Photo: Helge Flick, NORCE
International experiences: Industrial and rural symbiosis
Murat Mirata, Linköping University, Sweden, is a researcher on Industrial Symbiosis (IS), with extensive experience in improving resource use of inter-organizational industrial processes. Mirata shares with us key lessons from his experience.
Industrial Symbiosis was initially concentrated around urban areas industrial symbiosis is commonly found in areas with concentration of relatively large industries and/or urban settings.. Murat Mirata has recently expanded the work on into what he calls Rural Symbiosis (RS) - industrial symbiosis in rural settings, too.
According to him, creating integrated value chains is the key in Industrial and Rural Symbiosis. Using one actor’s waste as another actor’s input and jointly developing utilities, products and service with superior economic and environmental performance are key characteristics of industrial and rural symbiosis.
“Waste management (WM) plays a crucial role in realizing this symbiosis, connecting waste producers and those who can utilize the resources embedded in the waste. The WM sector has extensive knowledge in the safe collection and treatment of waste and is extremely well positioned to be a key player in realizing more productive use of resources. In short, through industrial symbiosis, WM companies can be the driving force in transforming waste streams to value streams.”
Murat Mirata emphasizes that the need to move to more sustainable solutions underlines the role for academics and researchers as catalyzing actors in waste management symbiosis.
Murat Mirata points to two Swedish examples of good practice in Industrial Symbiosis. In and around Norrköping, Sweden, partnerships between a wheat-based bio-refinery, a heat and power plant, a biogas plant, farmers, forestry, other industries and the local community provide gains to all actors and stakeholders. The outcomes include the worlds greenest bioethanol and animal feed that has substantially reduced protein imports. Another example, in a more rural setting, is near Habo, Sweden. The two farms, one cultivating ecological vegetables and flowers and the other raising cows and crops realize synergies through a biogas plant that utilizes manure and organic waste to produce electricity and heating. Part of the electricity is used to power the greenhouses and the rest is sold to the grid while residual heat from the electricity production is used for heating the greenhouses. The plant also produces organic fertilizer for the farms.
Through the WANO project, he has experienced the waste management sector in northern Norway as knowledgeable and competent, stating that they have been successful in finding effective solutions. However, creating more value from waste will require joining not only various waste streams but also different competencies and capabilities. The actors are increasingly recognizing the value of working across organizational and national boundaries. This requires a re-orientation of mindsets and approaches, as well as forging new partnerships with actors in other fields.
