A review of industrial symbiosis research: theory and methodology

Abstract

The theory, methodologies, and case studies in the field of industrial symbiosis have been developing for nearly 30 years. In this paper, we trace the development history of industrial symbiosis, and review its current theoretical and methodological bases, as well as trends in current research. Based on the research gaps that we identify, we provide suggestions to guide the future development of this approach to permit more comprehensive analyses. Our theoretical review includes key definitions, a classification system, and a description of the formation and development mechanisms. We discuss methodological studies from the perspective of individual industrial metabolic processes and network analysis. Analyzing specific metabolic processes can help to characterize the exchanges of materials and energy, and to reveal the ecological performance and economic benefits of the symbiosis. Network analysis methods are increasingly being used to analyze both the structural and functional characteristics of a system. Our suggestions for future research focus on three aspects: how to quantitatively classify industrial symbiosis systems, monitor the dynamics of a developing industrial symbiosis system, and analyze its internal attributes more deeply.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

industrial ecology / industrial symbiosis / industrial metabolism / network analysis

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation for Innovative Research Group (No. 51121003), by the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (No. NCET-12-0059), by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41171068 and 40701004), by the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (No. IRT0809), by the Special Fund of State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control of China (No. 12Y04ESPCN and 10Z02ESPCN), and by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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