Industrial Symbiosis Network Optimization Model for Supporting By-Products Reuse

The modern industrial scenario is continuously requesting to supply chainsSupply Chain and logistic networks to take complex decisions to deal with the recent global crises related to the supply of resources and environmentalEnvironmental impacts. Industrial symbiosisIndustrial symbiosis (IS) is a paradigm that aims to valorise industrial by-products, redirecting them as inputs for other productionProduction processes. IS establishes partnerships and synergiesSynergy between companies belonging to different industrial sectors, allowing businessesBusiness to gain economicEconomic, environmentalEnvironmental and social benefits. The complex circular network of entities often encounters problems in managing material and information flows and taking common strategic decisions. Linear programming optimization modelsOptimization model support decision-making process and they are increasingly used to optimize the exchanges within eco-industrial parks or IS networks (ISNs). This paper presents and applies an optimization modelOptimization model for managing an ISN with the aim of reducing the total cost of the system, one of the main drivers of companies’ decisions. The model considers as entities companies, reprocessing sites and landfills, and it is multiperiod to consider the dynamism of promising ISNs.