Using systems engineering to create a framework for evaluating industrial symbiosis options

Motivated by the success of industrial symbiosis at Kalundborg, Denmark, there have been many attempts to establish industrial symbiosis around the world. Modeling the complex system that underlies an industrial symbiosis provides much needed understanding of these interactions in the planning stage. Therefore, guidance and/or a framework are needed to identify “what to model” and to keep the modeling process on track. This paper applies systems engineering to create a framework for modeling industrial symbiosis. The proposed framework provides a practical road map for the modeling process that connects relevant concepts and techniques. A case is introduced to illustrate use of the framework.