Industrial ecology and water utilization of the marine chemical industry: A case study of Hai Hua Group (HHG), China

The marine chemical industry is a chemical industry based on coastal advantage. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the marine industry and made it the focal point of China economy in the 12th five-year plan. Water is an important material for the marine chemical industry, but wastewater discharge could undermine the sustainable development of the marine chemical industry. Industrial ecology provides insights for industry to realize a harmonious development with the environment. This paper examined the case of water utilization practice based on industrial ecology of the Hai Hua Group (HHG) in China. The utilization of three kinds of water, i.e., underground brine, seawater and freshwater is characteristic of the industrial ecology implementation of the HHG. In this paper, the water utilization practice of the HHG was described. The relationships among the three kinds of water, the driving force of water utilization, and the challenges of water utilization in the HHG were discussed. We conclude that implementing industrial ecology is a promising choice for the water utilization of marine chemical industry. It could also achieve the coordinated development between sea farming and the marine chemical industry. For non-renewable resource driven regional industrial ecosystems, such as the Hai Hua industrial ecosystem (HHIE) in this paper, seeking a substitute approach is essential for the stable and sustainable development of the whole industrial ecosystem. We also conclude that an industrial ecosystem's operation is driven by the integration of many factors, such as government, market, policy, culture and technique in this paper. This requires us to examine an industrial ecosystem's operation from a wider perspective, which is helpful to comprehensively and systematically understand the impetus of an industrial ecosystem.     

An island approach to industrial ecology: towards sustainability in the island context

Many fields of study have employed geophysical islands in experimental design with a great deal of success. An island is a closed and bounded system in many respects and presents a manageable unit of study. The island microcosm has been the basis for significant advances in areas such as evolutionary biology, ecosystem ecology and physical anthropology. The same properties that make islands so useful to scientists present island populations with pressing sustainability challenges of limited resource availability and natural carrying capacity. This paper discusses the characteristics of the island context to show the severity and immediacy of these challenges. Based on this discussion, it is apparent that new approaches are needed to address sustainable development on islands. Island systems and the study of industrial ecology, which examines industry embedded within the finite natural environment, have much to gain from one another in this respect. Several industrial ecology case studies, primarily drawn from research in Puerto Rico, are presented to illustrate the compatibility of islands as a study unit in this field. Industrial ecology presents new solutions to the challenges of sustainable island development, while well‐defined island systems offer a unique opportunity for the approach of industrial ecology.     

Environmental planning,ecosystem science,and ecosystem approaches for integrating environment and development

Currently popular concepts such as sustainable development and sustainability seek the integration of environment and development planning. However, there is little evidence that this integration is occurring in either mainstream development planning or environmental planning. This is a function of the history, philosophies, and evolved roles of both. A brief review of the experience and results of mainstream planning, environmental planning, and ecosystem science suggests there is much in past scientific and professional practice that is relevant to the goal of integrated planning for environment and development, but still such commonly recommended reforms as systems and multidisciplinary approaches, institutional integration, and participatory, goal-oriented processes are rarely achieved. “Ecosystem approaches,” as developed and applied in ecology, human ecology, environmental planning, anthropology, psychology, and other disciplines, may provide a more transdisciplinary route to successful integration of environment and development. Experience with ecosystem approaches is reviewed, their advantages and disadvantages are discussed, and they are compared to traditional urban and regional planning, environmental planning, and ecosystem science approaches. Ultimately a synthesis of desirable characteristics for a framework to integrate environment and development planning is presented as a guide for future work and a criterion for evaluating existing programs.     

Collaboration between design and waste management: Can it help close the material loop?

In order to explore the current relationship between industrial design and waste management (WM), a semi-structured interview study was carried out with 25 professionals from WM and designers that have worked with waste. The main aim was to learn about the collaborative work between these two areas and to investigate whether collaboration could help to incorporate material resources into production. The study reveals that designers and WM professionals regard the relation between disciplines in different ways, being more or less centered in their own disciplines. The designers interviewed, however tend to have a wider impression of this relation. This, together with the lack of understanding of the other's role and a fundamental scale difference when dealing with material flows were identified as the main barriers to better and more frequent collaboration. Even though some examples of collaborative work were found, they were not significant enough to have any noticeable effect on the WM system. In order to facilitate future collaboration, the contribution of the presented work is to identify areas for collaboration and suggest initial solutions for overcoming the barriers encountered to help to close the material loop.     

