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Sustainable Industrial Design and Waste Management
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Other types of wastes were also generated such as 13,000 tons of news-
paper/cardboard which after a quality check are sold to cardboard and paper
consuming industries in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany producing new
paper, new cardboard, egg boxes and trays. Another 7,000 tons of rubble and
concrete were used for different surfaces after crushing and sorting, and
15,000 tons of garden/park refuse were delivered as soil amelioration in the
area as well as 4,000 tons of bio-waste from households and company canteens.
The bio-waste is used in compost and biogas production. Four thousand tons
of iron and metal were resold after cleaning for recycling as well as 1,800 tons
of glass and bottles sold to producers of new glass.
In ecological terms, Kalundborg exhibits the characteristics of a simple
food web: organisms consume each other’s waste materials and energy, thereby
becoming interdependent with each other. The exchange of reused and recy-
cled materials and energy from the industries’ byproducts resulted in large
amounts of profit and cost savings. Through 1993, the $60 million investment
in infrastructure (to transport energy and materials) has produced $120 million
in revenues and cost savings. In 1998, the capital cost for this project was
around $75 million. The savings were estimated to be $160 millions for a
payback period less than 5 years. At the same time, tens of thousands of tons
of water, fuel and other products are saved annually. The reductions in con-
sumption of natural resources are as follows: 45,000 tons of oil/y, 15,000 tons
3
of coal/y, and 600,000 m of water/y. The amounts of reduced wastes and
pollution are also significant: 175,000 tons of carbon dioxide/yr; 10,200 tons
of sulfur dioxide/y; 4,500 tons of sulfur/y; 90,000 tons of calcium sulfate
(gypsum)/y; and 130,000 tons of fly ash/y.
Although the industrial symbiosis of Kalundborg was developed due to
business interactions between companies seeking to make economic use of
their byproducts and waste material, it ended up with both economic as well
as environmental benefits. Materials are being exchanged in a closed loop,
companies are gaining profits, and the environment is protected by the reduced
air, water and land pollution.
The Kalundborg case study proved that sustainability through industrial
ecology can be profitable. The main obstacle to implementing industrial ecol-
ogy methodology is the absence of an industrial ecology leadership. Industrial
ecology leadership is a must to initiate and maintain the methodology.
Industrial ecology leadership should be done on a voluntary basis. Socializing
the top management of the industrial activities will enhance the communi-
cation skill and will develop mutual trust between partners and help people
talk to each other and initiate eco-industrial systems.
Criteria for symbiosis
From the above analysis, one can develop the following criteria for successful
implementing of an eco-industrial park:
• Database for wastes quantity and quality (analysis).
• Environmental and economical awareness.