APPLYING INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY TO DEVENS
 

Building on the redevelopment successes so far at Devens, the Devens Industrial Ecology Project seeks to improve relationships among companies at the base, improve economic development for the region, and preserve existing natural resources for generations to come. The Devens Industrial Ecology Project is comprised of businesses, government agencies, and non-profits and is dedicated to promoting industrial ecology at Devens. This report summarizes research undertaking by the Industrial Ecology Project's lead agency, the Devens Enterprise Commission, to learn about industrial ecology and how it can help businesses perform more efficiently and meet the reuse goal of a sustainable redevelopment of Devens.

This report has three sections, the first provides background on industrial ecology, the second describes what an eco-industrial park is, and the final explains how these concepts can be applied at Devens.

Understanding Industrial Ecology

A great deal of research has investigated ways which industrial development can be made more sustainable and ways which it can fit into a framework of a sustainable society. Industrial ecology has emerged as a term over the last decade to fulfill the objectives of sustainability, with respect to industrial development.

The term "industrial ecology" was first coined by Robert A. Frosch and Nicholas E. Gallopoulus (1989) in a special issue of Scientific American. Frosch (1992), later defined an industrial ecology system as one which, "would maximize the economical use of waste materials and of products at the ends of their lives as inputs to other processes and industries" (800). Simply stated, the wastes of one company can become the raw materials of another. Through industrial ecology, industrial processes essentially mimic natural systems.

One perspective on industrial ecology is "industrial symbiosis," where a group of industries work collaboratively through exchanges to reduce natural resource consumption and pollution. In this network, "industrial symbiosis engages traditionally separate industries in a collective approach to competitive advantage involving physical exchanges of materials, energy, water, and by-products" (Chertow 1999, 4). Gertler (1995) points out that this approach is most suited for large-scale industrial processes only.

Industrial symbiosis involves linking separate companies so that the byproduct of one company may be used as a feedstock to the other company. With a network of these linkages, you can, in theory, achieve a closed loop system where waste is eliminated or drastically reduced. The other main element to industrial symbiosis is energy cascading. "Energy cascading involves the use of residual heat in liquids or steam from one process to provide heating, cooling, or pressure for another process" (Gertler 1995, 15).

FIGURE 1: Industrial ecology flows at Kalunborg, Denmark eco-industrial park

Industrial ecology's greatest realization is the industial ecosystem. Gertler defined an industrial ecosystem as "a community or network of companies and other organizations in a region who chose to interact by exchanging and making use of byproducts and/or energy in a way that provides one or more... benefits over traditional, non-linked operations" (16). Those benefits include: reduction in natural resources use for inputs, reduction in pollution, reduction in energy use, reduction in disposal of wastes, and increase in value of non-product outputs.

What is an Eco-Industrial Park

An eco-industrial park is "a community or network of companies and other organizations in [a physical park] who choose to interact by exchanging and making use of byproducts and/or energy in a way that provides one or more... benefits over traditional, non-linked operations" (Gertler 1995, 16). According to Gertler (1995) those benefits include: reduction in natural resources use for inputs, reduction in pollution, reduction in energy use, reduction in disposal of wastes, and increase in value of non-product outputs.

At this point, a basic description of how an eco-industrial park is actually assembled and operates would be valuable. An eco-industrial park can either be created from a vacant site (where linkages are thought through prior to construction), through the retrofitting of an existing industrial park, or at a combination site. In a case where there is some existing industry at the site, Lowe (1997)) outlined the steps to create an eco-industrial park. The first step is to determine energy, material, and water flows. Then, a network flow strategy is devised and synergies between existing and proposed industries at the site are examined (often with the assistance of a dynamic modeling software program like DIET or FAST). Where synergies are identified, those businesses are matched up and the benefits of exchange are discussed. If the flow analysis reveals gaps, then new businesses are recruited to locate at the park. In the meantime, customers for existing energy/material/water flows are sought. As data is collected from new businesses at the park, a regional database is assembled to further promote exchanges. The final step is to adjust the network flow strategy as companies come and go.

In a review of five eco-industrial park studies, substantial economic and environmental gains were found with eco-industrial park development. Those studies were: Kalunborg, Denmark; Bayport Industrial Complex in Pasadena, Texas; Londonderry, New Hampshire; Yale University Reports; and Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Mexico.

The annual economic benefit found in these studies was as high as $8 million and return on investment reached 59% (Lowe 1997; Martin, et al. 1996). All examples found some measurable economic advantages to eco-industrial park development over existing conventional industrial activity. Likewise, the studies revealed enormous potential for environmental benefits at eco-industrial parks. Annual reductions of millions of pounds of materials, wastes, and emissions were identified in each example. The research shows significant potential for reductions in extraction of natural resources and water drawdowns.

The five examples also illustrated the major characteristics of a successful eco-industrial park. The five major characteristics are: 1) material, water, and energy flows; 2) companies within close proximity; 3) strong informal ties between plant managers; 4) minor retrofitting of existing infrastructure; and 5) one or more anchor tenants.