Regional industrial ecology: examples from regional economic systems of forest industry and energy supply in Finland

Industrial ecology (IE) promotes the development of industrial systems based on recycling of matter and cascading of energy through cooperation. In this paper, the local/regional industrial ecosystem approach is reflected in two examples from Finland. The local forest industry system is based on renewable resources, waste materials and energy utilisation between forestry companies, a saw-mill, a pulp mill, a paper mill and a forest industry power plant. Waste energy from electricity production is used for production of heat and process steam. Regional city energy supply systems in Finland are also to a large extent arranged around power plants that utilise waste energy. The potential of combining the forest industry system with the energy supply systems of cities is considered and the conditions for success in the Finnish case are discussed.     

Implementing industrial ecology and design for environment practices: Lawrence livermore national laboratory

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), one of the nation's three national security laboratories, is initiating a major research effort in industrial ecology with the goal of increasing the economic and environmental efficiency of the U.S. and global economies. Closer to home, ongoing efforts to reduce LLNL's environmental impact on the surrounding community provide an example of how the environmental efficiency of a major research facility can be systematically improved. In the late 1980s, LLNL initiated its waste minimization and pollution prevention program, changing its focus from end-of-pipe waste management to a proactive and preventive strategy—total quality environmental management (TQEM). LLNL's success in integrating pollution prevention with R&D and operational activities is well illustrated by the waste reduction and energy and water conservation accomplishments described in this article. LLNL represents a model of how industrial ecology, design for environment, and pollution prevention can be incorporated into a comprehensive R&D and operational program. This article describes LLNL's developing industrial ecology program, gives some specific technical accomplishments that have application to many industrial facilities, and presents a case study of TQEM at LLNL's remote experimental test facility, Site 300. The integration of TQEM philosophy with LLNL's scientific capabilities holds much promise for new ideas and creative solutions to national and international industrial ecology concerns.     

城市生态系统与中小城市生态环境规划探讨

城市生态系统是以人为中心的人工生态系统。城市环境是人类利用和改造环境而创造出来的高度人工化的生存环境,中小城市是区域内经济活动、生产活动、物资能量流通的中心。本文对城市生态系统的特征进行了分析,对如何进行城市生态环境规划进行了探讨。     

两山论、两条底线与自然资源治理

自然资源的科学管理与永续利用,不仅关系到多个产业部门的发展,还是习近平生态文明思想的重点关注问题。生态文明建设背景下的自然资源治理,应满足并促进多元主体参与下的不同利益诉求与协同发展。经济发展新形势下资源约束愈发显著,产业供给端的自然资源治理问题是可持续发展的关键要素。本研究结合两山论,通过对自然资源治理与人类活动发展间的内在关系进行分析,指出坚守两条底线的贵州实践是两山论持续深化生态文明建设的理论演进与验证。进而结合利益相关方的需求满足,梳理三者间联系与特性,以其核心理念为主线,围绕"生态系统服务、生态系统保护、区域经济发展"的目标功能实现,构建一种多元主体下的自然资源治理体系,并分析其约束条件与运行模式,以区域实践探析其目标功能实现与重要理论延展。最后提出应在产业发展与多方参与层面上统一思想认识,有利于新型治理途径的构建与探索。     

Conservation and management of the Bangladesh coastal ecosystem: Overview of an integrated approach

Although the coastal ecosystem of Bangladesh contains a highly functional and structurally diverse ecology, this ecology is gradually being degraded. As a consequence, the quality of life of a large section of the coastal community is in economic decline. This poses a daunting challenge to the sectoral coastal management programmes, active since the 1960s, aiming at simultaneously ameliorating people's livelihood and supporting the ecosystem. These programmes have been reasonably successful in managing the ecosystem, but in many cases, the situation has become worse. The limitations of these programmes include the tendency to adopt an exclusionist approach, a narrowly departmentalized administration and weak management. Currently, the integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) approach is espoused as the main strategy. With the adoption of Bangladesh's Coastal Zone Policy of 2005, the foundation for integrated management was laid. The next realistic target will be to bring about changes in culture and mandate among coastal institutions in favour of integrated management.     

