exported/

An industrial symbiosis project has been implemented in the Iskenderun Bay, Turkey by the United Nations Development Programme entitled “Towards Industrial Symbiosis in Iskenderun Bay Area Project”. Further details of the project are available from http://www.undp.org.tr/Gozlem2.aspx?WebSayfaNo=2013

Australian Industrial Ecology Network was launched following the Australasian Industrial Ecology Conference in Sydney in July 2009. I quote from their website “The group’s objective is to promote & encourage the development of activities, processes & relationship between entities which convert surplus, spent or unwanted materials, energy and services into valuable resources.” Their 2010 conference “Resource Recovery ... The Way Forward” took place in Sydney in early September. Papers / presentations from the conference in 2009 are available through the link http://www.austindustrialecology.com.au/ and the 2010 ones should be available shortly as well.

I have been involved in guest editing a special issue of the Business Strategy and the Environment (BSE) journal on industrial symbiosis. It has been delayed due to various reasons but it is very close to completion. Some of the papers coming in this special issue are already published online and are available in the early view section of the BSE Journal website including:

1. Chertow M and Miyata Y; Assessing collective firm behavior: comparing industrial symbiosis with possible alternatives for individual companies in Oahu, HI
2. Ashton W; Managing performance expectations of industrial symbiosis
3. Domenech T and Davies M; The Role of Embeddedness in Industrial Symbiosis Networks: Phases in the Evolution of Industrial Symbiosis Networks

I co-authored a paper on industrial symbiosis with Ines Costa and Guillaume Massard which may be of interest:
Waste management policies for industrial symbiosis development: case studies in European countries; 18(8); 815-822; Journal of Cleaner Production

17th Annual International Sustainable Development Research (ISDR) Conference is being hosted by the Earth Institute of the Columbia University in New York in May 2011. I plan to develop / chair an industrial symbiosis track for the same. Look out for the new conference website and the call for abstracts for the industrial symbiosis track the deadline for which would be in early December. Also I am planning to host the 2012 ISDR Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland for which proposals are underway. I believe many of you would love to explore the stunning landscapes of Scotland during the summer months.

That’s all from me and I hope you find some of the updates useful and look forward to hear any other updates or comments from your end.

Cheers

Abhi @ abhishekagarwal.co.uk

Wastivity and industrial symbiosis

Wastivity.com, a global online service, is now enabling inter- and intra-industry industrial symbiosis.

"With positive commercial focus, Wastivity.com has developed an environment in which new vertical links in the supply chain can be privately established," explains founder Simon Miller. "Wastivity.com presents the opportunity for business to not only reduce total system waste-to-input ratio, but also to realize financial value for waste (internalization) through the establishment of a marketplace."

The ball is gathering momentum

Following the inaugural conference of the Australian Industrial Ecology Network (AEIN) held in 2009, the second Australasion Industrial Ecology Conference will be held at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney from 2-3 September 2010. This comes only weeks following Enviro 2010, at which resource recovery and industrial symbiosis formed a major focus.

The conference aims to promote the practice of industrial ecology in Australia and showcase leading examples practised in Australia and Internationally.

EU Switch-Asia TBNA Industrial Symbiosis Project in China

Dear All

A new industrial symbiosis project worth 1.85 million Euros funded mainly by the European Union and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) was announced to have been won by the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), a manufacturing industrial powerhouse in China.

EU Switch-Asia TBNA Industrial Symbiosis Project is seen as one of the major projects involving international cooperation.

Full news about the project are available through the below link:

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90860/6946955.html

International Synergies Limited that manages the UK National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) would be taking an important role in leading this project in China. Peter Laybourn commented about what International Synegrgies do, how it helped to start NISP in the UK and that China has similar potential to what has been achieved in the UK through NISP projects (Guardian.co.uk ). A link with full news about the project and International Synergies involvement is below:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/23/china-decarbonise-economy-uk-company

Hope you find it an interesting read and perhaps some opportunities for some of us to get involved in this major industrial symbiosis initiative.

Regards

Abhi

Change of website link

Dear all

Given heavy traffic and increasing number of authors on the industrial symbiosis forum, I have now arranged for a proper domain to access this forum.

Please use www.industrialsymbiosis.info to access this forum in the future.

Kind regards

Abhi

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

Please use updated link for industrial symbiosis group: www.industrialsymbiosis.info

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