An Eco-Industrial Park at Devens

From October 1999 through February 2000, surveys were distributed to companies currently operating at Devens. As a result of this data collection, a potential was identified for the application of industrial ecology principles into the operation of industrial activity at Devens. The creation of an eco-industrial park at Devens means two things: 1) existing industrial activity will be altered to fit into the industrial ecosystem concept, and 2) future industrial activity which comes to Devens will be fit into this industrial ecosystem approach. Data collected in the survey is strictly confidential, however, general trends revealed will be discussed in this report. The remainder of this report will focus on how an eco-industrial park would function at Devens, given current knowledge of industrial activity and postulations about future activity.

The five major characteristics of an eco-industrial park are: 1) material, water, and energy flows; 2) companies within close proximity; 3) strong informal ties between plant managers; 4) minor retrofitting of existing infrastructure; and 5) one or more anchor tenants.

1. Material, water, and energy flows

   The major material flows currently at Devens are (in approximate order of volume): corrugated cardboard, paper, plastic, metal scrap and chips, wooden palettes, and machine oil. These six types of materials are used, discarded, recycled, consumed, produced or purchased by the twelve companies surveyed. For a full implementation of the principles of industrial ecology, companies at Devens could build upon this base and create closed loop material flows for these six major materials. This would require the recruitment of new companies to fill in the voids that currently exist, for example, there is no company at Devens which reprocesses plastic. The model eco-industrial park at Devens would first improve the flow of materials among existing companies to make crucial connections and second would bring to Devens new companies to make the remaining connections. The result would be that companies' material needs would be drastically reduced and waste disposal would be eliminated.

   The links made between existing companies could be further extended to energy and water flows. A model eco-industrial park at Devens would use water cascading, a process that allows grey water from one company to be used by another company, and then to be recycled again, and so forth. This process reduces total water demand for the park. A similar technique is available for energy use, by cascading energy from high quality use to low quality use, thereby eliminating waste and improving efficiency.

   The four host towns of Ayer, Harvard, Lancaster, and Shirley can be a valuable aspect of the Devens eco-industrial park, as well. Within these four towns there are over 50 manufacturing companies, with 75% producing products from plastic, paper, wood, and metal (Gordan 1999). These facilities have material flows which could be connected into the greater Devens industrial ecosystem.

2. Companies within Close Proximity

   Devens was designed from the outset to have six separate industrial areas: Jackson Technology Park, Robbins Pond Industrial Park, Devens Industrial Park East, Devens Industrial Park West, and the Environmental Business Zone. All areas are connected by well serviced roadways and a greenway network. Within each area (with the exception of the Environmental Business Zone), there is some industrial development already in place. The existing companies are situated is close proximity to one another and in some cases co-located.

   The model Devens eco-industrial park would incorporate connections with the host towns of Ayer, Harvard, Shirley, and Lancaster. These four towns are abutting Devens and would also contribute to overall geographic proximity which is a key component to a successful eco-industrial park.

3. Strong Informal Ties Between Plant Managers

   Currently few plant managers at Devens know one another personally. However, the Devens Industial Ecology Project is creating a business network to better foster informal ties among plant managers. The network will host semi-monthly luncheons where guest speakers could address plant managers about operations and management topics. As a result of the gatherings, plant managers may develop closer ties and may work towards a more collaborative park environment.

4. Minor Retrofitting of Existing Infrastructure

   Existing industries may need to make modifications to their operations and processes in order to accommodate the industrial symbioses which will be initiated and to create a maximum return on investment for their firm. The planned material, energy, and water flows for Devens must be finalized prior to any retrofitting to ensure the greatest benefit from capital investments. The emphasis for the Devens eco-industrial park will be on attracting new industry and designing industrial ecology into their processes from the beginning. The new development will also consider environmental concerns during the site design process, in order to minimize unnecessary environmental impacts.

5. One or More Anchor Tenants

   The examples cited earlier all featured one or more anchor tenants leading the eco-industrial park. For Devens, the best opportunity for an anchor is the currently operating wastewater treatment facility. Plans are underway to upgrade that facility, and with only minor changes, the plant can be designed as a critical node for water and waste flows at Devens.

   For Devens, a second anchor would be necessary to convert the existing conventional industrial activity into an eco-industrial park. An ideal anchor company is one which can capitalized on a missing link in one of the existing major material flows. That anchor could be one of the existing companies at Devens.

Final Comments on an Eco-Industrial Park at Devens

An eco-industrial park at Devens should focus on water, energy and six material flows: cardboard, paper, plastic, metal, palettes, and machine oil. Using existing industry as a base, new companies can be recruited so that water, energy, and these materials will be generated, processed, used, recycled, reprocessed, and reused, to the extent possible. Flows can be made between and among closely located companies at Devens and within the four host towns. On-going connectivity and collaboration can be facilitated by a tight-knit network of plant managers both within and outside Devens. The physical creation of the eco-industrial park will come primarily from new companies designing facilities with industrial ecology in mind, rather than major retrofitting of existing companies. This development will be done in a manner which is sensitive to the environment, being consistent with the aims of industrial ecology. And lastly, the eco-industrial park will be centered around two main anchors.

This report was published through funding from the Devens Enterprise Commission. Principal report authors were Justin B. Hollander and Peter C. Lowitt (DEC Director).
March 12, 2000

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