水生态环境保护回顾与展望：从污染防治到三水统筹

水生态环境保护事关美丽中国目标的实现。本文阐释了我国从水污染防治向水环境、水生态、水资源“三水”统筹转变的新时代水生态环境保护内涵，从国内视角梳理我国水污染防治实践取得的成效，识别美丽中国水生态环境保护面临的制约性问题，首次在全国层面与欧美发达国家的水环境质量、水生态保护和水资源保障情况进行国际对标分析，提出以水生态系统保护目标为指引、以流域生态环境空间管控为基础、以“三水”统筹系统治理为路径、以治理体系和治理能力现代化为保障的水生态环境保护战略建议。     

生态系统管理理论在山地生态旅游开发中的应用

生态系统管理是一种可持续的系统的自然资源和环境管理理念,综合了生态、经济和社会的发展要求。以大别山区岳西县为例,探讨了山地生态旅游开发的生态系统管理,提出从整体上综合分析旅游流对山地自然生态环境的影响,研究具有关键性影响的生态要素和生态过程,采取适应性管理,确保旅游客流、当地民众和自然生态环境之间的和谐。     

基于(火用)分析法的煤炭工业生态链物质能量流动研究

从工业生态学角度研究了矿区工业生态系统的工业代谢和工业生态链，建立了矿区物质循环与能量流动分析和效率模型。根据生态效率的理念，矿区发展需要5项关键支撑技术，为合理选择煤炭的产业链延伸途径打下理论基础，促进了矿区的可持续发展。     

How Ecology Can Edify Ethics: The Scope of Morality

Over the past several decades environmental ethics has grown markedly, normative ethics having provided essential grounding in assessing human treatment of the environment. Even a systematic approach, such as Paul Taylor’s, in a sense tells the environment how it is to be treated, whether that be Earth’s ecosystem or the universe itself. Can the environment, especially the ecosystem, as understood through the study of ecology, in turn offer normative and applied (environmental) ethics any edification? The study of ecology has certainly increased awareness of the fact that it is not possible for a moral agent within the ecosystem to step outside its intricate mesh of actions and events, of causes and effects. That is, absolutely everything that an agent can do can have some, often unforeseeable, outcome in the environment. An incompletely snuffed-out match tossed out a car window can cause a forest fire, which causes biome destruction, which causes x, y, and z. In sum, the ecosystem can edify ethics in terms of the scope of ethics, which remains an unsettled, if too-often ignored, matter. By such an inclusive view of moral scope, as derived in part from ecology and as presented here, the scope of moral behavior would include—whether or not adventitiously—every action an agent may do. By this view, moral scope is, in essence, unlimited. The article offers some ramifications of this view of moral scope.     

Review of sustainability management initiatives within Finnish forest products industry companies—Translating Eu level steering into proactive initiatives

Sustainability has become a major focus area within forest products industry. The European operational environment and national environmental steering in EU member states highlight the importance of sustainable development and the development of associated new management approaches to promote sustainability. This article reviews some key elements of sustainability management, covering examples of both Finnish forest products industry initiatives and public environmental steering at the European level. An assessment is made of the current situation and an outline of a future outlook for sustainability management, with special emphasis on bridging the gap between industry initiatives and environmental steering in the form of legislation, policies and strategies at the EU level.This study applied a hybrid approach comprising a review of EU sustainability initiatives, a policy and legal review and a questionnaire survey of forest industry actors. The results of the future outlook indicate that energy efficiency is perceived to be the most important focus area in addition to e.g. environmental and waste management and recycling. Less than half of the companies aim at applying sustainability management. Life-cycle management is also considered to be important whereas product-based approaches, climate change and local industrial symbiosis receive very little attention. All responding companies aim to integrate the principles of sustainability into their operations and most companies consider that life-cycle thinking, management and assessment are useful for them. Energy efficiency is identified as the most important focus area with energy and materials efficiency seen as the most crucial factors for the achievement of responsible competitive advantage and building of sustainable value-added. The findings indicate that sustainability and life-cycle management are not receiving enough management focus at the moment and neither is the industry receiving enough guidance at either the EU level or via national steering and regulatory frameworks.     

Energy Considerations in Design for Environment: Appropriate Energy Selection and Energy Efficiency

Abstract

The design aspects of energy selection and energy efficiency are described. These topics are key components of Design for Environment, and thus are important considerations in industrial ecology. In the article, background material is presented on energy forms, sources, carriers and conversion technologies. Then, energy use in countries, regions and sectors is discussed, and the impact of energy use on the environment described. Efficiencies and other measures of merit for energy use are presented, and design for energy selection and for energy efficiency are described, highlighting energy-related design factors for pollution prevention. Finally sustainable development and its relation to energy and efficiency are discussed, and a case study is presented.     

Industrial Ecology for Sustainable Communities

Industrial ecology is a promising approach that planners can use to create more sustainable communities. This paper examines the scientific basis and planning implications of industrial ecology, which models urban systems on natural systems to increase efficiency and to reduce resource consumption and disposal. A case study of a successful eco-industrial system in Kalundborg, Denmark, demonstrates ways in which industrial ecology can promote key principles of sustainability. We conclude with lessons and directions for the role of planning in industrial ecology.     

Integrating industrial ecology principles into a set of environmental sustainability indicators for technology assessment

This paper focuses on the environmental component of sustainability of technology, taking into account the role of industrial ecology. Assessment of environmental sustainability of technology traditionally focuses on immediate impact of technology on the environment through quantifying resource extraction and generated emissions. However, technology does not only exchange materials with the environment but also with the industrial society as a whole, the so-called industrial metabolism. A higher compatibility of a specific technology with the industrial system, as studied in industrial ecology, can result in lower resource extraction and reduced waste emission, indirectly contributing to a better environmental sustainability.Starting from the considerations above and based on the second law of thermodynamics, the paper presents a set of five environmental sustainability indicators for the assessment of products and production pathways, integrating industrial ecology principles. The indicators, all scaled between 0 and 1, take into account: (1) renewability of resources; (2) toxicity of emissions; (3) input of used materials; (4) recoverability of products at the end of their use; (5) process efficiency.The applicability of the elaborated set of indicators is illustrated for different production pathways of alcohols (petrochemical and oleochemical based), polyethylene end-of-life options and electricity production from non-renewable (natural gas and fossil oil) and renewable resources (hydropower, photovoltaic conversion of solar irradiation).     

福建省经济系统物质流分析研究

运用物质流分析(MFA)方法,对福建省经济系统在1990~2008年间的物质输入与输出进行系统地分析,探讨了福建省经济发展与环境压力的关系。研究结果表明,福建省"资源高投入"的粗放型经济发展模式没有实现根本转变。主要结论有:(1)福建省物质输入量不断上升,能源需求急剧增长;(2)隐藏流不断增加,矿产资源地生态包袱不断增大;(3)区域过程排放缓慢上升,大气污染物排放为主要推动因子;(4)物质需求强度有反弹趋势,经济发展与物质需求出现扩张性"复钩"。最后,对福建省经济可持续发展提出了大力提高资源能源利用率、推进循环经济发展、优化产业结构、继续强化环境综合整治等建议。     

Industrial ecology—an organizing framework for environmental management

Industrial ecology is a systemic organizing framework for the many facets of environmental management. It views the industrial world as a natural system, embedded in local ecosystems and the global biosphere. It provides a fundamental understanding of the value of modeling the industrial system on ecosystems to achieve sustainable environmental performance. In this article, the author shows how it offers powerful tools of analysis that complement and enhance those offered by such approaches as Total Quality Environmental Management or pollution prevention.     

关于《生态保护学》学科建设若干问题初探

生态保护学经历了自然保护和生态保护两个阶段。生态保护学的研究对象是人类对生态有意识的保护，属于环境科学和应用生态学，包括自然保护、农村生态保护、城市生态保护。科学基础包括生态学、农村生态学、城市生态学、景观生态学，生态经济学与生态系统服务功能价值等，但专门的学科基础是恢复生态学。学科体系中生态监测与调查是基础，生态系统健康及生态评价是关键，生态工程与生态恢复是重点。